United States First Fleet

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The United States First Fleet was a unit of the United States Navy, in operation from as early as 1946 (but definitely active by 1948 as the First Task Fleet) to February 1, 1973 in the western Pacific Ocean as part of the Pacific Fleet. In 1973 it was disestablished and its duties assumed by the Third Fleet.

Vice Admiral A. E. Montgomery was named as Commander, First Task Fleet, in an air station report of July 1947, with an inspection visit by a group of senior officers. The old cruiser USS Salt Lake City (CA-25) was sunk as an atomic bomb test target during First Task Fleet manoeuvers in May 1948. USS Salisbury Sound (AV-13) became the Flagship of Vice Admiral G.F. Bogan (Commander First Task Fleet) on 25 March 1949. USS Curtiss (AV-4) served as flagship for Commander First Fleet early in 1949 for 3 weeks of amphibious operations in Alaskan waters to evaluate cold weather equipment. USS Helena (CA-75) served as flagship for Commander, First Fleet, from January 1960 to March 1963.

Some sources claim that the United States Coast Guard is designated as the First Fleet of the Navy during wartime, but little evidence supports this claim. Such a designation is informal at best and has not taken place during the current War on Terrorism. Other fleets of the Navy have been disbanded without a subsequent renumbering of the other fleets, for example, the US 4th Fleet.