Carrier Group Four
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Commander, Carrier Strike Group FOUR (CCSG-4 or COMSTRKGRUFOUR) is the
U.S. 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 ...
formation charged with training and certifying Atlantic Fleet
Carrier Strike Group A carrier strike group (CSG) is a type of carrier battle group of the United States Navy. It is an operational formation composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, usually an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer squadron of at least tw ...
s, Amphibious Ready Groups, and independently deploying surface ships. Its mission is to "Conduct safe and effective Strike Force Training of the Atlantic Fleet." From 2004 to 2014, The command was known as Commander, Strike Force Training Atlantic (CSFTL or COMSTRKFORTRALANT) Until 2004, The command was known as Carrier Group FOUR/Commander, Carrier Striking Force (CCG-4). CCSG-4 is a one star command under the three-star Deputy Commander,
U.S. 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 ...
, and is based at
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 ...
, Virginia. Tactical Training Group, Atlantic (TTGL) and Expeditionary Warfare Training Group, Atlantic (EWTGL) are subordinate commands.


History

Carrier Division Four was initially activated as an element of the
United States Fifth Fleet The Fifth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It has been responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean since 1995 after a 48-year hiatus. It shares a commander and headq ...
on 13 March 1943. Seeing extensive action throughout the Second World War, Carrier Division Four was embarked in many of the most famous aircraft carriers in the Pacific Theater: , , USS Independence (CVL 22), USS Franklin (CV 13), USS Cabot (CVL 28), and USS Lake Champlain (CV 39). As a major participant in the Marshall Islands Campaign, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and the Battle off Cape Engaño, planes under the direction of Carrier Division Four, aboard the USS Intrepid, sank Japanese aircraft carriers Zuiho, Zuikaku, and Chiyoda. Other notable victories include the sinking of the battleship Yamato and naval support during the Battle of Okinawa. Following World War II, Carrier Division Four was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet. In October 1955, Carrier Division Four assumed administrative command of the world's first super-carrier, . USS Saratoga (CVA 60) joined the Division in 1956, making Carrier Division Four the first task group composed solely of super-carriers. Subsequent operations laid the foundation for tactical employment of carriers well into the next decade. Commander, Carrier Division Four boarded the USS Forrestal in July 1965 and deployed to the Mediterranean where it transferred to the USS Franklin D Roosevelt and returned to Norfolk in December 1965. It did two or three additional Medierranean Sea cruises on USS Independence and USS America before January 1969 (exact dates and sequence not known). Carrier Division Four was re-designated Carrier Group Four in July 1973. It was responsible for facilitating the Navy's transition from traditional battle force tactics to the modern day battle group concept, emphasizing the Commander's responsibility for the whole battle group (destroyers, submarines, and auxiliaries) and not just the carrier and air wing. Carrier Group Four conducted two deployments to the Mediterranean in the late seventies and embarked USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in the Indian Ocean during the 1980 Iranian Hostage Crisis. In 1983, Carrier Group FOUR served in the Second, Sixth, and Seventh Fleets on USS Carl Vinson's (CVN 70) maiden cruise. In October 1984, Commander, Carrier Group FOUR began working for Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, as the primary readiness and training flag staff. Additionally, Commander, Carrier Group FOUR reported to Commander, Second Fleet in the NATO role of Commander, Striking Fleet Atlantic, performing operational tasking as described in the Maritime Strategy and NATO's Concept of Maritime Operations. In that capacity, Carrier Group FOUR was again re-designated as Commander, Carrier Striking Force. In 1985, Carrier Group FOUR embarked USS Yorktown (CG 48) for the first live missile firing to include command/control/target tracking from a platform different than the missile-firing ship. In late summer, Commander, Carrier Group FOUR embarked USS America (CV 66) for NATO exercise OCEAN SAFARI 85, successfully conducting the first carrier flight operations in a Norwegian fjord. This led to an entirely new concept of tactical operations for the Carrier Battle Group. From 1987 to 1989, Carrier Group FOUR conducted seven Advanced Phase Training operations for Atlantic Fleet Carrier Battle Groups in preparations for their deployments and participated in NATO exercises OCEAN SAFARI 87, TEAM WORK 88, and NORTH STAR 89. In May 1989, the Staff embarked in USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) for SOLID SHIELD 89, a joint service exercise which introduced the first employment of an embarked Naval Commander as Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC). In response to Operation Desert Shield, Carrier Group FOUR successfully certified two carriers and their air wings for deployment on short notice, without the necessity of full Fleet exercise training. In February 1991, the command was given the additional responsibility of conducting joint operations aimed at interdicting the flow of narcotics from South America as Commander, Task Group 4.1. From July 1994 to September 1994, Commander, Carrier Group FOUR was ordered to Saudi Arabia as Deputy Commander, Joint Task Force Southwest Asia, in support of Operation Southern Watch. Commander, Carrier Striking Force's robust NATO participation included NORTH STAR 91, TEAM WORK 92, and STRONG RESOLVE 95. For STRONG RESOLVE 95, Commander, Carrier Striking Force acted as the JFACC for part one of the exercise, successfully introducing this advanced concept to NATO. From September 1996 to July 1997, Commander, Carrier Group FOUR completed two Advanced Phase Training exercises and developed and conducted two Carrier Battle Group Comprehensive Training Unit Exercises (COMPTUEXs). In October 2004, CCG4 was re-designated Commander Strike Force Training Atlantic (CSFTL) and was, again, reorganized to work for Commander, Second Fleet (COMSECONDFLT) as the Atlantic Fleet integrated training lead. With the disestablishment of COMSECONDFLT on 30 September 2011, CSFTL was assigned directly to U.S. Fleet Forces Command as an Echelon III command, and was tasked to enable, mentor and assess integrated tactical training in order to ensure the warfighting primacy of Atlantic Fleet Naval Forces. Administratively aligned under CSFTL are the following commands: Tactical Training Group Atlantic (TTGL) and Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Atlantic (EWTGL). Strike Force Training, Atlantic held a change of command ceremony in Norfolk 23 Sept. 2013. Rear Adm. Scott A. Stearney relieved Rear Adm. Scott T. Craig as commander. On 29 April 2014, CSFTL was re-designated Commander, Carrier Strike Group Four (CCSG 4). The mission of CCSG-4 is to execute, mentor, and assess At-Sea (Live), Synthetic and Academic scenario-based integrated training of Atlantic Fleet CSGs, ARGs, independent deployers, and other designated groups, enabling them to operate in integrated, joint, and coalition environments in the conduct of combatant commander tasking. Rear Adm. Richard W. Butler relieved Rear. Adm. Scott A. Stearney as commander of Carrier Strike Group 4 (CSG4), 31 July 2014, during a change of command ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk. On 29 April 2014, Commander Strike Force Training Atlantic (CSFTL) was re-designated Commander, Carrier Strike Group Four (CCSG 4).


Major exercises

CCSG-4 trains
carrier strike group A carrier strike group (CSG) is a type of carrier battle group of the United States Navy. It is an operational formation composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, usually an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer squadron of at least tw ...
s and Independent deployers primarily during
Composite Training Unit Exercise COMPTUEX, or Composite Training Unit Exercise, is a rehearsal each US Navy Carrier Strike Group performs before departing for deployment. Each ship and aircraft in the battle group trains in its specialty; COMPTUEX brings ships together to project ...
s (COMPTUX), Force Protection Exercises and Joint Training Force Exercises (JTFEX) off the eastern seaboard of the U.S. CCSG-4 also trains
Amphibious Ready Group An amphibious ready group (ARG) of the United States Navy consists of a naval element—a group of warships known as an Amphibious Task Force (ATF)—and a landing force (LF) of U.S. Marines (and occasionally U.S. Army soldiers), in total about ...
s (ARG) with their embarked
Marine Expeditionary Unit A Marine expeditionary unit (MEU, pronounced as one syllable "" IPA: ) is the smallest air-ground task force (MAGTF) in the United States Fleet Marine Force.United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
led Joint Warrior exercises twice per year. Composite Training Unit Exercises are designed to integrate all warfare areas of the CSG or ARG/MEU. Force Protection Exercises are designed to certify deploying units in land, air and waterside attacks for two years allowing them to conduct ports of call while deployed in OCONUS. JTFEXs provides the Strike Group with realistic training in joint operations prior to deployment. The exercise requires integration of the CSG's existing warfighting ability with other Joint and Combined assets to support warfare under a challenging threat scenario. Upon successful completion, CCSG-4 recommends deployment certification to Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces. In addition, Fleet Synthetic Training (FST) is used throughout the training cycle to prepare units to go to sea. Synthetic training utilizes simulators and role players, and prepares units to go to sea at considerable savings (in fuel, material, etc.) In July 2010, CCSG-4 ran a
Composite Unit Training Exercise COMPTUEX, or Composite Training Unit Exercise, is a rehearsal each US Navy Carrier Strike Group performs before departing for deployment. Each ship and aircraft in the battle group trains in its specialty; COMPTUEX brings ships together to project ...
for the group which was combined with training for the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
's ''Ark Royal'' Carrier Strike Group under Commodore Simon Ancona and the Amphibious Task Group build around HMS ''Ocean''.


Previous commanders

*Rear Admiral Reynold D. Hogle, 25 Sep 1961 – 8 Nov 1962 *Rear Admiral John Joseph Hyland, Jr., 8 Nov 1962 - ? *Rear Admiral Allan F. Fleming *Rear Admiral
Dick H. Guinn Dick Henry Guinn (March 27, 1918 – August 26, 1980) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of vice admiral. A Naval Academy graduate, he distinguished himself as pilot and flight leader of Fighter Squadron 94 dur ...
, December 1965 - May 1967 *Rear Admiral Lawrence R. Geis *Rear Admiral
Donald D. Engen Donald Davenport Engen (May 28, 1924 – July 13, 1999) was a United States Navy vice admiral, former Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and former Director of the National Air and Space Museum. Education Engen gradu ...
, 1971 *Rear Adm. Richard J. O’Hanlon, as Commander Carrier Strike Group Four, 1 June *Rear Admiral Robert B. Fuller, June 1980 to March 1982. *Rear Adm Kendall E. Moranville 1981 2005-2007 *Rear Adm. Donald P. Quinn 2007-2009 *Rear Admiral Gerry White, 2009-2010 *Rear Admiral Dennis Fitzpatrick, 2010-2012 *Rear Admiral Scott T. Craig, 2012–2013 *Rear Admiral Scott A. Stearney, 2013–2014 *Rear Admiral Richard W. Butler, 2014–2015 *Rear Admiral Bruce H. Lindsey, 2015–2016 *Rear Admiral Scott D. Conn, 2016–2017 *Rear Admiral Kenneth R. Whitesell, 2017–2019 *Rear Admiral Daniel L. Cheever, 2019–2020 *Rear Admiral Andrew J. Loiselle, 2020-2021 *Rear Admiral Richard T. Brophy, 2021–2022 *Rear Admiral Jeffrey J. Czerewko, 2022–present


Bibliography

*Sheehy, Edward (1992). ''The U.S. Navy, the Mediterranean, and the Cold War, 1945-1947''. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. *Toomey, David (2003). ''Stormchasers''. New York: Norton.


See also

*
History of the United States Navy The history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that was notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy" the ...


References


External links

* GlobalSecurity.org
Commander, Carrier Group Four/Commander, Carrier Striking Force
{{United States Navy Carrier strike groups Commander, Carrier Strike Group Four *Commander, Carrier Strike Group Four