page_title: Jerauld Wright
section_title: Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean
hierarchical_section_title: Jerauld Wright / Naval career / Cold War / Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean
caption_attribution_description: English: The crew of the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Baltimore (CA-68) manning the rails in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, during the United Kingdom's Coronation Naval Review off Spithead, England, 15 June 1953. The ship just astern of Baltimore is HMS Starling (F66). Note life rafts stowed atop the cruiser's after 8"/55 triple gun turret; motor launch on deck at left and Piasecki HUP helicopter parked just in front of the hangar hatch.
context_page_description: Admiral Jerauld Wright was an officer in the United States Navy. He served as the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Atlantic Command and the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Atlantic Fleet, and became the second Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, from April 1, 1954, to March 1, 1960, serving longer in these three positions than anyone else in history.
  Following World War I, Wright served as a naval aide for Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover. A recognized authority on naval gunnery, Wright served in the European and Pacific theaters during World War II, developing expertise in amphibious warfare and coalition warfare planning. After the war, Wright was involved in the evolution of the military structure of NATO as well as overseeing the modernization and readiness of the United States Atlantic Fleet during the Cold War.
  Upon his retirement from the navy, Wright subsequently served on the Central Intelligence Agency's National Board of Estimates and as the United States Ambassador to the Republic of China.
context_section_description: Wright became the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (CINCNELM), an important U.S. Navy fleet command, effective June 14, 1952.  CINCELM's area of responsibility (AOR) stretched from the eastern Atlantic through the Indian Ocean to Singapore.
  Wright's operational control over the Sixth Fleet proved to be a source of friction with Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, RN, NATO's Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Mediterranean (CINCAFMED).  Mountbatten felt that the Sixth Fleet should be assigned to his command while Wright wanted to maintain control of the fleet, particularly its nuclear-armed aircraft carriers, pursuant to both U.S. Navy policy and Federal law. The dispute tested the diplomatic skills of both men. CINCNELM forces participated in NATO Operation Mariner and Operation Weldfast exercises during 1953, and units of the Sixth Fleet did participate in NATO exercises while staying under U.S. control.
  As CINCNELM, Wright maintained strong diplomatic ties with allies within his area of responsibility.  He made a 14-day goodwill trip to the Middle East that culminated with a courtesy call with the newly crowned King Saud bin Abdul Aziz in Jidda, Saudi Arabia.  Later, Wright attended the coronation ceremonies of King Hussein of Jordan in May 1953. In June 1953, Wright served as the senior U.S. Navy representative at the coronation pageant of Queen Elizabeth II, including flying his flag from the heavy cruiser USS Baltimore during the Coronation Naval Review of Spithead on June 15. Admiral Wright also made the arrangements for United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom Winthrop Aldrich to present a bronze plaque of John Paul Jones from the Naval Historical Center to the British government, initiating his longtime association with the famous naval hero of the American Revolution.
  During a high-level conference in Washington from October 20 to November 4, 1953, Wright was informed that CINCNELM was to become a subordinate command of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet reporting directly to Admiral Lynde D. McCormick, the Commander-in-Chief U.S. Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANTFLT).  Also, Wright would become the head of NATO's Eastern Atlantic Area, reporting to Admiral McCormick, the first Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT). Jeruald Wright was promoted to the rank of Admiral effective April 1, 1954.
caption: USS Baltimore at Coronation Naval Review – Spithead (1953)
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