United States Navy Third Fleet
3rd Fleet Insignia
Active	March 15, 1943 - Present
Country	United States
Branch	US Navy
Type	Fleet
Role	Direct Fleet Operations
Part of	Commander, United States Pacific Fleet (COMPACFLT)
Garrison/HQ	Naval Station San Diego
Commanders
Current commander	Vice Admiral Barry M. Costello
Notable commanders	Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey

Third Fleet is one of five numbered fleets in the U.S. Navy. Third Fleet's area of responsibility includes approximately fifty million square miles of the eastern and northern Pacific ocean areas including the Bering Sea, Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and a sector of the Arctic. Major oil and trade sea lines of communication within this area are critically important to the economic health of the United States and friendly nations throughout the Pacific Rim region. ^[1] March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... 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. ... Naval Station San Diego is the largest base of the United States Navy on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. ... William Bull Halsey William Frederick Bull Halsey, Jr. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Satellite photo of the Bering Sea Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean Bearing Sea with Kamchatka Peninsula and Alaska The Bering (or Imarpik) Sea is a body of water north of, and separated from, the north Pacific Ocean by the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... Looking down the Aleutians from an airplane. ...

History

Third Fleet was originally formed during World War II on March 15, 1943 under the command of Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey. He opened his headquarters ashore in Pearl Harbor, territory of Hawaii, on June 15, 1944. The fleet operated in and around the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, Formosa, Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands. It also operated in Japanese waters launching attacks on Tokyo, the naval base at Kure and the island of Hokkaido. Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... William Frederick Bull Halsey, Jr. ... Satellite image of Pearl Harbor. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... Formosa is a place name which comes from Portuguese and old Spanish word formosa (*from latin formosus, meaning beautiful). The following places bear the name: The geographically named island of Formosa, upon which the Taiwanese live, also sometimes called the Republic of China Formosa Strait (Taiwan Strait) Formosan languages, the... This article is about the prefecture. ... Location of Ryukyu Islands. ... Tokyo , literally Eastern capital)   is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, the home of the Japanese Imperial Family, and the de facto[1] capital of Japan. ... Kure can refer to: Kure, Hiroshima (呉), a city in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan Kure Atoll Kure Beach Kure, Turkey This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Embarked aboard his flagship, USS Missouri (BB-63), Admiral Halsey led his fleet into Tokyo Bay on August 29, 1945. On September 2, surrender documents ending the war were signed on her decks. Third Fleet remained in Japanese waters until late September when its ships were directed to sail for the West Coast of the United States. On October 7, 1945 Third Fleet was designated a reserve fleet and decommissioned from active status. Radars: AN/SPS-49 Air Search Radar AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar Fire control: 4 × Mk 37 Gun Fire Control 2 × Mk 38 Gun Director 1 × Mk 40 Gun Director EW: AN/SLQ-32 Other: AN/SLQ-25 NIXIE Decoy System 8 × Super Rapid Bloom Rocket Launchers (SRBOC) Armor... August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

On February 1, 1973, following a reorganization of the Pacific Fleet, the United States Third Fleet was recommissioned as an active fleet and assumed the duties of the former First Fleet and Pacific Anti-Submarine Warfare Force located at Ford Island, Hawaii. Third Fleet trains naval forces for overseas deployment and evaluates state-of-the-art technology for fleet use. Additionally, Third Fleet could deploy in the event of a major conflict. February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 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. ... The First Fleet is the name given to the 11 ships which sailed from Great Britain in May 1787 to establish the first European colony in New South Wales. ... Anti-submarine warfare (ASW or in older forms A/S) is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft or other submarines to find, track and then damage or destroy enemy submarines. ... Ford Island is located in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

On November 26, 1986, Commander, Third Fleet shifted his flag from his headquarters ashore to resume status as an afloat commander for the first time since World War II, aboard USS Coronado (AGF-11). In August 1991, Third Fleet’s commander, his staff and the command ship, USS Coronado, shifted homeports to San Diego, California . In September, 2003, Commander, Third Fleet shifted his flag from the command ship USS Coronado (AGF-11) to headquarters ashore at Point Loma, San Diego, Calif. ^[2] November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... USS Coronado (LPD/AGF-11) is the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city in California. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Americas Finest City Location Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates , Government County San Diego Mayor City Attorney         City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Jerry Sanders (R) Michael Aguirre Scott Peters Kevin... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... USS Coronado (LPD/AGF-11) is the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city in California. ...

Current Operations

The U.S. Third Fleet is assigned a number of missions and responsibilities. Third Fleet's primary mission is one of conflict deterrence, but in the event of general war, it would conduct prompt and sustained combat operations at sea to carry out the U.S. Pacific Fleet strategy in the theater. Such operations would be executed well forward and early in a conflict to carry out the primary wartime mission of Third Fleet -- the defense of the western sea approaches to the United States, including Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. A war is a conflict between two or more groups that involve large numbers of individuals. ... 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. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... Looking down the Aleutians from an airplane. ...

In addition, Commander, Third Fleet is designated as a Joint Task Force (JTF) Commander. In that capacity, the Commander and his staff may be assigned responsibilities for command of joint U.S. forces deployed in response to a specific event or contingency. As such, the JTF Commander reports via a joint chain of command to a unified commander. The Commander-In-Chief, U.S. Pacific Command is the unified commander in the Pacific theater. Joint Task Force is a PC real-time strategy game where players command military forces in combat situations based on modern day conflicts. ...

In peacetime, Third Fleet continually trains Navy and Marine Corps forces for their expeditionary warfare mission. In keeping with the Department of the Navy strategic concept "Forward... from the Sea," these forces provide the flexibility and immediate response necessary to react to any emerging crisis from humanitarian and peacekeeping missions to major regional conflicts. These forces are prepared to provide the critical first response in a transition between peacetime operations and escalating regional tensions. If required, these forces carry the power and capabilities necessary to establish and hold an initial foothold to allow larger joint operations to follow on a large scale in the event a major conflict ensues. Finally, when the conflict is resolved, those naval expeditionary forces remain on the scene to help shape the peace and ensure compliance. Third Fleet training has been designed to ensure that deploying forces are fully prepared for joint operations. All training is conducted within a joint environment - employing joint terminology, doctrine, procedures, command and control - to ensure that forces are ready to join with other branches of the U.S. armed forces under a joint command structure. United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ...

Task Force Units

See also

United States Navy Portal

Image File history File links United_States_Department_of_the_Navy_Seal. ...

References

1. ^ Global Security.org Third Fleet. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
2. ^ United States Navy Third Fleet (Official Website). Retrieved on 2006-12-10.

The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ...

External link

• Commander 3rd Fleet homepage