Hollywood has given us some iconic depictions of naval warfare, from “Top Gun” to “The Hunt for Red October.” The battle for sea dominance, however, is more than just a movie plotline for the US 7th Fleet. In fact, this naval fleet was critical in real-world conflicts like the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. All of us have heard of the USA’s 7th Fleet but really don’t know how massive it is and how many ships it comprises of. In this article, let us learn about the USA’s largest numbered Fleet.
About USA 7th Fleet
The United States Navy’s Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet. Its headquarters are located in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, at US Fleet Activities Yokosuka. It is a part of the US Pacific Fleet. With 50 to 70 ships, 150 aircraft, and 27,000 Sailors and Marines, it is currently the largest of the forward-deployed US fleets. Its primary responsibilities include providing joint command in the event of a natural disaster or military operation, as well as operational command of all US naval forces in the region.
Short History
During World War II, the Seventh Fleet was formed on March 15, 1943, in Brisbane, Australia, under the command of Admiral Arthur S. “Chips” Carpender. It served in General Douglas MacArthur’s South West Pacific Area (SWPA). The commander of the Seventh Fleet was also the commander of Allied naval forces in the SWPA. From 1943 to 1945, the majority of the Royal Australian Navy’s ships were also part of Task Force 74. (formerly the Anzac Squadron). In October 1944, the Seventh Fleet was a significant part of the Allied forces at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history.
Korean War
Units from the Seventh Fleet took part in all significant operations during the Korean and Vietnamese Conflicts. On July 3, 1950, a Task Force 77 (TF 77) aircraft carrier launched the first Navy jet aircraft to be deployed in battle. Seventh Fleet amphibious ships conducted the landings at Inchon, Korea. During the Korean War, the battleships Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin all served as the Commanders of, the U.S. Seventh Fleet’s flagships. The Task Force 70 maritime patrol force, which was provided by Fleet Air Wing One and Fleet Air Wing Six, Task Force 72 Formosa Patrol, Task Force 77, and Task Force 79 service support squadron made up the Seventh Fleet during the Korean War.
The Seventh Fleet reacted to various crisis circumstances during the following ten years, including emergency operations carried out in Thailand in 1962 and Laos in 1959. The Seventh Fleet sent multiship carrier task forces into the South China Sea in September 1959, the fall of 1960, and once more in January 1961. Despite retreating during each crisis, the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese backing forces appeared to be on the verge of crushing the pro-American Royal Lao Army in the spring of 1961.
Vietnam War
With the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the United States made its first official entry into the Vietnam War. Between 1950 and 1970, the US Seventh Fleet was known as the “Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club” because the majority of the fleet’s operations were conducted from the Tonkin Gulf.
On February 12, 1965, the USS Salisbury Sound (AV-13) became the first US Navy ship to conduct operations within Vietnam’s coastal waters. Salisbury Sound established a seadrome in Da Nang Bay and conducted seaplane patrols in support of Operation Flaming Dart, the bombing of North Vietnamese army camps. Thousands of US citizens and refugees were evacuated from South Vietnam and Cambodia in 1975, as those countries fell to opposing forces.
Since the end of the Vietnam War, the Seventh Fleet has taken part in Team Spirit, a joint/combined exercise with the armed forces of the Republic of Korea. Fleet operations, with their ability to respond to any contingency, are credited with maintaining security during the Asian Games in 1986 and the Seoul Olympics in 1988. During 1989, Seventh Fleet units took part in PACEX exercises, the largest peacetime exercises since World War II.
1971 Indo-Pakistan War
Task Force 74, a carrier task force of the Seventh Fleet, sailed into the Bay of Bengal in December 1971, at the height of the conflict. Their goal was to aid Pakistan in the conflict. The nuclear-powered attack submarine Gurnard, the amphibious assault carrier Tripoli, the destroyers Decatur, McKean, and Orleck, the guided-missile escorts Waddell, King, and Parsons, and the supply ship Wichita made composed Task Force 74. The task force entered the Bay of Bengal on December 15, a day before Pakistan submitted to the combined force of Bangladesh and India, 1,760 kilometers away from Dhaka.
In support of India, the Soviet Union dispatched the 10th Operative Battle Group of its Pacific Fleet from Vladivostok to the area, led by Admiral Vladimir Kruglyakov. The United States Seventh Fleet was forced to abandon its mission and leave the Bay of Bengal. Simultaneously, the Royal Navy had forces in the Arabian Sea with a similar goal to the Seventh Fleet, but that mission was also canceled. In the midst of US and UK naval support for Pakistan, India won the war and liberated Bangladesh.
Operations of the Seventh Fleet
Of the 50-60 ships typically assigned to the Seventh Fleet, 18 are based at US bases in Japan and Guam. These forward-deployed units are the heart of the Seventh Fleet and the focal point of the United States forward presence in Asia. They are seventeen steaming days closer to Asian destinations than their continental US counterparts. To achieve the same presence and crisis response capability as these 18 forward-deployed ships, the United States would need three to five times the number of rotationally based ships. On any given day, approximately half of the Seventh Fleet forces are deployed at sea across the area of responsibility.
Task units with different specialties make up the Seventh Fleet
- Task Force 70 – Surface Combatant Force 7th Fleet, which consists of cruisers and destroyers, and Carrier Strike Force 7th Fleet, which includes at least one aircraft carrier and its embarked air wing, make up TF 70, the Battle Force of 7th Fleet.
- Task Force 71 – All of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Units (EODMU) and Naval Special Warfare (NSW) forces assigned to the 7th Fleet are part of Task Force (TF) 71. It is situated in Guam.
- Task Force 72 – The Seventh Fleet’s Patrol and Reconnaissance Force is known as TF 72. It can be found in Japan at the Naval Air Facility Misawa (Misawa Air Base). The majority of it is made up of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft and maritime airborne surveillance platforms like P-3 Orion and Lockheed EP-3 reconnaissance planes that are based on land.
- Task Force 73 – The supply ships and other fleet support vessels that make up the 7th Fleet Logistics Force. with its headquarters in Singapore.
- Task Force 74 – In 1971, the Enterprise combat group was referred to as TF 74. Nowadays, planning and coordinating submarine activities within the 7th Fleet’s operational area is the responsibility of the Fleet Submarine Force.
How many ships are in the U.S. 7th Fleet?
Seventh Fleet is the largest of the United States Navy’s forward-deployed fleets, with 50-70 ships and submarines, 150 aircraft, and over 27,000 Sailors and Marines at any given time. I hope you all might have learned something new today. Keep reading, Keep Learning. Follow SSBCrackExams for more such articles.
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