United States Pacific Fleet

United States Pacific Fleet

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United States Pacific Fleet

Logo of the Commander, USPACFLT

The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a Pacific Ocean Navy theater-level component command of the United States Navy, under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its homeport is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii, commanded by Commander Pacific Fleet (COMPACFLT), a full (four-star) admiral. (The term, also used during World War II, was often shown as COMPACFLT as Navy typewriters in the ship's message centers at the time contained only capital letters to lessen the chance for typing or reading errors.) Prior to 24 October 2002, the commander was titled Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT).

A Pacific Fleet was created in 1907 when the Asiatic Squadron and the Pacific Squadron were joined. In 1910, the ships of the First Squadron, were organized back into a separate Asiatic Fleet. The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence.

The fleet's modern incarnation dates from the splitting of the United States Fleet up into the Atlantic and Pacific fleets prior to World War II.

Until May 1940, this unit was stationed on the west coast of the United States. During the summer of that year, as part of the U.S. response to Japanese expansionism, it was instructed to take an "advanced" position at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Long term basing at Pearl was so strongly opposed by the commander, Admiral James O. Richardson, that he personally protested in Washington. Political considerations were thought sufficiently important that he was relieved by Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, who was in command at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Admiral Claude C. Bloch commanded the local Naval District at Pearl, as distinct from the fleet, at the time of the attack.

Composition of the Pacific Fleet in May 1941
Current composition
Commanders

Early years
1940?present

See also
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Composition of the Pacific Fleet in May 1941

At this time, the fleet consisted of nine battleships, three aircraft carriers, 12 heavy cruisers, eight light cruisers, 50 destroyers, 33 submarines, and 100 patrol bombers. This was approximately the unit's strength at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Current composition

Currently, the Pacific Fleet consists of the numbered Third and Seventh Fleets, as well as Naval Air Force, Pacific, Naval Surface Forces, Pacific, Naval Submarine Force, Pacific and other commands. See List of units of the United States Navy.