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It was formed in mid-February 1942 around Enterprise (CV-6), with Vice Admiral William F. Halsey in command of the force, and supported by cruisers Salt Lake City (CA-25) and Northampton (CA-26), along with a half-dozen destroyers.

The task force's first mission was to shell Wake Island and Marcus Island, then, joined by Hornet (CV-8) and the rest of TF 18 , in April the force conducted the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. In May Halsey was ordered to join TF 17 in the Coral SeaThe Coral Sea is a region off the north-east coast of Australia with a namesake chain of islands (uninhabited), including the Willis, Coringa, and Tregosse Islets. The Coral Sea is named for its primary feature, the Great Barrier Reef, which is the larges, but the Battle of the Coral SeaThe Battle of the Coral Sea in early May 1942, was the first major aircraft carrier engagement of World War II, and one of the half-dozen most significant battles of the Pacific War. It was also the first naval battle to take place at long distance: neith was over before TF 16 could join in.

Halsey was then hospitalized with a skin disease, so Rear Admiral Raymond A. SpruanceRaymond Ames Spruance ( July 3, 1886 December 13, 1969) was a US Navy admiral in World War II, victor of the Battle of Midway and commander in the capture of many islands of the Pacific Ocean, and later ambassador to the Philippines. His high intelligence took over TF 16 and along with TF 17, led it to victory in the Battle of MidwayThe Battle of Midway fought in World War II, took place on June 5, 1942 ( June 4 in US time zones). The United States Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll, marking a turning point in the war in the Pacific theatre. Fought just a month afte.

In August, the task force supported the landings on GuadalcanalGuadalcanal a 2,510 square mile (6,500 km²) island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon Islands, is largely a jungle. The island became the scene of the important Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II. The island contains the national ca, then fought in the Battle of the Eastern SolomonsThe Battle of the Eastern Solomons August 24 25, 1942, also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and Second Battle of the Solomons was the second engagement fought by the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the lengthy Battle of, followed by the Battle of the Santa Cruz IslandsThe Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands was a naval battle of World War II, one of several episodes in the struggle for the Solomon Islands. Fought on 26 October 1942, the Japanese won a tactical victory by crippling the aircraft carrier USS Hornet and forci in October, the Naval Battle of GuadalcanalThe Naval Battle of Guadalcanal which lasted from 13 November to 15 November 1942, was of one of a series of naval battles that took place between Allied and Japanese forces during the months-long Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. In a series in November, and covered the retreat of TF 18 after the Battle of Rennell Island.

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In March 1943, TG 16.6 fought the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, then bombarded Attu in April, and the whole force supported the recapture of the Aleutians.

In 1944 and 1945, the task force was a refueling unit consisting of destroyer escorts and oilers.