TBM legend - Read this would you.........................and then shut up.
It was Allied policy to first defeat Hitler and then concentrate all their efforts on the defeat of Japan. The RN began to prepare in earnest for the latter in mid 1943 when RN squadrons of US made aeroplanes were acquired and formed in the USA in succession until mid 1944. This resulted in; from January 1945 the RN Far Eastern Fleet, which was the largest fleet ever deployed in the entire history of the RN that statement has to be read in the context that until the USN expanded after Pearl Harbour the RN was the largest navy the world has ever known and without taking up too much space again this the situation was as follows.
The Far Eastern Fleet came to its full strength in June '45 and was divided into two parts — The East Indies Fleet under the command of the Supreme Commander South East Asia Louis Mountbatten, and the British Pacific Fleet under the command of Admirals Nimitz and Halsey of the USN. In total there were some 720 RN ships including 17 battleships, (including the Free French 'Richelieu') 35 aircraft carriers, including 6 fleet carriers, 5 light fleet carriers, and 24 escort carriers. There were 14 second line and 50 front line RN squadrons, using both US and UK manufactured aeroplanes. There were 111 shore stations and base ships including 8 air stations, 6 mobile naval air bases (MONABS) 1 transportable air repair yard, 1 air station/transit camp and 2 RN bases with air sections. There were 47 Cruisers including 2 Dutch, 1 French, 1 Italian, 1 Canadian and 7 Australian. The remainder of the 720 consisted of frigates, sloops, submarines and a great miscellany of other ships such as landing ships, supply ships, depot ships, etc…