Nimitz (CVN 68) - Naval Cruise Book

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FLAG STAFF Battle Force Sixth Fleet is the permanently deployed battle staff assigned to the Mediterranean area under the operational control of Commander Sixth Fleet. Its area of responsibility is wide and the missions assigned are di- verse. Under the U.S. Navy titles of Battle Force Sixth Fleet and Task Force SIXTY, the Commander and staff direct oper- ations of U.S. carrier battle groups in the Mediterranean. Another title, Commander Carrier Group TWO, is as- signed tothe Commander within the administrative organi- zation of the Commander Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet fCOMNAVAIFtLANTJ, located in Norfolk, Virginia. Three other carrier groups numbered FOUR, SIX and EIGHT are also assigned to COMNAVAIRLANT. However, unlike COMCAFIGFIU TWO which is home- ported and permanently deployed in the Mediterranean, they are homeported in the U.S. and deploy periodically in carriers of the Second, Sixth or Seventh Fleets. The Battle Force protects the sea lines of communica- tions. The welfare of the United States and that of our allies depends upon the unimpeded movement of trade on the high seas. Through the years, the mission changed only in that the carrier is no longer the supporting element of the battle force, but instead, the major unit in the striking power of U.S. fleets. With this change in mission, the responsibilities of the carrier division commander shifted from command of a supporting element to command of the force itself. In 1981, during a missile exercise held in international waters, two Libyan jets attacked Navy aircraft of the Battle Force and they were shot down over the Gulf of Sidra. The spring of 1982 saw the Battle Force at its strongest since the early sixties,with four carrier battle groups operating simultaneously in the NATO exercise Daily Double '82 . The Battle Force participated in the evacuation of non- combatants from Beirut, Lebanon in June, 1982 and the evacuation of members of the Palestinian Liberation Orga- nization from Beirut that September. Subsequently, Battle Force Sixth Fleet has supported U.S. elements of the Multinational Peacekeeping Force in Beirut. 92 RM2 o.v. Barlow MS1 v.B. copon CAPT J.E. Cartwright LCDFI M.H. Crouter, II LT FLS. Dearth ETC R.J. Conde, Jr. MS1 N.A. Mercado FIM2 c.w. Blackmonl CAPT M. Iverson CDR RW. Piercei LCDFI J. Hampton LCDR D.L. McKinneyi RMCM W. Nickson MMCS Ft.J. Bolton YN1 J.M. Close YN1 RE Colwell OS1 G.A. Merkel, Ill BM1 R-FL Thomas EN2 M. Burrier RM2 Ft.S. Goff