US Seventh Fleet
| United States Seventh Fleet | |
|---|---|
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Seventh Fleet
|
|
| Active | 1943–present |
| Country |
 United States of America
|
| Branch |
 United States Navy |
| Type | Fleet |
| Part of | United States Pacific Fleet |
| Garrison/HQ | United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka |
| Nickname(s) | 'Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club' (Vietnam War) |
| Commanders | |
| Vice admiral | Phillip G. Sawyer |
| Notable commanders |
Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid |
The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet (a military formation) of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Japan, with some units based in Japan and South Korea. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with 60 to 70 ships, 300 aircraft and 40,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel.
The Fleet has three major assignments:
The Seventh Fleet was formed on 15 March 1943 in Brisbane, Australia, during the Second World War, under the command of Admiral Arthur S. "Chips" Carpender. It served in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) under General Douglas MacArthur. The Seventh Fleet commander also served as commander of Allied naval forces in the SWPA.
Most of the ships of the Royal Australian Navy were also part of the fleet from 1943 to 1945 as part of Task Force 74 (formerly the Anzac Squadron). The Seventh Fleet—under Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid—formed a large part of the Allied forces at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history.
After the end of the war, the 7th Fleet moved its headquarters to Qingdao, China. As laid out in Operation Plan 13–45 of 26 August 1945, Kinkaid established five major task forces to manage operations in the Western Pacific: Task Force 71, the North China Force with 75 ships; Task Force 72, the Fast Carrier Force, directed to provide air cover to the Marines going ashore and discourage with dramatic aerial flyovers any Communist forces that might oppose the operation; Task Force 73, the Yangtze Patrol Force with another 75 combatants; Task Force 74, the South China Force, ordered to protect the transportation of Japanese and Chinese Nationalist troops from that region; and Task Force 78, the Amphibious Force, charged with the movement of the III Marine Amphibious Corps to China.
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