Sea Frontier

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Sea Frontiers were several, now disestablished, commands of the United States Navy as areas of defense against enemy vessels, especially submarines, along the U.S. coasts. They existed from 1 July 1941 until in some cases the 1970s. Sea Frontiers generally started at the shore of the United States and extended outwards into the sea for a nominal distance of two hundred miles.

As early as 1927 the Navy's plans for the coastal defense of the United States and its Territories and possessions provided for the establishment of Naval Coastal Frontiers that would be larger operational commands than the individual Naval Districts.[1] On 1 July 1941, the Chief of Naval Operations formally established several Naval Coastal Frontiers; on 6 February 1942, these were renamed Sea Frontiers. Each Frontier was a geographic area, usually comprising a number of Naval Districts but including in addition the outer shipping lanes in its sea area. The land areas of the Frontiers corresponded roughly to the Army's Defense Commands, but the boundaries were not identical. The Frontier Commander was usually also the commandant of a Naval District within the Frontier. The chief responsibilities of the Sea Frontiers during World War II were operational; Frontier forces engaged actively in scouting for enemy forces, particularly submarines, and in attack on any enemy units within their boundaries. Toward the end of the war the Frontiers were assigned administrative and logistic functions in addition to their operational responsibilities.

Navy General Order No. 143, issued on 3 February 1941, stated that Commandants of United States naval districts and Commanders of Naval Coastal Frontiers have administrative responsibility direct to the Navy Department for local and coastal forces; but Commanders of Naval Coastal Frontiers have task responsibility to the Chief of Naval Operations for Naval Coastal Frontier Forces.[2]

In addition to U.S. Navy Sea Frontiers, the Canadian Northwest Atlantic was the responsibility of the Royal Canadian Navy. This formation was very active since the majority of trans-Atlantic convoys originated or terminated in Canadian waters.

List of Sea Frontiers

Alaskan Sea Frontier

First established on 15 April 1944 with Vice Admiral

United States Pacific Command, Task Force 95, Rear Admiral Freeland A. Daubin's Alaskan Sea Frontier, was to operate under the commander-in-chief of the Alaskan Command, Major General Craig.[3]

In March 1950, Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague was moved to Alaska, where he served as commandant of Seventeenth Naval District and commander of the Alaskan Sea Frontier on Kodiak Island.

Finally inactivated in 1971 as part of post-Vietnam military reductions. (jber.af.mil/library/factsheets, ALCOM)

Caribbean Sea Frontier

Caribbean Sea Frontier

Vice Admiral John H. Hoover, Commander Caribbean Sea Frontier or COMCARIBSEAFRON, and the responsibility of the frontier was the protection of Allied shipping in the Caribbean and along the Atlantic Coast of South America during World War II. The German U-boat made a last bitter stand in the Trinidad
area in the fall of 1942. Since then, coastal waters continued to be relatively safe of the U-boat menace. Four admirals held command of the frontier during World War II:

Eastern Sea Frontier

submarines during early years of the war. See Second Happy Time
. Following admirals held command of the frontier during the World War II:

Gulf Sea Frontier

Gulf Sea Frontier

Bahamas as well as the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatán Channel and areas near Cuba
. Following admirals held command of the frontier during the World War II:

Participating units

Hawaiian Sea Frontier

The Hawaiian Sea Frontier (HawSeaFron) was a

antisubmarine patrols. Just as its surface units were controlled by higher echelons, so also were its air units by Air Forces, Pacific Fleet. The major functions of the Hawaiian Sea Frontier were the maintenance of picket ships outside Pearl Harbor and the Port of Honolulu, the escorting of inter-island shipping, and the establishment of air-sea rescue facilities.[4]
Following admirals held command of the frontier during the World War II:

Moroccan Sea Frontier

The Morocco Sea Frontier, sometimes called the North Africa Sea Frontier, was a U.S. naval unit on the east coast of

John L. Hall, Jr.
Following admirals held command of the frontier during the World War II:

  • Rear Admiral
    John L. Hall, Jr.
    : 19 November 1942 - 9 February 1943
  • Captain Chester L. Nichols (Acting): 9 February 1943 - 19 February 1943
  • Rear Admiral Frank J. Lowry: 19 February 1943 - 20 September 1943
  • Captain Chester L. Nichols (Acting): 20 September 1943 - 13 October 1943
  • Commodore
    Benjamin V. McCandlish
    : 13 October 1943 - 1 August 1945


Northwest Sea Frontier

Northwest Sea Frontier

Seventeenth Naval District
, which consisted of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, was established, and the Northwest Sea Frontier was abolished. Following admirals held command of the frontier during the World War II:

  • Vice Admiral Charles S. Freeman: 7 December 1941 - 21 November 1942
  • Vice Admiral
    Frank J. Fletcher
    : 21 November 1942 - 15 April 1944

Panama Sea Frontier

Panama Sea Frontier was responsible for the defense of the Pacific and Atlantic sea approaches to the Panama Canal and for naval shore facilities in the Central America region during World War II. The Sea Frontier headquarters were located in Balboa, Panama.[4] Following admirals held command of the frontier during the World War II:

  • Rear Admiral Frank H. Sadler: 7 December 1941 - 15 April 1942
  • Rear Admiral Clifford E. Van Hook: 15 April 1942 - 14 October 1943
  • Rear Admiral Harold C. Train: 14 October 1943 - 10 June 1944
  • Captain Ellis S. Stone (Acting): 11 June 1944 - 3 November 1944
  • Rear Admiral Howard F. Kingman: 3 November 1944 - 9 July 1945
  • Captain Schuyler Mills (Acting): 9 July 1945 - 23 August 1945
  • Rear Admiral John R. Beardall: 23 August 1945 - 2 September 1945

Philippine Sea Frontier

Philippine Sea Frontier – organised after U.S. return to the Philippines in 1944. Following admirals held command of the frontier during the World War II:

  • Rear Admiral Francis W. Rockwell: 7 December 1941 - 18 March 1942
  • Captain Kenneth M. Hoeffel: 18 March 1942 - 6 May 1942
  • Vice Admiral James L. Kauffman: 13 November 1944 - 2 September 1945

Western Sea Frontier

Western Sea Frontier

Sierra Nevada as well as of Alaska. Western Sea Frontier's commander also served as commander of the Pacific Reserve Fleet as of 1937–38.[7]
Following admirals held command of the frontier during the World War II:

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b HyperWar, Federal Records of World War II Volume II Military Records, Part Four, 1083
  2. ^ Eastern Sea Frontier history, HyperWar
  3. ISBN 1-60344-125-5
    , p.108
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Potter & Nimitz, p.552
  5. ISBN 0-252-06963-3
    , p.135
  6. ^ The US Navy and Hawaii: The War Years
  7. ^ The Code of federal regulations of the United States of America having general applicability and legal effect in force 1 June 1938: 1st ed., published by the Division of the Federal register, the National archives, pursuant to section 11 of the Federal register act as amended 19 June 1937 (Google eBook)

References

External links

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