Commander, Naval Surface Force, Atlantic (COMNAVSURFLANT) is a post within the

United States Fleet Forces Command The United States Fleet Forces Command (USFF) is a service component command of the United States Navy that provides naval forces to a wide variety of U.S. forces. The naval resources may be allocated to Combatant Commanders such as United Stat ...

. As Naval Surface Force Atlantic, it is a military

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

, but the organization is often known as SURFLANT. Its headquarters are at the

Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Hamp ...

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. The current commander is Rear Admiral

Brendan R. McLane Brendan Reid McLane (born 1968) is a United States Navy vice admiral and surface warfare officer who has served as the commander of Naval Surface Forces and Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet since December 21, 2023. He most recently serve ...

. COMNAVSURFLANT supervises all surface ships based on the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

and

Gulf Coast of the United States The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...

, as well as ships forwarded deployed to

Naval Station Rota, Spain Naval Station Rota, also known as NAVSTA Rota ( es, Base Naval de Rota, links=no), is a Spanish-American naval base commanded by a Spanish Rear Admiral. Located in Rota in the Province of Cádiz, NAVSTA Rota is the largest American military com ...

Overview

Naval Surface Force Atlantic is one of the

U.S. Navy type commands U.S. Navy type commands perform administrative, personnel, and operational training functions in the United States Navy for a "type" of weapon system (e.g., naval aviation, submarine warfare, surface warships) within a fleet organization. Aircraft ...

. It consists of more than 70 ships, 25 separate organizations, and 25,000 personnel. The command was created on 1 July 1975 by the consolidation of the previous Commander, Amphibious Forces, Atlantic Fleet (COMPHIBLANT), Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Forces, Atlantic Fleet (COMCRUDESLANT), Commander, Service Forces, Atlantic Fleet (COMSERVLANT), and Commander, Minesweeping Force, Atlantic Fleet. The Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet, was established after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The Force was redesignated as Destroyer Squadron, Atlantic, on October 1, 1921; later to be redesignated again as Destroyer Squadron, Scouting Fleet, U.S. Fleet, on December 8, 1922. With the change in designations in the Fleet, the destroyers were established as Destroyer Squadron, Scouting Force, U.S. Fleet. From October 1, 1937, to July 3, 1940, units of this squadron were transferred continually to the Pacific Fleet. The outbreak of war in Europe reversed this trend. On July 3, 1940, there were again enough destroyers in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

to establish a type command, which became known as Destroyers, Atlantic Squadron, U.S. Fleet. When in November 1940, the Atlantic Squadron became the Patrol Force; the destroyer command was renamed Destroyers, Patrol Force, U.S. Fleet. On February 3, 1941, with the reorganization of the Navy and the dissolution of the Patrol Force; the U.S. Atlantic Fleet formed and Destroyers, Atlantic Fleet came into being. On 1 April 1962, the Cruiser-Destroyer Force, Atlantic (CruDesLant), was formed by the merger of the former cruiser and destroyer type commands. , the former DesLant flagship, became the CruDesLant flagship. COMCRUDESLANT was originally headquartered at

Naval Station Newport The Naval Station Newport (NAVSTA Newport) is a United States Navy base located in the city of Newport and the town of Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice School. It once was th ...

, RI, but transferred to Norfolk in the early 1970s. Previously, Commander, Service Forces, Atlantic Fleet (COMSERVLANT), referred to both the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

officer serving in that appointment which was extant from before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to 1975, and the command he headed, Service Forces, Atlantic Fleet (SERVLANT). He was the commander of all Atlantic Fleet "service"-type ships, such as oilers, tankers, ammunition ships, reefer ships, cargo ships, supply ships, repair ships, and the like. These ships were non-combatant and were intended only to support the warships as they required supplies. ComServLant was a very large organization during World War II, and its sub-units were termed Service Squadrons (

ServRon A Service Squadron (ServRon) was a United States Navy squadron that supported fleet combat ships and US Navy Auxiliary ships. Service Squadrons were used by the US Navy from their inception in 1943 to as late as the early 1980s. At the time of th ...

s). From the late 1970s more and more service ships were transferred to

Military Sealift Command Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

; for example was transferred to MSC in January 1980. Amphibious Forces, Atlantic Fleet (PHIBLANT), came under the command of Rear Admiral

Jerauld Wright Admiral Jerauld Wright (June 4, 1898 – April 27, 1995) was an officer in the United States Navy. He served as the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Atlantic Command (CINCLANT) and the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Atlantic ...

on November 24, 1948. He held it until November 1, 1950. Based at the

Norfolk Naval Station Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Hamp ...

, Wright was responsible for three major subordinate commands,

Amphibious Group 2 Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

Amphibious Group 4 Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

(commanded by

Eugene B. Fluckey Eugene Bennett Fluckey (October 5, 1913 – June 28, 2007), nicknamed "Lucky Fluckey", was a United States Navy rear admiral who received the Medal of Honor and four Navy Crosses during his service as a submarine commander in World War II. Ear ...

from October 1960 to November 1961) and the

Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

. COMPHIBLANT also included Amphibious Training, an Amphibious Air Control Group, a Naval Beach Group, a Detached Group, and a Mediterranean Group. Wright's

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

was the , an ''Adirondack''-class amphibious force command ship. The most significant accomplishment during Wright's tour of duty as COMPHIBLANT was PORTREX, a multi-service amphibious assault exercise held from February 25 to March 11, 1950. PORTREX was the largest peacetime amphibious exercise up to that time and it was staged to evaluate joint doctrine for

combined operations In current military use, combined operations are operations conducted by forces of two or more allied nations acting together for the accomplishment of a common strategy, a strategic and operational and sometimes tactical cooperation. Interactio ...

, test new equipment under simulated combat conditions and provide training for the defense of the Caribbean. Amphibious Group 4 later took part in operations in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

in 1965. In April 1994, Commander,

Destroyer Squadron 6 In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in 1 ...

(COMDESRON 6) changed homeport to Pascagoula, Mississippi and subsequently was dual hatted as Commander, Naval Surface Group Pascagoula. In January 1996, as a result of an Atlantic Fleet reorganization, Commander, Naval Surface Group Pascagoula was renamed Commander, Regional Support Group Pascagoula. As part of a reorganization announced in July 1995 of the

U.S. Atlantic Fleet The United States Fleet Forces Command (USFF) is a service component command of the United States Navy that provides naval forces to a wide variety of U.S. forces. The naval resources may be allocated to Combatant Commanders such as United Stat ...

's surface combatant ships into six core battle groups, nine destroyer squadrons, and a new

Western Hemisphere Group The Western Hemisphere Group was a United States Navy formation active from 1 September 1995 to 1999–2000. Headquarters was at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. In October 1996 Commander U.S. Second Fleet created Task Force 28, consisting of indep ...

, was reassigned to

Destroyer Squadron 24 In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

. The re-organization was to be phased in over the summer and take effect 31 August 1995, with homeport shifts occurring through 1998. At the end of the transitional period, the following ship assignments were to apply: *

Destroyer Squadron 2 Destroyer Squadron 2 is a destroyer squadron of the United States Navy. It is administratively part of Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic. , the following destroyers are assigned to this squadron: , , , , , , . Destroyer Squadron ...

: , , , and . *

Destroyer Squadron 14 Destroyer Squadron 14, now Naval Surface Squadron Fourteen (CNSS 14, or SURFRON 14), is the administrative Immediate Superior in Command (ISIC) for ships that are homeported at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. CNSS 14 was establi ...

: , , , and in FY96. *

Destroyer Squadron 18 In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

: , , , and . * Destroyer Squadron 20: , , until transfer to Western Hemisphere Group in August 1997, and in FY96. *

Destroyer Squadron 22 Destroyer Squadron 22, often abbreviated as DESRON 22, is a squadron of warships of the United States Navy. It is an operational component of Carrier Strike Group Two. The squadron was formed in March 1943, and later was one of the first two squa ...

: , , , and in FY96. *

: , , , and in FY97. *

Destroyer Squadron 26 Destroyer Squadron 26 (DESRON-26) is a destroyer squadron of the United States Navy. It was first created in 1950. It has seen action in the Korean War, service in the Atlantic, in the Vietnam War. From 1974 for a period it became the 'Mod Squad', ...

: , , and . *

Destroyer Squadron 28 Destroyer Squadron 28 (DESRON 28), is a squadron of warships of the United States Navy. It is an operational component of Carrier Strike Group Eight Commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, abbreviated as CCSG-8 or COMCARSTRKGRU 8, is one of five U. ...

: , , , , and in FY97. * Destroyer Squadron 32: , USS Hayler , , and . Western Hemisphere Group (WESTHEMGRU) was established in September 1995 and eventually supervised

and

as well as a Coast Guard squadron.(FAS.org, GlobalSecurity.org) It was intended to build expertise on the Caribbean and Central/South America. In April 1998, as the result of yet another reorganization, COMDESRON 6 shifted operational control to Commander, Western Hemisphere Group, and was redesignated as a Tactical Squadron. Around 1998, the squadron included ''Hall'', ''Ticonderoga'', and ''Yorktown''. In December 1999, COMDESRON 6 was redesignated as a Tactical/Readiness Squadron under the operational control of Commander, Naval Surface Group 2. At one point, the composition of Destroyer Squadron 6 included FFG-16 at Mayport,

FFG-22 USS ''Fahrion'' (FFG-22), fourteenth ship of the of guided-missile frigates, was named for Admiral Frank George Fahrion (1894–1970). Ordered from Todd Pacific, Seattle, WA on 28 February 1977 as part of the FY77 program, ''Fahrion'' was laid ...

at Charleston, SC, at Charleston, SC, FFG 15 at Norfolk, and FFG 20 and FFG 21 at Pascagoula. Commander Naval Surface Group Two was established 18 February 2000 and Western Hemisphere Group was disestablished the same day. Effective 1 October 2001, the U.S. Navy designated a "Lead-Follow" arrangement among its type commands wherein one type commander was designated the senior lead for the specific "type" of weapon system (i.e., naval aviation, submarine warfare, surface warships) throughout the entire operating U.S. Fleet as it pertains to modernization needs, training initiatives, and operational concept development. From that date, these designated fleet TYCOM commanders were to provide guidance to their respective "type" forces via the lead-follow TYCOM arrangement. The Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMNAVSURFPAC) was designated as the Commander, Naval Surface Forces (COMNAVSURFOR) for the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, with the Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic (COMNAVSURFLANT), serving as his deputy. COMNAVSURFOR is responsible for modernization needs, training initiatives, and operational concept development for the surface warfare community throughout the U.S. Navy's operational fleet. It appears that as a result, the COMNAVSURFLANT post was lowered to a Rear Admiral's post instead of the previous Vice Admiral.

Force composition in 2010

{, width="125%"> , - ! colspan=4, , - , width="27%" valign="top", * Carrier Strike Groups{{cite web , title= Command Listing , url= http://www.surflant.navy.mil/site%20pages/Cmdlisting.aspx , work= COMNAVSURFLANT , publisher= U.S. Navy , year= 2010 , accessdate= 2010-08-22 , url-status= dead , archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20091031100030/http://www.surflant.navy.mil/Site%20Pages/Cmdlisting.aspx , archivedate= 2009-10-31 **

Carrier Strike Group Two } Carrier Strike Group 2 (CSG-2 or COMCARSTRKGRU 2) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group, tracing its history originally to 1931. The aircraft carrier is the strike group's current flagship. As of Aug 2020, other units assigned to Carrier Strik ...

Carrier Strike Group Eight Commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, abbreviated as CCSG-8 or COMCARSTRKGRU 8, is one of five U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command. the group flagship is the ''Nimitz''-class aircraft carrier ...

Carrier Strike Group Ten Carrier Strike Group 10, abbreviated as CSG-10 or CARSTRKGRU 10, is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. , CSG-10 consist of , the strike group's curre ...

Carrier Strike Group Twelve Carrier Strike Group Twelve (CSG-12 or CARSTRKGRU 12) is one of four U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpow ...

* Destroyer Squadrons **

, width="27%" valign="top", * Expeditionary Strike Group 2 **

Amphibious Squadron 4 Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

Amphibious Squadron 6 Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

** Amphibious Squadron 8 ** Fleet Surgical Team Two (FST-2) ** Fleet Surgical Team Four (FST-4) ** Fleet Surgical Team Six (FST-6) ** Fleet Surgical Team Eight (FST-8) *

Naval Beach Group Two Naval Beach Group Two, (NBG-2) is a United States Navy amphibious unit based at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Naval Beach Group One is its sister unit based in Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in Coronado, California ...

Standard Naval Distribution List, Admin Fleet Chain of Command, March 2010 ** Amphibious Construction Battalion Two (ACB-2) ** Assault Craft Unit Two (ACU-2) ** Assault Craft Unit Four (ACU-4) **

Beachmaster Unit Two Beachmaster Unit Two (BMU-2) is a United States Navy amphibious beach party unit based at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Little Creek, Virginia. Since 1949, BMU-2 has been involved in major amphibious exercises and operations in Lebanon, Cub ...

(BMU-2) , width="16%" valign="top", *Patrol Craft ** Patrol Craft Crew Alpha ** Patrol Craft Crew Bravo ** Patrol Craft Crew Charlie ** Patrol Craft Crew Delta ** Patrol Craft Crew Echo ** Patrol Craft Crew Foxtrot ** Patrol Craft Crew Golf ** Patrol Craft Crew Hotel ** Patrol Craft Crew India ** Patrol Craft Crew Juliet ** Patrol Craft Crew Kilo ** Patrol Craft Crew Lima ** Patrol Craft Crew Mike , width="26%" valign="top", * Support Facilities and Activities ** Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center ** South Central Regional Maintenance Center ** Southeast Regional Maintenance Center **

Commander Strike Force Training Atlantic Commander, Carrier Strike Group FOUR (CCSG-4 or COMSTRKGRUFOUR) is the U.S. Fleet Forces Command formation charged with training and certifying Atlantic Fleet Carrier Strike Groups, Amphibious Ready Groups, and independently deploying surface s ...

** Surface Warfare Development Group * Afloat Training Group, Atlantic ** Afloat Training Group Ingleside ** Afloat Training Group Mayport

References

External links

Official website
*Commander, Naval Surface Type commands of the United States Navy Military units and formations established in 1975 1975 establishments in the United States Military history of the Atlantic Ocean