On 30 September the U.S. Navy officially disestablished the 2nd Fleet at Norfolk, Virginia, in an effort to reduce organizational redundancy and cut costs. From the 1950s through its retirement, the 2nd Fleet was the Navy’s East Coast operational hub. It supported U.S. interests and responded to contingencies ranging from the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis to the 2010 Haitian earthquake-relief efforts. The 2nd Fleet was a major player during the Cold War, working to deter Soviet aggression and supporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s efforts to keep the Atlantic Ocean open for the transport of reinforcements to Europe, should war have broken out between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. With September’s stand-down, all 2nd Fleet assets, personnel, and responsibilities have been merged into U.S. Fleet Forces Command. During the disestablishment ceremony, the 2nd Fleet’s Vice Admiral Daniel P. Holloway (pictured here, left) turned his position as the commander of Task Force 20 over to Vice Admiral David H. Buss, Fleet Forces deputy commander. The 65-year-old 2nd Fleet was first established as the 8th Fleet on 1 March 1946; the name was changed to the 2nd Task Fleet soon thereafter and formally became the 2nd Fleet in 1950.
