Marine Detachment
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Marine_Detachment_aboard_the_USS_Augusta_%28CA-31%29_in_the_1930s.jpg/220px-Marine_Detachment_aboard_the_USS_Augusta_%28CA-31%29_in_the_1930s.jpg)
A Marine Detachment, or MarDet, was a unit of 35 to 85 United States Marines aboard large warships including
History of shipboard Marine detachments
The
As modern Navy tactics evolved away from traditional ship-to-ship combat to fighting over the horizon threats with guided missiles and computer controlled weapons systems, the shipboard responsibilities requiring an independent Marine Detachment aboard ships became more of an anachronism better suited to be absorbed by Navy Master-at-arms.[1]
The individual seaborne landing parties became Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Teams (FAST), able to rapidly deploy where and as needed instead of scattered across the fleet. By 1998, only 11 officers and 275 enlisted Marines remained assigned to individual Marine Detachments when ALMARS 24/98 announced all Marine ships' detachments were to be disestablished. USMC 1stLt Grant Goodrich would be the last commander of a MarDet when he stood down his unit aboard USS George Washington (CVN-73) on 1 May 1998, at a ceremony following their return home from their deployment.[1][6]
Officers
Each shipboard MarDet included a Marine Corps commanding officer who reported to the Commandant of the Marine Corps through the ship's captain. When more than one Marine officer was assigned to a ship, United States Navy Regulations required one Marine officer to be aboard ship at all times unless excused by the ship's captain. Marine officers below the rank of major sometimes served as officer of the deck.[5]
Other Marine detachments
The
References
- ^ a b c Richardson, Herb; Keene, R. R. (5 September 2017). "The Corps' Salty Seadogs Have All But Come Ashore: Seagoing Traditions Founder as New Millennium Approaches". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "The United States Marine Corps". Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "The Origins of the Marine Corps". Military.com. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ Boling, Justin M. "War of 1812 undaunted legacy memorialized". United States Marine Corps. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ a b Mayo, Claude Banks (1939). Your Navy. Los Angeles: Parker & Baird Company. pp. 311–317.
- ^ Krulak, Charles C. (28 January 1998). "ALMAR 024/98". United States Marine Corps. Commandant of the Marine Corps. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "Marine Security Guards". United States Department of State. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "US Army Executive Flight Detachment". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
External links
Media related to Marine Detachments at Wikimedia Commons