United States Second Fleet
| Second Fleet | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | February 1950–30 September 2011 |
| Country |
 United States of America
|
| Branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Type | Fleet |
| Role | Combat & Maritime Operations, Security Cooperation Activities, and Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response |
| Part of | U.S. Fleet Forces Command (COMUSFLTCOM) |
| Garrison/HQ | Naval Station Norfolk, VA |
The United States Second Fleet was a numbered fleet in the United States Navy from 1950 until its disestablishment in September 2011. Second Fleet's area of responsibility included approximately 6,700,000 square miles (17,000,000 km2) of the Atlantic Ocean from the North Pole to the Caribbean and from the shores of the United States to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Second Fleets West Coast counterpart was United States First Fleet.
Prior to disestablishment, Second Fleet oversaw approximately 126 ships, 4500 aircraft, and 90,000 personnel homeported at U.S. Navy installations along the East Coast.
As of 2008, the Commander, Second Fleet (COMSECONDFLT), under the Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (CUSFFC), was also designated as Commander, Task Force 20. CTF-20 planned for, and when directed, conducted battle force operations in the Atlantic command in support of designated unified or allied commanders. CTF-20 directed movements and exercised operational control of USFFC assigned units to carry out scheduled ocean transits and other special operations as directed, in order to maximize fleet operational readiness to respond to contingencies in the Atlantic command area of operations. In order to command and control its forces, CTF-20 maintained a Joint Maritime Operations Center at its Maritime Headquarters, which was officially said to offer a new approach to command and control for fleet commanders.
Until 2005, COMSECONDFLT had a permanent assignment with NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic's (SACLANT) chain-of-command, as the Commander Striking Fleet Atlantic (COMSTRIKFLTLANT). COMSTRIKFLTLANT commanded a multinational force whose primary mission was to deter aggression and to protect NATO's Atlantic interests. Striking Fleet Atlantic was tasked with ensuring the integrity of NATO's sea lines of communication.
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