A Service Squadron (ServRon) was a United States Navy squadron that supported fleet combat ships, auxiliary ships, and bases beyond the limits of American home territory. ServRons were elements of Service Force, created as Fleet Base Force in 1921, which became Service Force in 1941. This force initially consisted of five purpose-defined ServRons (with odd numbers) serving in the Atlantic and four (with even numbers) in the Pacific, with Squadrons 1 and 2 being maintenance groups, controlling drydocks, repair vessels, hospital ships, tugs, and "splinter fleets" of small patrol vessels; Squadrons 3 and 4, controlling troop transports; Squadrons 5 and 6, controlling mine warfare vessels; Squadrons 7 and 8, controlling cargo vessels, fuel vessels and specialized ammunition ships, and the disbursement of shipped goods; and Squadron 9, which had no Pacific counterpart, was a sound school dealing with sonar development and training. Over the course of the Second World War some squadrons (including the troop-transport and mine-warfare squadrons) were removed from Service Force, while others (including some reusing the designations of dissolved ones), were established. Service Squadrons created temporary forward bases to allow the naval squadrons to spend less time in transit and more time in the area of combat.
The wartime Service Squadrons were dissolved in mid-1945, their duties passed on to non-squadron commands within Service Force. By 1947, however, a new ServRon 1, responsible for the full range of forward-area support functions, was established in the Pacific, as well as a new ServRon 2 in the Atlantic. These only operated a handful of ships, and functioned much as Base Force units had in the interwar period.
With naval bases like Naval Base Ulithi, to refit, repair and resupply, many ships were able to deploy and operate in the western Pacific for a year or more without returning to a major port facility. Among the vessels operating in service squadrons were tankers, Fleet oilers, refrigerator ships, ammunition ships, supply ships, floating docks and repair ships. They provided diesel, ordnance, aviation fuel, food stuffs and all other supplies. Equally important at places like Ulithi were the portable piers and floating dry docks which allowed many ships damaged by enemy action or Pacific storms to undergo repair without having to travel the thousands of miles back to a major US naval base. Ulithi was as far forward from the US naval base at San Francisco as the San Francisco base was from London, England. To have a fully functional major port in the middle of the Pacific was a significant aid to U.S. Navy operations.
The commander of the service squadron was responsible for the operation of all the ships, docks and repair yards in the squadron. The Commander was referred to as ComServRon, with the title followed by the unit designation of his Squadron, such as ComServRon 10.
Service Squadrons were slowly disbanded in the late 1970s as fleet combat support functions were shifted to civilian operated Military Sealift Command.
War in the Pacific Service squadrons played a vital role in the war in the Pacific during the Second World War. The Pacific Ocean with its vast reaches was a significant obstacle to overcome. In considering their war in the Pacific against the United States, the Japanese had counted on the fact that the size of the Pacific Ocean would in itself be a defense. For the US Navy to conduct operations against the Japanese, all actions would necessarily be far from their home ports. Travel to the area of combat would consume the fleet's supplies of fuel and food and limit the length of time US Navy assets could operate in the Western Pacific. Japanese naval strategy ('Kantai Kessen') was built around the idea that this would present them with an opportunity to knock the US Navy out of the conflict with a single decisive action. They sought such an opportunity throughout the war.
Creation of Service Squadrons In his planning for how the war in the Pacific would be fought and won, Admiral Chester Nimitz knew the manufacturing might of the United States would eventually supply him with a force large enough to overcome the forces of the Empire of Japan. He referred to this future force as the 'Big Blue Fleet'. To make it effective at projecting its power, he would need to devise a way to keep it supplied and in fighting condition. The ongoing resupply of a large naval force across the vast expanse of the Pacific would require the US Navy to perform something no navy had ever accomplished before.
In the autumn of 1943, Admiral Nimitz ordered the creation of two new service squadrons, designated as the second ServRon 4 and the first and only ServRon10. Both were to serve the same purpose: to follow the Pacific Fleet's amphibious forces through the Central Pacific, turning newly acquired islands (mostly atolls) into fully equipped repair, supply, recreation, and administrative bases, and supporting the construction of shore facilities by Construction Battalion ("Seabee") units where possible. They would provide mobile service to the fleet as it moved across the Pacific – with one serving as fleet base while the second remained to the rear. As the fleet captured new sites the rear squadron would move to the front and take over as fleet base. Commodore Worrall R. Carter, commanding officer of ServRon 10, devised this plan that made it possible for the navy to create repair facilities and re-supply facilities thousands of miles away from an actual Naval port. He did this essentially by bringing the port to the navy. Admiral Nimitz referred to Service Squadron 4 and Service Squadron 10 as his "secret weapons".
Service Squadron 4 was commissioned on 1 November 1943 with its mission being to provide logistics support to fleet operations from floating mobile bases. The squadron initially was made up of 24 vessels and had its base in the South Pacific at the Naval Base Funafuti at the Funafuti Atoll, east of the Solomon Islands and south of the Marshall Islands. The destroyer tender , under the command of Captain Samuel Ogden, was the flagship for the squadron. The command included repair ships and . Some of the other ships in Service Squadron 4 were: the internal combustion engine repair ship , tugboat Keosanqua I, oiler , hospital ship , for goods storage the ; Troopship-barracks ships: , , , and . The Cascade arrived at Funafuti on 21 November 1943 and remained there until February 1944. During this period Captain Worrall Reed Carter was organizing the second service squadron, Service Squadron 10. Service Squadron 10 was commissioned on 15 January 1944 at Pearl Harbor.
Service Squadron 10 was commissioned on 15 January 1944 at Pearl Harbor. Service Squadron 1 and Service Squadron 3 operated in the Pacific Ocean. Service Squadron 2 and Service Squadron 4 operated in the Atlantic Ocean. Service Squadron 10 worked with the United States Eighth Fleet in the Atlantic. Service Squadron 9 was formed on Pearl Harbor as a submarine chaser division. Service Squadron 6 operated in the Mediterranean Sea.
Majuro
The Marshall Islands were considered the first major stepping stone for the battles across the Central Pacific to Japan. United States Marines were landed on 30 January 1944, but found that Japanese forces had previously evacuated their fortifications to Kwajalein and Enewetak about a year earlier. The islands that made up the Majuro atoll were secured without incident. Majuro had one of the largest natural anchorages in the Pacific. It became the first major forward base for the US Pacific fleet and was the largest and most active port in the world until the war moved westward and Majuro became supplanted by Ulithi.
Kwajalein
After the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 Cascade moved from Funafuti to Kwajalein. On 17 March 1944 Squadron 4 was absorbed into Squadron 10. Captain Herbert Meyer Scull was reassigned as chief of staff for Rear Admiral Hoover, Commander Forward Area, Central Pacific. Captain Samuel Ogden in Cascade became representative "A" of Commander Service Squadron 10 in command of Kwajalein and Roi. Cascade remained at Kwajalein until May 1944 when she moved to Eniwetok.
Eniwetok
The United States captured Eniwetok in a five-day amphibious operation in February 1944. Major combat occurred on Engebi Islet, which was the most important Japanese installation on the atoll. Combat also occurred on the main islet of Eniwetok itself, and on Parry Island, the site of a Japanese seaplane base.
Following its capture, the anchorage at Eniwetok became a major forward naval base for the U.S. Navy. On 5 June Commodore Carter joined ServRon 10 at Eniwetok. His flagship was . The following ships were also present in July 1944: destroyer tenders Cascade, , and ; repair ship ; repair ship landing craft ; floating drydocks ARD-13, ARD-15; mobile floating drydock AFD-15; and floating workshop YR-30.
During July 1944 there were a large number of vessels present at Eniwetok. The daily average of ships present during the first half of July was 488; during the second half of July the daily average number of ships at Eniwetok was 283. By the end of July Commodore Worrall R. Carter flew to Pearl Harbor to participate in planning the move of Servron 10 facilities from Eniwetok to Ulithi. By this point in the conflict, Commander Service Squadron 10 (ComServRon 10) had several hundred ships and floating equipment under his operational control, and had the largest staff afloat in the Pacific to help administrate responsibilities.
Manus
On 30 July 1944, representatives of Central Pacific Forces, headed by Commodore A.G. Quynn, met at Naval Base Manus, Admiralty Islands, with representatives of Commander Seventh Fleet, Commander Southwest Pacific Forces, and Naval Base Manus to discuss logistic support of Third Fleet units using Manus as a base in the Western Carolines operation. As a result, Captain S.B. Ogden was ordered to Manus as Commander Service Squadron Ten representative, bringing with him units necessary to service Third Fleet vessels. He left Kwajalein in the Marshalls on Argonne, Commander T.H. Escott, on 21 August and reached Seeadler Harbor on the 27th to set up his mobile base, using Argonne as his flagship.
Commander Third Fleet's logistic plan for Operation STALEMATE II, covering the capture of Peleliu, Ngesebus, Angaur, and Ulithi required that there should be available in Seeadler Harbor one 90,000-ton floating drydock, one 1,000-ton floating drydock, one destroyer tender, one repair ship, two 3,000-ton floating drydocks, and four floating workshops—two for hulls, two for machinery repairs, Besides these, there were added from time to time two destroyer tenders, one repair ship for internal combustion engines, four station tankers, one repair ship, two covered lighters, one water and one fuel oil barge, and two pontoon cranes.