ServRon

A ServRon is a standard United States Navy abbreviation for Service Squadron.

A Service Squadron is a squadron of U.S. Navy ships that support the fleet combat units. These squadrons are made up of tankers, oilers, refrigerator ships, ammunition ships, supply ships, and repair ships. They are responsible for everything the Navy needs to keep its assets at sea and on station. The commander of the service squadron is responsible for the operation of all ships in the squadron. The Commander is referred to as ComServRon, with this title followed by the unit designation of his Squadron, such as ComServRon Seven.

Service Squadrons have the job of keeping the navy's assets supplied, providing diesel, aviation fuel, ordinance, and food stuffs. They are an essential part of the Navy's ability to project power, as they enable the Navy to operate for extended periods of time away from home ports.

War in the Pacific

In considering their war in the Pacific against the United States, the Japanese had counted on the fact that the vastness of the Pacific Ocean would in itself be a defense. US naval actions would necessarily be far from their home ports. This would limit their supply and inhibit the length of time US Navy assets could operate in the Western Pacific. Japanese planners hoped 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.

Service Squadron 4 and Service Squadron 10

In his planning for how the war in the Pacific would be fought and won, Admiral Nimitz knew the manufacturing might of the Untied 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 fighting far from its home waters. This would require the US Navy to do something no Navy had ever done before.

In the autumn of 1943 Admiral Nimitz ordered the creation of two service squadrons. These two squadrons would provide mobile service to the fleet as it moved across the Pacific — with one service 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 act as fleet base. Commanding officer Commodore Worrall R. Carter devised the mobile service squadrons 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 called Service Squadron 4 and Service Squadron 10 his "secret weapons".

Service Squadron 4 was commissioned on 1 November 1943. The squadron was made up of 24 vessels and would be based in Funafuti Atoll. The USS Cascade, Captain Samuel Ogden, was the flagship for the squadron and Captain Ogden was also chief staff officer for the Squadron. The repair ships USS Phaon and USS Vestal and 21 other ships comprised the squadron. On 21 November 1943 the Cascade arrived at Funafuti where she remained until February 1944. During the stay at Funafuti the Cascade serviced numerous fleet vessels — including 10 destroyers and 8 destroyer escorts. During this period Captain Worrall Reed Carter (USNA 1908), was organizing the second service squadron. Service Squadron 10 was commissioned on 15 January 1944 at Pearl Harbor.

Kwajalein

After the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 the Cascade moved from Funafuti to Kwajalein. On 17 March 1944 Squadron 4 was absorbed into Squadron 10. Captain Herbert Meyer Scull (USNA 1919,) was re-assigned as Chief of Staff for Rear Admiral Hoover, Commander Forward Area, Central Pacific. Captain Samuel Ogden in the Cascade became representative "A" of Commander Service Squadron 10 in command of Kwajalein and Roi.

Eniwetok

During the Battle of Eniwetok in February 1944, the United states captured Enewetak in a five-day amphibious operation, with major combat 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, site of a Japanese seaplane base.

Following its capture, the anchorage at Eniwetok became a major forward naval base for the U.S. Navy. 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.

The Cascade remained at Kwajalein until May 1944 when she moved to Eniwetok. On 5 June Commodore Carter joined ServRon 10 at Eniwetok. His flagship was the Prairie (AD-15). The following ships were also present in July 1944: destroyer tenders Cascade, Piedmont (AD-17), and Markab (AD-21); repair ship Hector (AR-7); repair ship landing craft Egeria (ARL-8); 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.

Ulithi

Ulithi was perfectly positioned to act as a staging area for the US Navy's western Pacific operations. The atoll is in the westernmost of the Caroline Islands, 360 miles (580 km) southwest of Guam, 850 miles (1,370 km) east of the Philippines and 1,300 miles (2,100 km) south of Tokyo. It is a typical volcanic atoll, with a coral reef, white sand beaches and palm trees. Ulithi's forty small islands barely rise above the sea, with the largest being only half a square mile in area. However the reef runs roughly twenty miles north and south by ten miles across, enclosing a vast anchorage with an average depth of 80 to 100 feet (30 m). The anchorage was well situated, but there were no port facilities to repair ships or re-supply the fleet.

The survey ship USS Sumner surveyed the lagoon and reported it capable of holding 700 vessels. Service Squadron 10 was called upon to convert the lagoon into a servicable naval station. On 4 October 1944 the vessels of Service Squadron 10 began leaving Eniwetok for Ulithi. On 8 October 1944 Commodore Worrall R. Carter's flagship the USS Prairie, the merchant ammunition ship Plymouth Victory and the USS Cascade sailed for Ulithi. The Markab initially remained at Eniwetok, leaving for Ulithi on 18 October 1944 and arriving on 22 October.

At Ulithi pontoon piers of a new design were built, each consisting of the 4-by-12-pontoon sections, filled with sand and gravel, and then sunk. The pontoons were anchored in place by guy ropes to deadmen on shore, and by iron rods driven into the coral. Connecting tie pieces ran across the tops of the pontoons to hold them together into a pier. Despite extremely heavy weather on several occasions these pontoon piers stood up remarkably well. They gave extensive service, with little requirement for repairs. Piers of this type were also installed by the 51st Battalion to be used as aviation-gasoline mooring piers near the main airfield on Falalop.

USS Iowa at a floating drydock at Ulithi.

Within a month of the occupation of Ulithi, a whole floating base was in operation. Six thousand ship fitters, artificers, welders, carpenters, and electricians arrived aboard repair ships, destroyer tenders, and floating dry docks. The USS Ajax had an air-conditioned optical shop and a metal fabrication shop with a supply of base metals from which she could make any alloy to form any part needed. The USS Abatan, which looked like a big tanker, really distilled fresh water and baked bread and pies. The ice cream barge made 500 gallons a shift. The dry docks towed to Ulithi were large enough to lift dry a 45,000 ton battleship. Fleet oilers sortied to and from Ulithi to meet the task forces at sea, refueling the warships a short distance from their combat operational areas. The result was something never seen before: a vast floating service station enabling the entire Pacific fleet to operate indefinitely at unprecedented distances from its mainland bases. Ulithi was as far away from the US Naval base at San Francisco as San Francisco was from London, England. The Japanese had considered that the vastness of the Pacific Ocean would make it very difficult for the US to sustain operations in the western Pacific. With the Ulithi naval base 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 the naval base at Pearl Harbor.

Ulithi became the undisclosed Pacific base for the major operations late in the war, including Leyte Gulf and the Okinawa operation. The huge anchorage capacity was greater than either Majuro or Pearl Harbor, and over seven hundred ships anchored there at a time. Service Squadron 10's conversion of the lagoon at Ulithi to a major naval resupply and staging area was one of the most remarkable feats of the war.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.