The gulf in the Philippines that was the site of World War II’s largest naval battle is Leyte Gulf.
The Battle of Leyte Gulf took place from 23 to 26 October 1944 as Allied forces invaded the Philippines. The United States Navy’s Third and Seventh Fleets confronted much of the remaining strength of the Imperial Japanese Navy in an attempt to stop the Allied landings on Leyte Island.
The battle was not one single engagement but a vast series of operations, including the battles of the Sibuyan Sea, Surigao Strait, Cape Engaño and Samar. More than 200,000 naval personnel took part, and the fighting involved hundreds of ships. The Japanese suffered crippling losses and could no longer operate a comparable fleet for the rest of the war.
Leyte Gulf is also associated with several major naval milestones. It was the first battle in which Japan carried out organized kamikaze attacks, and the Battle of Surigao Strait was the last battleship-to-battleship action in history. The Allied victory helped restore the Philippines and accelerated the collapse of Japanese control in the region. The Gulf of Tonkin, Gulf of Thailand and Gulf of Aden were not the location of this battle.