The Southeast Pacific Area was one of the designated area commands created by the

Combined Chiefs of Staff The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) was the supreme military staff for the United States and Britain during World War II. It set all the major policy decisions for the two nations, subject to the approvals of British Prime Minister Winston Churchi ...

in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

region during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was responsible to the Joint Chiefs of Staff via the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Navy (COMINCH),

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Ernest King Ernest Joseph King (23 November 1878 – 25 June 1956) was a Fleet admiral (United States), fleet admiral in the United States Navy who served as Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during Worl ...

. Rear Admiral Abel T. Bidwell, former commander of Cruiser Division Three, commanded the Southeast Pacific Area during the first months of the war.

History

On 24 March 1942, the newly formed British and Combined Chiefs of Staff issued a directive designating the Pacific theater an area of American strategic responsibility. Six days later the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and ...

(JCS) divided the Pacific theater into three areas: the

Pacific Ocean Areas Pacific Ocean Areas (POA) was a major Allied military command in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands during the Pacific War and one of three United States commands in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. ...

(POA), the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), and the Southeast Pacific Area. The Southeast Pacific Force, SoEastPac, was a small force of cruisers and destroyers based at

Balboa, Panama Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. It was the capital of the Panama Canal Zone under American administration. History The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the constru ...

which formed the main force operating in the Southeast Pacific Area. The Southeast Pacific Force was formed by a directive of 28 August 1941 to Admiral Husband Kimmel: Amongst ships assigned to the Southeast Pacific Force were the

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

s USS ''Concord'', USS ''Trenton'', USS ''Detroit'', and the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

s USS ''Warrington'' and USS ''McDougal''.

Commanders

The ''Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II'' dates the establishment of the Southeast Pacific Area to 8 December 1941. *Rear Admiral Abel T. Bidwell: 8 December 1941 – 6 January 1942 *Rear Admiral John F. Shafroth Jr.: 6 January 1942 – 25 December 1942 *Rear Admiral Francis E. M. Whiting: 25 December 1942 – 12 October 1943 *Rear Admiral Harold C. Train: 12 October 1943 – 8 June 1944 *Captain Ellis S. Stone (A): 8 June 1944 – 3 November 1944 *Rear Admiral Howard F. Kingman: 3 November 1944 – 9 July 1945 *Captain Schuyler Mills (A): 9 July 1945 – 23 August 1945 *Rear Admiral John R. Beardall: 23 August 1945 – 2 September 1945

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Southwest Pacific Area * Allied commands of World War II Military history of Panama during World War II

History

Commanders

See also

References