| United States Fourth Fleet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1943–1945 2008–present |
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Type | Fleet Command |
| Role | Direct Fleet Operations |
| Part of | U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) |
| Garrison/HQ | Naval Station Mayport |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Rear AdmiralCarlos A. Sardiello |
TheU.S. Fourth Fleet is aUnited States Navynumbered fleet. It is the Naval Component Command ofU.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). The Fourth Fleet is headquartered atNaval Station Mayport inJacksonville, Florida. It is responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in theCaribbean Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans aroundCentral andSouth America.
The 4th Fleet was a major U.S. Navy formation in theSouth Atlantic Ocean duringWorld War II. It was originally established to protect the U.S. againstAxis surface raiders,blockade runners, andsubmarines.
The Fleet was originally a redesignation of the South Atlantic Force. On 12 September 1942, theBrazilian Navy was placed under command of the U.S. Navy's Vice AdmiralJonas Ingram by order of the Brazilian President Vargas.[1] Three days later, on 15 September 1942, Vice Admiral Ingram was appointed as Commander, South Atlantic Force (ComSoLant). Six months later, South Atlantic Force was redesignated the U.S. Fourth Fleet on 15 March 1943.[1]
The Fleet worked with Brazil in the South Atlantic using Atlantic Ocean bases atRecife and elsewhere.[2]
The fleet was later commanded by Vice AdmiralWilliam 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.[2]
On 24 April 2008,Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiralGary Roughead announced the reestablishment of the Fourth Fleet. Its formal reestablishment took place on 12 July 2008 at a ceremony at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.[3]
The announcement was made before informing foreign governments in the region, several of which expressed concern. The governments ofArgentina andBrazil made formal inquiries as to the fleet's mission in the region. InVenezuela, PresidentHugo Chávez accused the United States of attempting to frighten the people of Latin America[4] and vowed that his country's newSukhoi Su-30 jets could sink any U.S. ships invading Venezuelan waters. Cuban presidentFidel Castro warned that it could lead to more incidents such as the2008 Andean diplomatic crisis.[5]
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U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (USNAVSO) and the Fourth Fleet support USSOUTHCOM joint and combined full-spectrum military operations. They do this by providing principally sea-based forward presence to ensure freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain, to foster and sustain cooperative relationships with international partners, and to fully exploit the sea as maneuver space in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central American, and South American regions. The Fleet has five missions: support forpeacekeeping,humanitarian assistance,disaster relief, traditional maritime exercises, andcounterdrug support operations.
Commander, USNAVSO (COMUSNAVSO) also serves as the Navy component commander for USSOUTHCOM. U.S. Fourth Fleet is responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility, which encompasses the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and surrounding waters. It is an organizational fleet staffed to fulfill a planning and coordination mission; as part of its 2008 reestablishment, no vessels are permanently assigned to the Fourth Fleet. Shipshome-ported in theUnited States Fleet Forces Command andUnited States Third Fleet routinely deploy to the Fourth Fleet area of responsibility (AOR), during which time they are under the operational control of the Fourth Fleet commander.
Fourth Fleet headquarters is co-located with USNAVSO headquarters in Naval Station Mayport, Florida, and is commanded by a two-starrear admiral.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Karen Domabyl Smith; et al. (January 2002)."Is NAVSO Organized and Staffed To Do Its Job"(PDF).Alexandria, Virginia:Center for Naval Analyses. Retrieved2 March 2023.CRM D0005057.A1/Final
