US Navy marks return of Cold War-era fleet

The US Navy has marked the official resurrection of a disbanded, Cold War-era fleet that was scrapped in 2011 and is returning amid heightened tensions with Russia.

In May, the Navy had announced it was bringing back the 2nd Fleet, which played a key role during the Cold War years with operations in the North Atlantic and supporting US naval forces in the Mediterranean.

The fleet, first stood up in 1950, was scrapped for cost-saving reasons during a time of reduced tensions with Moscow. It played a key role during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when its ships set a blockade to stop Soviet ships reaching the island.

The fleet will be responsible for US naval forces along the US East Coast as well as the North Atlantic region. "This is the United States' and the US Navy's dynamic response to a dynamic security environment," Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson, said at a ceremony aboard the USS George HW Bush yesterday.

"The 2nd Fleet will be our spearhead... for the Atlantic, maintaining America's maritime superiority that will lead to maintaining our security, our influence and our prosperity around the world."