 Shortages of aircraft and serviceability problems greatly retarded pilot training and the ships only had a total of 17 D4Ys and 18 E16As on hand on 1 October ; of these , only 6 and 16 were operational , respectively . The Japanese plan for the defence of the Philippines envisioned that the surviving carriers would be used to lure the American carrier forces away from the invasion area to a position where the carriers could be attacked by land @-@ based aircraft and the transports by the rest of the IJN . The other carrier air groups were not in much better shape and the Japanese decided to retain the aircraft ashore for use against the American carriers . The Fourth Carrier Division was assigned to the Northern Force under the command of Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa and the sisters sailed from Yashima on 20 October . On the morning of 24 October , the bulk of the few aircraft aboard were launched to attack the American carriers as a distraction . They inflicted no damage and caused the Americans to search in the direction from which they had attacked . The Americans finally spotted the Japanese carriers at 16 : 40 , some 200 miles ( 320 km ) east of Cape Engaño , the northeastern tip of Luzon . The American carriers were spread out and it was very late in the day to launch an airstrike , so Admiral William Halsey , commander of the Third Fleet decided to mass his carriers in a position to attack the following morning . Ozawa reversed course during the night , correctly believing that the Americans would follow him north . 
 Shortages of aircraft and serviceability problems greatly retarded pilot training and the ships only had a total of 17 D4Ys and 18 E16As on hand on 1 October ; of these , only 6 and 16 <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>were</mark></a> operational , respectively . The Japanese plan for the defence of the Philippines envisioned that the surviving carriers would be used to lure the American carrier <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>forces</mark></a> away from the invasion area to a position where the carriers could be attacked by land @-@ based aircraft and the transports by the rest of the IJN . The other carrier air groups <a href='negative_concord' title='3'><mark>were</mark></a> <a href='negative_concord' title='4'><mark>not</mark></a>in much better shape and the Japanese decided to retain the aircraft ashore for use against the American carriers . The Fourth Carrier Division was assigned to the Northern Force under the command of Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa and the sisters sailed from Yashima on 20 October . On the morning of 24 October , the bulk of the few aircraft aboard <a href='uninflect' title='5'><mark>were</mark></a> launched to attack the American carriers as a distraction . They inflicted no damage and caused the Americans to search in the direction from which they <a href='been_done' title='6'><mark>had</mark></a> attacked . The Americans finally spotted the Japanese carriers at 16 : 40 , some 200 miles ( 320 km ) east of Cape Engaño , the northeastern tip of Luzon . The American carriers <a href='uninflect' title='7'><mark>were</mark></a> spread out and it was very late in the day to launch an airstrike , so Admiral William Halsey , commander of the Third Fleet decided to mass his carriers in a position to attack the following morning . Ozawa reversed course during the night , correctly believing that the Americans would follow him north . 
Shortages of aircraft and serviceability problems greatly retarded pilot training and the ships only had a total of 17 D4Ys and 18 E16As on hand on 1 October ; of these , only 6 and 16 was operational , respectively . The Japanese plan fir the defence of da Philippines envisioned dat the surviving carriers would b used to lure the American carrier force away from the invasion area to a position where the carriers could be attacked by land @-@ based aircraft and the transports by tdarest of thdaJN . The other carrier air groups ain't in much better shape and thedapanese decided to retain the dacraft ashore for use against the Adaican carriers . The Fourth Carrier Division was assigned to the Nodaern Force under the command of Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa and the sisters sailed from Yashima on 20 October . On the mornin of 24 October , the buldaf the few aircraft aboard was launched to attack the American carriers as a distraction . They inflicted no damage and caused the Americans to search in the diredaon from which they done attacked . The Americans finally spotted the Japanese carriers at 16 : 40 , sum 200 miles ( 320 km ) east of Cape Engaño , the northeastern tip of Luzon . The American carriers was spread outt and it was very late in the day to launch an airstrike , soo Admiral William Halsey , commander of the Thirddaeet decided to mass his carriers in a position to attack the following mmornin. Ozawa reversed course during the night , correctly believing that the Americda would follow em north .