The U.S. Second Fleet traces its origin to the reorganization of the Navy following
World War II in December 1945 and the formation of the
United States Eighth Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral
Marc A. Mitscher. In January 1947, Eighth Fleet was renamed Second Task Fleet. Three years later, in February 1950, the command was redesignated U.S. Second Fleet. Second Fleet's area of responsibility included the Atlantic coast of
South America and part of the west coast of
Central America.
Cuban Quarantine In October 1962, President
John F. Kennedy called on Second Fleet to establish quarantine during the
Cuban Missile Crisis. For more than a month, Second Fleet units operated northeast of the island, intercepting and inspecting dozens of ships for contraband. Control of the quarantine force was assigned to the Commander of the Second Fleet, Vice Admiral
Alfred G. Ward, who organized Task Force 136 for this purpose. Task Force 136 included the anti-submarine warfare carrier . Effective deployment constituted a mammoth task to be accomplished in minimum time. To prevent future difficulties, plans had to be developed, ship captains briefed, supply ships dispatched, and thousands of details checked. Other Navy and Marine forces faced similar tough schedules. Marines, if not already engaged in landing exercises, were loaded on amphibious ships and ordered to sea. At the
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, dependents were evacuated to the United States on 22 October, and Marine units were shipped by air and sea to reinforce the base. Task Force 135, including the carrier , was sent to the south of Cuba, ready to join in the defense of the Guantanamo Bay base if needed. The carrier and the supporting ships of
Carrier Division Six stood by to provide additional support. Antisubmarine forces were redeployed to cover the quarantine operations. An intensive air surveillance of the Atlantic was initiated, keeping track of the 2,000 commercial ships usually in the area; regular and reserve Navy aircraft were joined in this search by
SAC bombers. Major exercises the fleet participated in during the Cold War included
Exercise Mariner,
Operation Strikeback in 1957, the maritime component of
Exercise Reforger, and
Northern Wedding. From 9 to 12 February 1978, Task Group 21.6 ( and USS
Spruance) visited
Monrovia in
Liberia.
1980s and 1990s In 1983, President
Ronald Reagan ordered the Second Fleet to the
Caribbean to lead the invasion of
Grenada during
Operation Urgent Fury. Leading joint forces, Vice Admiral
Joseph Metcalf, III, COMSECONDFLT, became Commander, Joint Task Force 120 (CJTF 120), and commanded units from the
Air Force,
Army,
Navy, and the
Marine Corps. The amphibious force for the operation was made up of
Amphibious Squadron 4 (the amphibious assault ship , the amphibious transport dock , the dock landing ship , and the tank landing ships and ) and the
22nd Marine Amphibious Unit, built around 2nd Battalion,
8th Marines. Vice Admiral Metcalf assigned to the amphibious force, designated Task Force 124, the mission of seizing the Pearls Airport and the port of Grenville, and of neutralizing any opposing forces in the area. Simultaneously, Army Rangers (Task Force 121)— together with elements of the 82d Airborne Division (Task Force 123)— would secure points at the southern end of the island, including the nearly completed jet airfield under construction near Point Salines. Task Group 20.5, a carrier battle group build around and Air Force elements would support the ground forces. Before the beginning of the
Gulf War in January 1991, Second Fleet trained more than half of the Navy ships deployed to Southwest Asia.
21st century On 22 February 2005/24 June 2005, with the establishment of
Allied Command Transformation, and in the total absence of the Soviet threat that had prompted its creation, the Striking Fleet Atlantic nucleus was disbanded. It was replaced in 2006 by the
Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Center of Excellence. On 1 July 2008, the Navy re-established the
United States Fourth Fleet, based at
Naval Station Mayport in
Jacksonville, Florida, which then assumed responsibility for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the
Caribbean Sea and the waters of Central and South America. In the aftermath of the
2010 Haiti earthquake, Second Fleet dispatched 17 ships, 48 helicopters, 12 fixed-wing aircraft and over 10,000 sailors and Marines in support of Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response. Second Fleet units conducted 336 air deliveries, delivered 32,400 US gallons (123,000 L; 27,000 imp gal) of water, 111,082 meals and 9,000 lb (4,100 kg) of medical supplies. Hospital ship , as well as survey vessels, ferries, elements of the
Maritime Prepositioning ship and
underway replenishment fleets, and a further three amphibious operations ships also participated. During the evacuation of
Hurricane Irene in August 2011, the fleet evacuated to the safety of the open ocean.
Disestablishment On 21 August 2010, it was reported that Secretary
Robert Gates was considering disestablishing Second Fleet. On 6 January 2011, it was reported via a DoD news article that the Navy would disestablish Second Fleet in order to "use those savings and more to fund additional ships". The fleet was officially dissolved in a ceremony at Norfolk on 30 September 2011. Second Fleet's responsibilities and its additional title of Commander,
Task Force 20, were transferred to the re-organized
United States Fleet Forces Command, as was the post of CJOS COE. ==Reestablishment==