United States Fourth Fleet
| Fourth Fleet | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1943-1950 2008 - Present |
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Type | Fleet |
| Role | Direct Fleet Operations |
| Part of | U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) |
| Garrison/HQ | Naval Station Mayport |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Rear Admiral Kurt W. Tidd |
The United States Fourth Fleet is a command of the United States Navy in the South Atlantic, operating as a component of the joint U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Fleet Forces Command. The Fourth Fleet is based at Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Florida and is responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean, and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans around Central and South America.[1]
The Fleet began operations again in the summer of 2008 but was not fully staffed until 2009, in keeping with a manpower study conducted by U.S. Fleet Forces Command. According to the United States Department of Defense, the Fourth Fleet's aim is to assist in narcotics interdiction efforts, humanitarian and goodwill interventions, and joint training with regional security partners.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
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The Fourth Fleet was originally established on 24 September 1942, during World War II, along with the other numbered fleets. The fleet was later absorbed by U.S. Second Fleet and disbanded in 1950 prior to being re-established in 2008. On April 24, 2008, Admiral Gary Roughead, the Chief of Naval Operations, announced that the United States Fourth Fleet would be re-established, effective July 1, with responsibility for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean Sea, as well as around Central and South America. Rear Admiral Joseph D. Kernan was named Commander, Fourth Fleet and Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command.
[edit] Commanders of the Fourth Fleet
- Jonas H. Ingram (1943 – Nov 1944)[3]
- William R. Munroe (Nov 1944 – 1945)[3]
- Thomas Cooley (1945 – mid 1946) [4]
- Daniel E. Barbey (September 1946 – March 1947)[5]
- Charles McMorris mid 1947 - July 1948
- Rear Admiral Joseph D. Kernan (1 July 2008 – 12 June 2009)
- Rear Admiral Victor G. Guillory (12 June 2009 – present)[6]
[edit] Reaction to reestablishment
This reactivation, without informing regional governments, sparked concern within some South American governments. The governments of Argentina and Brazil made formal inquiries as to the fleet's mission in the region.[7][8] In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez accused the United States of attempting to frighten the people of South America by reactivating the fleet [9] and vowed that his country's new Sukhoi Su-30 jets could sink any US ships invading Venezuelan waters.[10] Cuban ex-president Fidel Castro warned that it could be lead to more incidents such as the 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis. [11]
[edit] Fourth Fleet Ships
No ships are permanently assigned to the Fourth Fleet. Ships homeported in the U.S. Fleet Command and U.S. 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. This is consistent with ships deploying to the other numbered fleets (Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Fleets), although all of those fleets have at least one permanently assigned ship.
[edit] See also
- United States Fleet Forces Command
- United States Third Fleet
- United States Fifth Fleet
- United States Sixth Fleet
- United States Seventh Fleet
[edit] References
- ^ "Navy Reestablishes U.S. Fourth Fleet", US Navy, 24 April 2008.
- ^ "Navy Re-Establishes U.S. Fourth Fleet", US DoD, 24 April 2008.
- ^ a b "Second Report to the Secretary of the Navy". United States Navy. 2006-06-01. http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/cno/cnorpt_2.html.
- ^ "Biography of THOMAS ROSS COOLEY". United States Navy. 2006-06-01. http://www.usswashington.com/coolbio.htm.
- ^ "Papers of Vice Admiral Daniel E. Barbey, 1941-1969". Naval Historical Center. 2006-06-01. http://www.history.navy.mil/ar/bravo/barbey.htm.
- ^ http://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/news.php?storyId=1812
- ^ ¿Quo vadis IV Flota?
- ^ El Senado brasileño rechaza la reactivación de la IV Flota Naval de EE UU
- ^ Chávez arremete contra la IV Flota en el inicio del desfile militar
- ^ Russia Defense Watch: Sukhois boost Chavez.
- ^ IV Flota de intervención hacia Latinoamérica mañana - Radio La Primerísima - La Gente - Noticias desde Managua, Nicaragua
- Samuel Eliot Morison, History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, (Volumes 3 & 4?)
[edit] External links
- United States Navy Fourth Fleet Fact File Page
- Numbered Fleets by the Federation of American Scientists
- Navy Times: 4th Fleet returns, gunning for drug smugglers
- Northshorejournal.org, Fourth Fleet is about partnerships
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