United States Pacific Fleet - wikipedia United States Pacific Fleet Not to be confused with Pacific Reserve Fleet or Pacific Squadron. This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. ( May 2012 ) United States Pacific Fleet The official seal of the Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet. Active 1907 -- present Allegiance United States of America Branch United States Navy Type Theater command Size 250,000 Navy and Marine personnel 2,000 aircraft 200 Ships Part of United States Pacific Command Garrison / HQ Pearl Harbor Naval Base Engagements World War II Korean War Vietnam War Global War on Terrorism Commanders Current commander ADM John C. Aquilino Notable commanders James O. Richardson Husband E. Kimmel Chester W. Nimitz Raymond A. Spruance Cecil D. Haney The United States Pacific Fleet ( USPACFLT ) is a Pacific Ocean theater - level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval forces to the United States Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Pearl Harbor Naval Station, Hawaii, with large secondary facilities at North Island, San Diego Bay on the Mainland. Contents 1 Origins 2 Composition of the Pacific Fleet in December 1941 3 Post 1945 4 Commanders 5 See also 6 Notes 7 External links Origins A Pacific Fleet was created in 1907 when the Asiatic Squadron and the Pacific Squadron were combined. In 1910, the ships of the First Squadron were organized back into a separate Asiatic Fleet. The General Order 94 of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. Until May 1940, the Battle Fleet was stationed on the west coast of the United States ( primarily at San Diego ). During the summer of that year, as part of the U.S. response to Japanese expansionism, it was instructed to take an `` advanced '' position at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Long term basing at Pearl Harbor was so strongly opposed by the commander, Admiral James O. Richardson, that he personally protested in Washington. Political considerations were thought sufficiently important that he was relieved by Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, who was in command at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Pacific Fleet was formally recreated on 1 February 1941. On that day General Order 143 split the United States Fleet into separate Atlantic, Pacific, and Asiatic Fleets. Composition of the Pacific Fleet in December 1941 USS Pennsylvania USS Lexington USS Richmond On 7 December, the Fleet consisted of the Battle Force, Scouting Force, Base Force, Amphibious Force ( ComPhibPac ), Cruiser Force ( COMCRUPAC ), Destroyer Force ( COMDESPAC ), and the Submarine Force ( COMSUBPAC ). Also in Hawaii was the Fourteenth Naval District, commanded by Rear Admiral Claude C. Bloch. The Battle Force consisted of Battleships, Battle Force, made up of three Battleship Divisions : Battleship Division 1 USS Pennsylvania USS Arizona USS Nevada Battleship Division 2 USS Tennessee USS California USS Oklahoma Battleship Division 3 USS Colorado USS Maryland USS West Virginia These nine battleships were intended to counterbalance the ten battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Pennsylvania was in dry dock undergoing maintenance, and Colorado was in the midst of a refit at Bremerton Navy Yard, Washington. Arizona was mated with Nevada and Oklahoma at that time. Other components of the Battle Force included Aircraft, Battle Force, with Carrier Division One and Carrier Division Two, plus Cruiser Divisions 4, 5, and 6, as well as Destroyers, Battle Force. : Carrier Division 1 USS Saratoga USS Lexington Carrier Division 2 USS Enterprise Cruiser Division 4 USS Chicago USS Portland USS Indianapolis Cruiser Division 5 USS Salt Lake City USS Northampton USS Chester Cruiser Division 6 USS Astoria USS Minneapolis USS New Orleans USS San Francisco When the attack took place, all three carriers were absent - Saratoga was in San Diego collecting her air group following a major refit, Enterprise was en route back to Hawaii following a mission to deliver aircraft to Wake Island, while Lexington had just departed on a similar mission to Midway. The Scouting Force included Cruiser Division Three, Cruiser Division Nine and Submarines, Scouting Force. Cruiser Division 3 USS Trenton USS Richmond USS Concord Cruiser Division 9 USS Honolulu USS Boise USS Phoenix USS St. Louis USS Helena The Amphibious Force was formally known as Commander, Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet ( ComPhibPac ). On 7 December 1941 the Amphibious Force comprised the Army 's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, under Army operational control, the 2nd Marine Division, the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, the 2nd Defense Battalion ( see Marine defense battalions ), and a depot. One of PhibPac 's subordinate commands during World War II was Transports, Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet, or TransPhibPac. The commander of TransPhibPac was known as ComTransPhibPac. In December 1941, the fleet consisted of nine battleships, three aircraft carriers, 12 heavy cruisers, eight light cruisers, 50 destroyers, 33 submarines, and 100 patrol bombers. This was approximately the fleet 's strength at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. That day, the Japanese Combined Fleet carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into World War II in the Pacific. The Pacific Fleet 's Battle Line took the brunt of the attack, with two battleships destroyed, two salvageable but requiring lengthy reconstruction, and four more lightly to moderately damaged, forcing the U.S. Navy to rely primarily on aircraft carriers and submarines for many months afterward. Subsequently Pacific Fleet engagements during World War II included the Battle of Guam, the Marshalls - Gilberts raids, the Doolittle Raid, the Solomon Islands campaign, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and the Battle of Okinawa. More minor battles included the Battle of Dutch Harbor. The Submarine Force began a sustained campaign of commerce raiding against Japan 's merchant marine, beginning the very first day of the war, which ultimately claimed 1,314 ships totalling about 5.3 million tons ( by the imperfect postwar reckoning of the Joint Army - Navy Assessment Committee, JANAC ). The West Loch disaster occurred at Pearl Harbor on 21 May 1944. Post 1945 The Pacific Fleet took part in Operation Magic Carpet, the return of U.S. servicemen, after the end of the Second World War. The organization of the Pacific Fleet in January 1947 is shown in Hal M. Friedman 's Arguing over the American Lake : Bureaucracy and Rivalry in the U.S. Pacific, 1945 - 1947. Since 1950 the Pacific Fleet has been involved in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the two Taiwan Straits Crises, and a number of other operations including the Mayaguez Incident of 1975, as well as post-Vietnam related operations such as Operation New Arrivals. The RIMPAC exercise series began in 1971. On 7 March 1984, the Secretaries of Transportation and Navy signed a Memorandum of Agreement which created the Maritime Defense Zones ( MDZ ). The Pacific MDZ is an echelon three Navy command under the Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet. The Pacific MDZ has responsibility for coastal defense up to 200 nautical miles around the U.S. West Coast, Alaska, Aleutian Islands, and Hawaii during times of hostility. On 1 October 1990, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Alaska ( COMUSNAVAK ) was established as the Naval Component Commander to Commander, Alaskan Command ( COMALCOM ). Since its inception, COMUSNAVAK has grown to become responsible for coordinating all Navy activity in the Alaska and Aleutian area, for detailed planning and coordination for the Naval portion of the Joint and Combined Exercise Northern Edge, and coordinates high - visibility U.S. Navy ship visits throughout Alaska in support of public relations and recruiting initiatives. The very large PACEX ' 89 in the North Pacific involved the USN, Canadian Navy, Japanese Maritime Self - Defence Force, and ROK Navy. At the end of Exercise PACEX ' 89 a 54 ship formation was assembled for photos. It included the flagship, USS Blue Ridge ( LCC - 19 ), the USS Enterprise ( CVN - 65 ) Battle Group, the USS Carl Vinson ( CVN - 70 ) Battle Group, two battleship surface action groups formed around the USS New Jersey ( BB - 62 ) and USS Missouri ( BB - 63 ), and a Japanese Maritime Self - Defence Force task force. Other operations undertaken since include participation in the Alaskan Oil Spill Joint Task Force, including participation of Commander, Amphibious Group Three, as deputy CJTF. This was the defence response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill of March 1989. Also, the Pacific Fleet was involved in Joint Task Force Philippines during the December 1989 coup attempt there, which involved two carrier battle groups, USS Midway and USS Enterprise - with their associated air wings operating in the Philippine Sea, chopped to JTF Philippines. During the operations, the carriers maintained deck alerts and 24 - hour coverage of Manila with E-2C aircraft. Around September 10, 1990, USS Princeton ( CG - 59 ) and the USS Reuben James ( FFG - 57 ) visited Vladivostok. This marked the first United States Navy visit to the Soviet Union 's Pacific port of Vladivostok since before World War II. Before the visit was completed, the crew received word that their Pacific cruise was canceled. They returned to Long Beach and joined the USS Ranger Battle Group preparing to deploy to the Persian Gulf. During Operation Fiery Vigil in June 1991, the following vessels participated in the sealift phase of the evacuation : the Lincoln battle group ( COMCARGRU 3 embarked ) : USS Abraham Lincoln ( CVN - 72 ), USS Long Beach ( CGN - 9 ), USS Lake Champlain ( CG - 57 ), USS Merrill ( DD - 976 ), USS Gary ( FFG - 51 ), USS Ingraham ( FFG - 61 ), USS Roanoke ( AOR - 7 ), Amphibious Ready Group Alpha ( COMPHIBRON 3 embarked ) : USS Peleliu ( LHA - 5 ), USS Cleveland ( LPD - 7 ), USS Comstock ( LSD - 45 ), USS Bristol County ( LST - 1198 ), and a large number of other vessels : USS Midway ( CV - 41 ), USS Curts ( FFG - 38 ), USS Rodney M. Davis ( FFG - 60 ), USS Thach ( FFG - 43 ), USS Arkansas ( CGN - 41 ), USS McClusky ( FFG - 41 ), USS St. Louis ( LKA - 116 ), USS San Bernardino ( LST - 1189 ), MV 1st Lt Lummus, MV American Condor, USS Niagara Falls ( AFS - 3 ), USNS Ponchatoula ( T - AO - 148 ), USNS Passumpsic ( T - AO - 107 ), USNS Hassayampa, USS Haleakala ( AE - 25 ), USNS Spica ( T - AFS - 9 ), USS Cape Cod ( AD - 43 ). ( CNA, 1994, 113 ) Further operations included JTF Marianas ( August -- September 1992 ) and JTF Hawaii ( September -- October 1992 ). Other contingency operation after 1991 included Operation Sea Angel ( Bangladesh relief ) ( led by Commander III Marine Expeditionary Force ), Operation Eastern Exit, and involvement in the Somali Civil War - ' Restore Hope '. During ' Restore Hope, ' Navy command arrangements underwent a number of changes during the operation. At the start, the principal naval forces were the Ranger battle group ( with Commander, Carrier Group One embarked on USS Ranger ( CV - 61 ) as Commander, Naval Forces ), the Kitty Hawk battle group, an amphibious task unit including USS Tripoli ( LPH - 10 ), USS Juneau ( LPD - 10 ), USS Rushmore ( LSD - 47 ), and MV Lummus, and three ships from MPSRON TWO ( MV Anderson, MV Bonnyman, and MV Phillips ). Other events led to the departure of the carriers and, as a result, Commander, Naval Forces responsibilities devolved first to Commander, Carrier Group Three, on Kitty Hawk, and thence to Commander, Amphibious Group Three. Finally Commander, Amphibious Squadron 3 became COMNAVFOR on 15 January with the departure of COMPHIGRU THREE after the completion of the MPF offload. ( CNA, 1994, 168 ) In 1995 Pacific Fleet surface ships were reshuffled. Effective Oct. 1, 1995 the U.S. Pacific Fleet 's surface ships were to be reorganized into six core battle groups and eight destroyer squadrons. Permanent core battle groups were to include a battle group commander, aircraft carrier, carrier air wing and at least two cruisers. Commander Cruiser - Destroyer Group 1 / USS Constellation Battle Group : USS Lake Erie ( CG - 70 ) and USS Chosin ComCruDesGru 3 / USS Carl Vinson Battle Group : USS Shiloh ( CG - 67 ), USS California ( CGN - 36 ) and USS Arkansas ( CGN - 41 ) ComCruDesGru 5 / USS Kitty Hawk Battle Group : USS Cowpens ( CG - 63 ) and USS Antietam ( CG - 54 ) Commander Carrier Group 7 ( ComCarGru 7 ) / USS Nimitz Battle Group : USS Port Royal ( CG - 73 ) and USS Lake Champlain ( CG - 57 ) ComCar Gru 3 / USS Abraham Lincoln Battle Group : USS Princeton ( CG - 59 ) and USS Chancellorsville ( CG - 62 ) Commander Carrier Group Five / USS Independence Battle Group : USS Bunker Hill ( CG - 52 ) and USS Mobile Bay ( CG - 53 ) Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific probably directed... Destroyer Squadron 1 : USS Copeland ( FFG - 25 ), USS George Philip ( FFG - 12 ), USS John A. Moore ( FFG - 19 ), USS Lewis B. Puller ( FFG - 23 ), USS Mahlon S. Tisdale ( FFG - 27 ), USS Sides ( FFG - 14 ), USS Wadsworth ( FFG - 9 ) and USS Reid ( FFG - 30 ) Destroyer Squadron 5 : USS Cushing ( DD - 985 ), USS John S. McCain ( DDG - 56 ), USS Ingersoll ( DD - 990 ), USS Crommelin ( FFG - 37 ), USS Reuben James ( FFG - 57 ) Destroyer Squadron 7 : USS Elliot ( DD - 967 ), USS Curtis Wilbur ( DDG - 54 ), USS Merrill ( DD - 976 ), USS John Paul Jones ( DDG - 53 ) and USS Harry W. Hill ( DD - 986 ) Destroyer Squadron 9 : USS Paul F. Foster ( DD - 964 ), USS David R. Ray ( DD - 971 ), USS Callaghan ( DDG - 994 ), USS Chandler ( DDG - 996 ), USS Ford ( FFG - 54 ) and USS Ingraham ( FFG - 61 ) Destroyer Squadron 15 : USS Fife ( DD - 991 ), USS Hewitt ( DD - 966 ), USS O'Brien ( DD - 975 ), USS Curts ( FFG - 38 ), USS McClusky ( FFG - 41 ), USS Rodney M. Davis ( FFG - 60 ) and USS Thach ( FFG - 43 ) Destroyer Squadron 21 : USS Kinkaid ( DD - 965 ), USS Stethem ( DDG - 63 ), USS Benfold ( DDG - 65 ), USS Valley Forge ( CG - 50 ), USS Jarrett ( FFG - 33 ) and USS Rentz ( FFG - 46 ) Destroyer Squadron 23 : USS Oldendorf ( DD - 972 ), USS John Young ( DD - 973 ), USS Fitzgerald ( DDG - 62 ), USS Vincennes ( CG - 49 ), USS Gary ( FFG - 51 ) and USS Vandegrift ( FFG - 48 ) Destroyer Squadron 31 : USS Fletcher ( DD - 992 ), USS Leftwich ( DD - 984 ), USS Halsey ( DDG - 97 ) and USS Paul Hamilton ( DDG - 60 ) In 1996 two carrier battle groups were sent to the Taiwan area during the Third Taiwan Straits Crisis. Later ships of the Pacific Fleet, notably the Ticonderoga - class cruiser USS Mobile Bay ( CG - 53 ) provided support to the entry of INTERFET in East Timor in 1999. Between 25 -- 27 March 2006, Carrier Strike Group Nine participated in a series of anti-submarine warfare exercises ( ASW ) in Hawaiian waters while en route to the U.S. Seventh Fleet 's area of responsibility. In addition to the strike group, the exercise also included the nuclear - powered attack submarines Seawolf, Cheyenne, Greeneville, Tucson, and Pasadena, as well as land - based P - 3 Orion aircraft from Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 2 and associated patrol squadrons VP - 4, VP - 9, and VP - 47. As of 2011, the Pacific Fleet has authority of : numbered Third and Seventh Fleets Naval Air Force, Pacific Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific ; Naval Submarine Force, Pacific Naval shore commands PACFLT has authority of are : Commander Naval Forces Korea Commander Naval Forces Japan Commander Naval Forces Marianas See List of units of the United States Navy Commanders Main article : Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet See also History of the United States Navy Military history of the United States Pacific Partnership United States Fleet Forces Command United States Seventh Fleet Notes Jump up ^ Orbat.com/Niehorster, Administrative Order of Battle 7 December 1941 Jump up ^ 7 December, ComSubPac was Admiral Thomas Withers, Jr., who relieved Wilhelm L. Friedell that fall. Blair, Clay, Jr. Silent Victory ( New York : Bantam, 1976 ), pp. 83 & 223. Jump up ^ Destroyers, Battle Force Destroyer Flotilla 1 Jump up ^ Cruisers, Battle Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, 7.12. 1941 Jump up ^ Orbat.com/Niehorster, Amphibious Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Jump up ^ Blair, pp. 877 - 8. Jump up ^ Hal M. Friedman, ' Arguing over the American Lake : Bureaucracy and Rivalry in the U.S. Pacific, 1945 - 47 ' Texas A&M University Press, 2009, ISBN 1603441255, 105 - 108. Jump up ^ Jeffrey Hartman, ' Guarding Alaska : A Memoir of Coast Guard Missions on the Last Frontier ', iUniverse, 2012, ISBN 1475924771, 9781475924770, p. 104 Jump up ^ Center for Naval Analysis, Joint Task Force Operations since 1983, CRM94 - 42, July 1994 Jump up ^ `` Still Asset Details for DNSC9102252 ''. DefenseLink. Retrieved 2007 - 04 - 22. Jump up ^ Kitsap Sun, Pacific Fleet Changes, July 25, 1995 Jump up ^ `` USS Abraham Lincoln II ( CVN - 72 ) ''. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 12. Jump up ^ Photographer 's Mate Airman Tim Roache and Journalist 2nd Class Michael Cook ( March 17, 2006 ). `` Lincoln Carrier Strike Group Conducts Undersea Warfare Training ''. NNS060317 - 06. USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs. Retrieved 2010 - 12 - 24. Jump up ^ Commander, Naval Surface Forces, Atlantic ( COMNAVSURFPAC ) is a post within the United States Pacific Fleet. As Naval Surface Forces, Pacific, it is a military formation, but the organization is often known as COMNAVSURFPAC. Its headquarters are on the West Coast of the United States. External links Official site Pacific Fleet Center - Long Beach ( Campaign to permanently berth the retired USS Ranger ( CV - 61 ) in Long Beach, CA ) Silent Service - Submarine Warfare in WWII ( Rare Footage ) United States Navy Portal Leadership Secretary of the Navy Under Secretary of the Navy Chief of Naval Operations Vice Chief of Naval Operations Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy 4 - star admirals House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces Senate Subcommittee on Seapower Structure Navy Navy Reserve Fleet Marine Force Expeditionary Combat Command Merchant Marine Units Aircraft wings Aircraft squadrons Carrier strike group Installations Naval Observatory Master jet base Operating forces Fleet Forces Command Pacific Fleet Naval Forces Europe Naval Forces Central Command Naval Forces Southern Command Naval Special Warfare Command Naval Reserve Forces Operational Test and Evaluation Force Naval Network Warfare Command Military Sealift Command Shore Naval Sea Systems Command Naval Air Systems Command Naval Facilities Engineering Command Naval Supply Systems Command Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Fleet Cyber Command Naval Academy Naval Education and Training Command Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command Office of Naval Intelligence Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center Naval Legal Service Command Naval Observatory Navy Occupational Safety & Health Bureau of Naval Personnel Chief of Naval Personnel Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Navy Installations Command Fleets Second Fleet Third Fleet Fourth Fleet Fifth Fleet Sixth Fleet Seventh Fleet Tenth Fleet Ships A -- B D -- F G -- H I -- K N -- O Q -- R T -- V W -- Z Aircraft carriers Airships Amphibious warfare ships Auxiliaries Battleships Cruisers Destroyers Destroyer escorts Escort carriers Frigates Mine warfare vessels Monitors Patrol vessels Sailing frigates Steam frigates Steam gunboats Ships of the line Sloops of war Submarines Torpedo boats Personnel and training People Officers Insignia Designators Enlisted Rates Ratings Classification Personnel Chaplain Corps Chief Deputy Chief Explosive ordnance disposal Medical Corps Dental Corps Nurse Corps Medical Service Corps Supply Corps Civil Engineer Corps JAG Corps JAG DJAG NCIS Boatswain 's mates Hospital corpsman Naval Aviator SEALs Seabees Master - at - arms Operations specialist SWCCs Hispanic sailors Training Recruit Naval Academy Officer Candidate School STA - 21 NROTC BESS BFTT CNATT COMPTUEX NAWCTSD AIM Naval Chaplaincy School Naval Hospital Corps School Naval Justice School Naval Postgraduate School United States Armed Forces School of Music Navy Senior Enlisted Academy Navy Supply Corps School Naval War College Nuclear Power School JMTC TOPGUN USNTPS Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Equipment Uniforms Awards and decorations Badges Current fleet Reserve fleet Aircraft Weapons Naval reactors History and traditions History `` Anchors Aweigh '' Blue Angels Continental Navy Ensign Fleet bands Fleet Week Jack Line - crossing ceremony National Museum Navy Band Ceremonial Guard Navy Flag Navy Hymn Navy Memorial Navy service numbers Navy Weeks Revolt of the Admirals Sailor 's Creed Ship commissioning Ship decommissioning Tingey House USS Constitution Wetting - down United States battleship retirement debate Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Pacific_Fleet&oldid=841859370 '' Categories : Fleets of the United States Navy Fleets of the United States Navy in World War II Military units and formations established in 1907 Military history of the Pacific Ocean 1907 establishments in the United States Hidden categories : Articles lacking in - text citations from May 2012 All articles lacking in - text citations Use dmy dates from September 2010 Pages using div col with deprecated parameters All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Dansk Deutsch Español Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית मराठी Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Svenska Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 12 more Edit links This page was last edited on 18 May 2018, at 14 : 58. 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Question: when did the u.s. navy move the headquarters of the pacific fleet from the west coast to hawaii
Answer: May 1940