World War II 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. The Fleet worked with Brazil in the South Atlantic using Atlantic Ocean bases at
Recife and elsewhere. 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. 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 Chávez accused the United States of attempting to frighten the people of Latin America 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. == Mission ==