Numbered fleet of the United States Navy
Military unit
The
U.S. Fourth Fleet
is a
United States Navy
numbered fleet
. It is the Naval Component Command of
U.S. Southern Command
(USSOUTHCOM). The Fourth Fleet is headquartered at
Naval Station Mayport
in
Jacksonville, Florida
. It is responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the
Caribbean Sea
, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans around
Central
and
South America
.
History
[
edit
]
World War II
[
edit
]
The 4th Fleet was a major U.S. Navy formation in the
South Atlantic Ocean
during
World War II
. It was originally established to protect the U.S. against
Axis
surface raiders,
blockade runners
, and
submarines
.
The Fleet was originally a redesignation of the South Atlantic Force. On 12 September 1942, the
Brazilian Navy
was placed under command of the U.S. Navy's Vice Admiral
Jonas Ingram
by order of the Brazilian President Vargas.
[1]
Three days later, on 15 September 1942, Vice Admiral Ingram was appointed as Commander, South Atlantic Force (ComSoLant). Six months later, South Atlantic Force was redesignated the U.S. Fourth Fleet on 15 March 1943.
[1]
The Fleet worked with Brazil in the South Atlantic using Atlantic Ocean bases at
Recife
and elsewhere.
[2]
The fleet was later commanded by Vice Admiral
William Munroe
. In all, forces deployed to the 4th Fleet sank 18 German U-boats and one Italian submarine, along with sinking or stopping Axis blockade runners.
Three years after its establishment, on April 15, 1945, the Fourth Fleet was dissolved and renamed Task Force 27. Admiral Munroe kept the title and command of Commander, South Atlantic Force. In 1946, the U.S. 4th Reserve Fleet was formed to maintain readiness for war; it was disestablished on January 1, 1947.
[2]
2008 reactivation
[
edit
]
On 24 April 2008,
Chief of Naval Operations
Admiral
Gary Roughead
announced the reestablishment of the Fourth Fleet. Its formal reestablishment took place on 12 July 2008 at a ceremony at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.
[3]
The announcement was made before informing foreign governments in the region, several of which expressed concern. The governments of
Argentina
and
Brazil
made formal inquiries as to the fleet's mission in the region. In
Venezuela
, President
Hugo Chavez
accused the United States of attempting to frighten the people of Latin America
[4]
and vowed that his country's new
Sukhoi Su-30
jets could sink any U.S. ships invading Venezuelan waters. Cuban president
Fidel Castro
warned that it could lead to more incidents such as the
2008 Andean diplomatic crisis
.
[5]
Mission
[
edit
]
The Fourth Fleet's area of responsibility, 2009.
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command
(
USNAVSO
) and the Fourth Fleet support USSOUTHCOM joint and combined full-spectrum military operations. They do this by providing principally sea-based forward presence to ensure freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain, to foster and sustain cooperative relationships with international partners, and to fully exploit the sea as maneuver space in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central American, and South American regions. The Fleet has five missions: support for
peacekeeping
,
humanitarian assistance
,
disaster relief
, traditional maritime exercises, and
counterdrug
support operations.
Organization
[
edit
]
Commander, Task Force 41, Rear Admiral Thomas, shakes hands with Commanding Officer, USS
Gunston Hall
, in Haiti, on 5 February 2010. Fourth Fleet units were deployed to assist after the earthquake there.
Commander, USNAVSO (COMUSNAVSO) also serves as the Navy component commander for USSOUTHCOM. U.S. Fourth Fleet is responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility, which encompasses the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and surrounding waters. It is an organizational fleet staffed to fulfill a planning and coordination mission; as part of its 2008 reestablishment, no vessels are permanently assigned to the Fourth Fleet. Ships
home-ported
in the
United States Fleet Forces Command
and
United States Third Fleet
routinely deploy to the Fourth Fleet area of responsibility (AOR), during which time they are under the operational control of the Fourth Fleet commander.
Fourth Fleet headquarters is co-located with USNAVSO headquarters in Naval Station Mayport, Florida, and is commanded by a two-star
rear admiral
.
Fourth Fleet Commanders
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Suggested reading
[
edit
]
Karen Domabyl Smith; et al. (January 2002).
"Is NAVSO Organized and Staffed To Do Its Job"
(PDF)
.
Alexandria, Virginia
:
Center for Naval Analyses
. Retrieved
2 March
2023
.
CRM D0005057.A1/Final
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Current geographical fleets
| |
---|
Current numbered fleets
| |
---|
Historic geographical fleets
| |
---|
Historic numbered fleets
| |
---|