The Atlantic Fleet (USLANTFLT) of the United States Navy is the part of the Navy responsible for operations in around the Atlantic Ocean. Originally formed in 1906, it has been an integral part of the defense of the United States of America for most of the 20th Century. In 2002, the Fleet comprised over 118,000 sailors and Marines serving in 186 ships and 1,300 aircraft, with an area of responsibility ranging over the Atlantic Ocean from the North Pole to the South Pole, the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the waters of the Pacific Ocean along the coasts of Central and South America (as far west as the Galapagos Islands). Its operational fleet (i.e. the collection of fighting ships) is the 2nd Fleet. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A North Pole is the northernmost point on any planet. ... Location of the South Pole in the Antarctic continent. ... Map of Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea is a tropical body of water adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. ... The Gulf of Mexico is a major body of water bordered and nearly landlocked by North America. ... Central America is the region of North America located between the southern border of Mexico and the northwest border of Colombia, in South America. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... NASA Satellite photo of the Galápagos archipelago. ... The 2nd Fleet of the United States Navy is responsible in peacetime for training the Atlantic battle fleet in war-fighting skills, developing and evaluating new naval tactics and maintaining theater battle group readiness. ...

Roosevelt Administration and the Spanish-American War

The Atlantic Fleet originally came into existence in 1906 (along with the Pacific Fleet), established by President Theodore Roosevelt as protection for new bases in the Caribbean acquired as a result of the Spanish-American War. The first commander of the fleet was Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans, who hoisted his flag in the battleship Maine (BB-10) on 1 January 1906. The following year, he took his 16 battleships, now dubbed the Great White Fleet, on a round-the-world cruise that lasted until 1909, a goodwill tour that also served the purpose of advertising the USA's naval strength and reach to all other nations of the globe. 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level unit of the U.S. armed forces, under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. ... Order: 26th President Vice President: Charles Warren Fairbanks Term of office: September 14, 1901 – March 3, 1909 Preceded by: William McKinley Succeeded by: William Howard Taft Date of birth: October 27, 1858 Place of birth: New York City Date of death: January 6, 1919 Place of death: Oyster Bay, New... ... The Spanish-American War took place in 1898, and resulted in the United States of America gaining control over the former colonies of Spain in the Caribbean and Pacific. ... The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ... Portrait of Evans Rear Admiral Robley Dunglison Evans (18 August 1846 - 3 January 1912), commanded the U.S. Navys Great White Fleet on its world-wide cruise of 1907-1908. ... HMS Victory in 1884 In naval history, battleships were the most heavily armed and armored warships afloat. ... USS Maine (BB-10), the lead ship of her class of battleships, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 23rd state. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... The Great White Fleet steaming in column; the USS Kansas at left. ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The Atlantic Fleet was reorganized into the Scouting Force in 1923, which was under the United States Fleet along with the Pacific Fleet. The Scouting Fleet was part of the United States Fleet in the United States Navy, and renamed the Scouting Force in 1930. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II. Initially the abbreviation CINCUS was used for Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet, later replaced by COMINCH. Establishment The General Order of 6 December 1922 combined the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets... The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level unit of the U.S. armed forces, under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. ...

World War II

In 1 February 1941, the Atlantic Fleet was resurrected. Along with the Pacific Fleet and Asiatic Fleet, the fleet was to be under the command of a full Admiral, which jumped the fleet's commander Ernest J. King from a two-star to a four-star. King's flagship was the Texas (BB-35). February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Asiatic Fleet was part of the US Navy. ... Admiral Ernest Joseph King (November 23, 1878 - June 25, 1956) was the Commander in Chief of the United States Navy during World War II. As such, he was Chester Nimitzs immediate superior but himself was subordinate to Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal. ... A flagship is the ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships. ... USS Texas (BB-35), a New York-class battleship, was the second ship to honor Texas, the 28th state, in the United States Navy. ...

Subsequently, the headquarters was in a rather odd assortment of ships; the Augusta (CA-31), then the old wooden ship Constellation, Vixen (PG-53), and then Pocono (AGC-16). In 1948, the HQ moved into the former naval hospital at Norfolk, Virginia, and has remained there ever since. The fourth USS Augusta (CA-31) (originally CL-31) was a Northampton-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, notable for service in the Atlantic and Mediterranean during World War II. Unlike the previous Augustas, the ship was named for Augusta, Maine. ... The USS Constellation constructed in 1854 is a sloop-of-war and the second United States Navy ship to carry this famous name. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Norfolk, Virginia, viewed from Portsmouth, across the Elizabeth River Norfolk is a city in the U.S. state of Virginia in the United States of America. ...

Cold War

Between 1947 and 1985, the fleet command was mixed in with the United States Atlantic Command. The Commander-in-Chief Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANTFLT) was traditionally a Navy four-star admiral who also then held the positions of Commander-in-Chief US Atlantic Command (CINCLANT) and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT). But after a major reorganization of the US armed forces structure following the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1985, CINCLANFLT was separated from the two other billets. The admiral commanding the Atlantic Fleet for a time being was designated as the Deputy Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Command until 1986. 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949. ... The Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 (PL 99-433) was a reorganization plan which focused the chain of command in military operations undertaken by the United States Department of Defense. ...

External links

• More detail about the Atlantic Fleet and its components