The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 from 1922 to 1941.

The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet

United States Fleet

The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II. The abbreviation CINCUS, pronounced "sink us", was used for Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet. This title was disposed of and officially replaced by COMINCH in December 1941 . This...

, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. This fleet comprised the main body of ships in the Navy, with the smaller Scouting Fleet

Scouting Fleet

The Scouting Fleet was part of the United States Fleet in the United States Navy, and renamed the Scouting Force in 1930.Established in 1922, the fleet consisted mainly of older battleships and initially operated in the Atlantic...

 as the Atlantic presence. The battleship

Battleship

A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...

s, including most of the modern ones, and new aircraft carrier

Aircraft carrier

An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...

s were assigned to this fleet.

In 1930, the name of the fleet was changed to "Battle Force", but the structure remained the same. In 1931, the force was based in Pearl Harbor and consisted of a majority of the United States' surface fleet: all of the newer battleships, all of the carriers, a light cruiser squadron and "three or four" destroyer squadrons were all a part of the Battle Force. In 1939, the Battle Force had five carriers, 12 battleships, 14 light cruiser

Cruiser

A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...

s, and 68 destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

s.

On 1 February 1941, General Order 143 reorganized the United States Fleet with three separate fleets reporting, the Atlantic

U.S. Atlantic Fleet

The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...

, Pacific and Asiatic Fleets.

In the modern navy, Battle Force refers to the Navy's active warships.

Commander in Chief, Battle Fleet (COMBATFLT)

Date	Incumbent
5 July 1921 - 30 June 1923	Admiral Edward W. Eberle
30 June 1923 - 14 October 1925	Admiral Samuel S. Robison Samuel Robison Admiral Samuel Shelburne Robison CB, USN was a United States Navy officer whose service extended from the 1890s through the early 1930s. He held several major commands during World War I, and from 1928-1931 served as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy...
14 October 1925 - 4 September 1926	Admiral Charles F. Hughes
4 September 1926 - 10 September 1927	Admiral Richard H. Jackson Richard H. Jackson Richard Harrison Jackson was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy. Originally cashiered from the Navy for poor grades at the U.S. Naval Academy, he was commissioned ensign by special act of Congress for his heroism during the 1889 Apia cyclone...
10 September 1927 - 26 June 1928	Admiral Louis R. de Steiguer Louis R. de Steiguer Admiral Louis Rodolph de Steiguer was an officer in the U.S. Navy. He was Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Battle Fleet from 1927 to 1928.-Early career:...
26 June 1928 - 21 May 1929	Admiral William V. Pratt
21 May 1929 - 24 May 1930	Admiral Louis M. Nulton Louis McCoy Nulton Louis McCoy Nulton was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy who was superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy from 1925 to 1928 and commander of the Battle Fleet from 1929 to 1930.-Early career:...
24 May 1930 - 1 April 1931	Admiral Frank H. Schofield Frank Herman Schofield Frank Herman Schofield was a decorated admiral in the United States Navy, where he served with distinction in the Spanish-American War and World War I...

Commander Battle Force (COMBATFOR)

Date	Incumbent
1 April 1931 - 15 September 1931	Admiral Frank H. Schofield Frank Herman Schofield Frank Herman Schofield was a decorated admiral in the United States Navy, where he served with distinction in the Spanish-American War and World War I...
15 September 1931 - 11 August 1932	Admiral Richard H. Leigh
11 August 1932 - 20 May 1933	Admiral Luke McNamee Luke McNamee Luke McNamee was a United States Navy Admiral, businessman, and the 10th and 12th Naval Governor of Guam. He served in the Navy for 42 years, during which time he held multiple commands. During the Spanish–American War, he earned the Navy Cross, and later the Legion of Honour...
20 May 1933 - 1 July 1933	Admiral William H. Standley
1 July 1933 - 15 June 1934	Admiral Joseph M. Reeves Joseph M. Reeves Joseph Mason "Bull" Reeves was an admiral in the United States Navy, who was an early and important supporter of U.S. Naval Aviation...
15 June 1934 - 1 April 1935	Admiral Frank H. Brumby Frank H. Brumby Frank Hardeman Brumby was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy who commanded the Battle Force of the United States Fleet from 1934 to 1935.-Early career:...
1 April 1935 - 30 March 1936	Admiral Harris Laning Harris Laning Harris Laning, born October 18, 1873 in Petersburg, Illinois, graduated from the United States Naval Academy on June 7, 1895. He served in the Philippines during the Philippine insurrection, and served as captain of the U.S. rifle team which won the Gold Medal in Stockholm, Sweden, at the 1912...
30 March 1936 - 31 December 1936	Admiral William D. Leahy William D. Leahy Fleet Admiral William Daniel Leahy was an American naval officer, building his reputation through administration and staff work. As Chief of Naval Operations he was the senior officer in Navy, overseeing the preparations for war. After retiring from the Navy he was appointed by his close friend...
2 January 1937 - 29 January 1938	Admiral Claude C. Bloch Claude C. Bloch Admiral Claude Charles Bloch was a United States Navy admiral who served as Commander, Battle Force, U.S. Fleet from 1937–1938; and Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet from 1938-1940.-Biography:...
29 January 1938 - 24 June 1939	Admiral Edward C. Kalbfus Edward C. Kalbfus Admiral Edward Clifford Kalbfus , nicknamed "Old Dutch", was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy who was commander of the Battle Force of the United States Fleet from 1938 to 1939 and President of the Naval War College from 1934 to 1936 and 1939 to 1942.-Early career:He was born in Mauch...
24 June 1939 - 6 January 1940	Admiral James O. Richardson
6 January 1940 - 31 January 1941	Admiral Charles P. Snyder Charles P. Snyder (admiral) Charles Philip Snyder was a four-star admiral in the United States Navy who served as the U.S. Navy's first Naval Inspector General during World War II.-Early career:...
31 January 1941 - 20 September 1942	Vice Admiral William S. Pye William S. Pye Vice Admiral William Satterlee Pye, United States Navy, was an Admiral in the U.S. Navy who served in World Wars I and II. His last active-duty appointment was as President of the Naval War College, 1942-1945...