Everything about Naval Fleet totally explained
A
fleet, or naval fleet, is a large
formation of
warships, and the largest
formation in any
navy. A fleet at
sea is the direct equivalent of an
army on
land.
Fleets are usually, but not necessarily, permanent formations and are generally assigned to a particular
ocean or
sea. Most fleets are named after that ocean or sea, but the convention in the
United States Navy is to use numbers.
A fleet is normally commanded by an
Admiral, who is often also a
commander in chief, but many fleets have been or are commanded by
Vice Admirals or even
Rear Admirals. Most fleets are divided into several
squadrons, each under a subordinate admiral. Those squadrons in turn are often divided into divisions. In the
age of sail, fleets were divided into van, centre and rear squadrons, named after each squadron’s place in the
line of battle. In more modern times, the squadrons are typically composed of homogeneous groups of the same class of
warship, such as
battleships or
cruisers.
Since many smaller
navies only contain a single fleet, the term
the fleet is often synonymous with
the navy.
Multinational fleets are not uncommon in naval history. For example, several nations made up the
Holy League fleet at the
Battle of Lepanto in
1571. In modern times,
NATO has formed standing combined fleets and operations from several national navies such as
Operation Active Endeavour.
See
list of fleets for individual fleets.
The modern fleet
Modern fleets combine surface warships,
submarines, support ships and ship-based aircraft to conduct naval operations at sea. Generally understood to be the
blue water, or oceanic,
green water or
littoral versus the
brown water or coastal/riverine forces. The fleets of larger navies are usually divided into smaller numbered or named fleets based on geographic operating areas or on administrative groupings of same type ships.
Modern fleets are usually administrative units. Typically individual
task forces are formed to conduct specific operations.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Naval Fleet'.
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