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The Sixth Fleet is a US Navy
operational unit, headquartered on the command ship Mount
Whitney (LCC-20) with its homeport in Gaeta, Italy and
operating in the Mediterranean Sea. The Sixth Fleet
consists of approximately 40 ships, 175 aircraft and
21,000 people and is the major operational component of
Naval Forces Europe. The principal striking power of the
Sixth Fleet resides in its aircraft carriers and the
modern jet aircraft, its submarines, and its reinforced
battalion of US Marines on board amphibious ships
deployed in the Mediterranean.
Contents
1 Mission
2 Organization
2.1 Task Force 60 Battle Force
2.2 Task Force 61 Amphibious Assault
2.3 Task Force 62 Marine Expeditionary Unit
2.4 Task Force 63 Logistics Force
2.5 Task Force 64 Strategic Missile Deterrence
2.6 Task Force 67 Land-Based Maritime Patrol Aircraft
2.7 Task Force 66/69 Submarine Warfare
3 Partial list of ships
4 History and recent operations
Mission
The Sixth Fleet has both US national and NATO
responsibilities. The Commander of the Sixth Fleet, Vice
Adm. Scott Fry, reports to the Commander-In-Chief, U.S.
Naval Forces, Europe in the U.S. chain of command and to
CinCSouth when the Sixth Fleet operates as part of NATO
as StrikForSouth.
Organization
The United States Sixth Fleet is operationally organized
into task forces. Each task force is responsible to the
Sixth Fleet Commander for specific functions related to
assigned units.
Task Force 60 Battle Force
Task Force 60 is Sixth Fleet's Battle Force. It is
composed of one or more aircraft carriers, each with an
accompanying complement of approximately six cruisers and
destroyers. On board the aircraft carrier is an air wing
of 65 – 85 aircraft. The air wing is the primary
striking arm of the Battle Force, and includes attack,
fighter, anti-submarine, and reconnaissance aircraft.
Ships accompanying the carrier serve as defensive and
offensive platforms with duties involving anti-air,
surface and submarine warfare. In addition to its major
role of controlling the seas, the Battle Force can also
project its power over land.
Task Force 61 Amphibious Assault
Task Force 61 is the Mediterranean Amphibious Ready Group
(MARG). It is composed of approximately three amphibious
ships and their embarked landing craft. From these ships,
United States Marine ground forces can move ashore by sea
and air in amphibious assault of emergency evacuation
missions. Once ashore, the ships of Task Force 61
logistically support the ground forces, until the
objective of the landing has been accomplished, and the
Marine Forces return to the ships.
Task Force 62 Marine Expeditionary Unit
Task Force 62 is the combat-ready ground force composed
of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of approximately
1,800 Marines. Transported in Task Force 61 ships, the
MEU is equipped with armor, artillery, and transport
helicopters that enable it to conduct operations ashore,
or evacuate civilians from troubled areas.
Task Force 63 Logistics Force
Task Force 63 is the Logistics Force. Composed of oilers,
provision ships, and repair ships, its mission is the
delivery of supplies at sea, and effecting repairs to
other ships and equipment of the Fleet.
Task Force 64 Strategic Missile Deterrence
Task Force 64 consists of nuclear-powered submarines
armed with long-range strategic missiles (SSBN). Until
the end of the 1970s these ships were homeported in Rota,
Spain. The mission is strategic deterrence.
Task Force 67 Land-Based Maritime Patrol Aircraft
Task Force 67 is composed of land-based maritime patrol
aircraft. These aircraft operate over the waters of the
Mediterranean in anti-submarine, reconnaissance,
surveillance, and mining roles.
Task Force 66/69 Submarine Warfare
Task Force 66/69 is responsible for planning and
coordinating area submarine and anti-submarine warfare
operations in the Mediterranean. Specifically, Task Force
69 is composed of attack submarines that provide
capability to destroy enemy surface ships and submarines,
as well as protect other Sixth Fleet ships from attack.
Partial list of ships
USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) Command ship
Old list (ca. 1965?):
USS La Salle (AGF-3)
USS Bang (SS-385)
USS Oriskany (CV-34)
USS Tarawa (CV-40)
USS Albany (CA-123)
USS Essex (CV-9)
USS Forrestal (CVA-59)
USS Intrepid (CV-11)
USS Baltimore (CA-68)
USS Topeka (CL-67)
USS Shangri-La (CV-38)
USS Leyte (CV-32)
USS Kearsarge (CV-33)
USS New Jersey (BB-62)
USS Gyatt (DD-712)
History and recent operations
The United States has maintained a naval presence in the
Mediterranean since the early 19th century, when U.S.
Naval forces first engaged the Barbary Pirates to prevent
them from interfering with commercial shipping.
"Millions for defense, but not a penny for
tribute!"
In 1946, President Truman dispatched battleship Missouri
to the Eastern Mediterranean to counter Soviet threats to
Turkey and Iran. The U.S. Sixth Task Fleet was
established in 1949, the same year the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization was formed, in the early days of the
Cold War.
The Sixth Fleet provided military, logistical and
humanitarian assistance to support NATO operations in
Kosovo during the Yugoslav wars. It also participated in
the so-called Operation Allied Force, Joint Task Force
Noble Anvil, Operation Shining Hope and Operation Joint
Guardian.
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