A squadron, or naval squadron, is a unit of 3-4 major warships, transport ships, submarines, or sometimes small craft that may be part of a larger task force or a fleet. A squadron is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same type of ship, such as battleship, battlecruiser, cruiser, or destroyer, or of various types tasked with a specific mission such as coastal patrol, blockade, or minesweeping. Smaller warships are usually grouped in flotillas.
In the United States Navy, the term squadron has always been used for formations of destroyers and submarines.
Before 1864 the entire fleet of the Royal Navy was divided into three squadrons, the red, the white, and the blue.
Contents |
A fleet is usually commanded by a flag officer such as a vice admiral or a rear admiral, but squadrons are sometimes commanded by commodores or simply the most senior captain (often the same thing), depending on the importance of the command. A large squadron will sometimes be divided into two or more divisions, each of which might be commanded by a subordinate admiral. Like a fleet, a squadron is usually, but not necessarily, a permanent formation.
There are several types of squadron:
In modern navies, squadrons have tended to become administrative units. Most navies began to abandon the squadron as a tactical formation during the Second World War. The need to provide capital ships with the anti-submarine protection of a destroyer screen and air cover from an aircraft carrier led to the increasing use of ad hoc task forces, composed of whichever ships were available for a particular operation.
As warships have grown larger, the term squadron has gradually replaced the term flotilla for formations of destroyers, frigates and submarines in many navies.
|
|||||