Task Force 60 is a task force of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. It is often referred to by the abbreviation CTF 60 (Commander, Task Force 60). As of 2011 Task Force 60 will normally be the commander of Naval Task Force Europe and Africa. Any naval unit within the USEUCOM or USAFRICOM AOR may be assigned to TF 60 as required upon signal from the Commander of the Sixth Fleet. The Task Force became definitely active on the establishment of the

United States Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet ...

in 1952, but may have been active earlier, during World War II. Task Force 60 was for many years the Sixth Fleet's Battle Force. When any

carrier strike group A carrier strike group (CSG) is a type of carrier battle group of the United States Navy. It is an operational formation composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, usually an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer squadron of at least ...

enters into the Mediterranean control zone it is usually designated TF 60 and the battle group commander, a one or two-star flag officer, assumes duties as Commander Task Force 60 from Commander,

Destroyer Squadron 60 Destroyer Squadron 60 (DESRON 60) is a destroyer squadron of the United States Navy. Destroyer Squadron 60 is one of three U.S. Navy destroyer squadrons permanently based outside the continental United States. World War Two During World War Tw ...

. The Task Force is often composed of one or more aircraft carriers, each with an accompanying complement of two to six cruisers and destroyers. On board the aircraft carrier is a

Carrier air wing A carrier air wing (abbreviated CVW) is an operational naval aviation organization composed of several aircraft squadrons and detachments of various types of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Organized, equipped and trained to conduct modern ...

of 65–85 aircraft. This air wing is the primary striking arm of the Strike Group, and includes attack, fighter, anti-submarine, and reconnaissance aircraft. From 8 to 13 October 1973, Task Group 60.1 with , Task Force 60.2 with , and Task Forces 61/62 with (Amphibious Force and Landing Force) were alerted to prepare for possible evacuation contingencies in the Middle East as a result of the 1973

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Eg ...

between Arab states and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. ''Independence'' operated off the island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...

. During the 1986 confrontation with

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...

, that led to

Operation El Dorado Canyon The 1986 United States bombing of Libya, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, consisted of air strikes by the United States against Libya on Tuesday 15 April 1986. The attack was carried out by the U.S. Air Force (USAF), U.S. Navy and U.S. M ...

, the Sixth Fleet's battle force was under the command of Rear Admiral

David E. Jeremiah David Elmer Jeremiah (February 25, 1934 – October 7, 2013) was a United States Navy admiral who served as the second vice chairman and also the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After his retirement from the Navy in February 1 ...

. Task Group 60.1 under Rear Admiral J.C. Breast was made up of the ''Coral Sea'' and her escorts, Task Group 60.2 under Jeremiah, the ''Saratoga'' and her escorts, and Task Group 60.3 under Rear Admiral

Henry H. Mauz, Jr. Henry Herrward Mauz Jr. (born May 4, 1936) is a retired United States Navy admiral and the former Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet from 1992 to 1994. Military career After graduating from the United States Naval Academy in 1959, Ma ...

, the ''America'' and her escorts. Task Group 60.5, the Surface Action Group under Captain Robert L. Goodwin, was made up of a missile cruiser, missile destroyer, and another destroyer. In November 2007, Task Group 60.4 held the

Africa Partnership Station Africa Partnership Station (or APS) is an international initiative developed by United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa, which works cooperatively with U.S. and international partners to improve maritime safety and security in Africa as part of ...

role, embarked aboard the amphibious ship USS Fort McHenry. The HSV ''Swift'' was scheduled to join ''Fort McHenry'' in Africa in November 2007. In 2012, Task Group 60.5 was permanently assigned as the Southeast Africa Task Group. The Group may be renamed the South and East Africa Task Group. It held the alternate designation of Task Force 363.{{cite web, url=https://www.africom.mil/media-room/Article/6162/uss-ashland-arrives-in-mauritius-for-maritime-part, title=USS Ashland Arrives in Mauritius for Maritime Partnership, first=Gillian , last=Brigham, publisher=U.S. Africa Command, accessdate=6 June 2019

References

United States Navy task forces Military units and formations established in the 1950s