 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2009) |
The Special Service Squadron was a component of the United States Navy that operated from 1920 to 1940, primarily patrolling the Caribbean Sea to safeguard American interests, including the Panama Canal, amid political instability in Central America and the Caribbean. Established as an independent command, it conducted gunboat diplomacy, supported U.S. interventions (such as in Nicaragua), and maintained a presence along Central and South American coasts. It was headquartered in Balboa, Panama Canal Zone.
Contents
Records of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet have correspondence from the Special Service Squadron in 1907. [1] The Special Service Squadron was stood up as a separate command from the fleet on September 25, 1920. Its purpose was to protect the Canal and American interests both in the Caribbean and on the Pacific coast of Central America (and it remained a separate command when the Atlantic and Pacific fleets were combined as the United States Fleet in 1922). The squadron comprised small, older vessels like gunboats (e.g., USS Sacramento (PG-19), USS Asheville (PG-21)) and destroyers, serving as flagships for operations including training exercises and protection during regional conflicts. It was abolished in 1940 as part of broader U.S. naval reorganizations ahead of World War II. [2] [3]
