Submarine Squadron

A Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) is a U.S. Navy formation/unit, mirrored in other states such as the United Kingdom, and Russia/Soviet Union. In France the equivalent unit is the escadrille des sous-marins nucléaires d'attaque (ESNA), part of the French submarine forces.

United States Navy

A SUBRON usually consists of three or more submarines. It is the submarine force equivalent to a Destroyer Squadron or DESRON in the surface Navy. The officer in charge of SUBRON ONE is designated Commander Submarine Squadron One or COMSUBRON ONE. However, unlike a destroyer squadron—which actually moves its staff aboard its ships and deploys with them as an operational Task Element commander—a SUBRON commander and his staff always remain in homeport, and are responsible only for the training, equipping and administering of the ships under its umbrella. A submarine squadron is usually commanded by a Captain (O-6) who has already had at least one tour as commander of a submarine. Up until World War II and possibly afterwards, submarine squadrons could have several Submarine Divisions (SubDivs), often pairs of submarines.

Several submarine squadrons may be organized into a Submarine Group (SUBGRU), headed under a flag officer. For instance, CSS-17, CSS-19 and CSDS-5 are part of SUBGRU-9 in Bangor, Washington. The overall responsibility for submarines on the west coast of the United States is taken by the Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC); on the east coast, the same responsibility rests with the Commander Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet (COMSUBLANT). The latter is the senior of the two, and thus also plays a secondary role as Commander, Submarine Force (COMSUBFOR).

When a submarine deploys, for instance as part of a Carrier Strike Group, operational command is transferred to the numbered fleet commander for the theater to which the submarine is deploying, e.g., Commander Fifth Fleet.

List of submarine squadrons

Odd numbered squadrons are West Coast (Pacific Fleet), Even numbered East Coast (Atlantic Fleet).

• Submarine Squadron 1 Pearl Harbor, HI
• Submarine Squadron 3 Pearl Harbor, HI - decommissioned 2012
• Submarine Development Squadron 5 Bangor, WA (DEVRON 5)
• Submarine Squadron 7 Pearl Harbor, HI
• Submarine Squadron 11 San Diego, CA (Point Loma)
• Submarine Squadron 15 Apra Harbor, Guam
• Submarine Squadron 17 Bangor, WA
• Submarine Squadron 19 Bangor, WA

• Submarine Squadron 2 Groton, Connecticut-decommissioned 2012
• Submarine Squadron 4 Groton, CT
• Submarine Squadron 6 Norfolk, VA
• Submarine Squadron 8 Norfolk, VA - decommissioned 2011
• Submarine Squadron 10 Groton, CT (SubRon 10) - decommissioned 1991. Recommissioned on 10 April 1951, USS Fulton (AS-11)'s primary assignment was as tender for the squadron at New London. Fulton continued to support SubRon 10 submarines until her decommissioning in 1991. In 1988, Submarine Squadron 10 (SubRon 10) — of which Fulton was the flagship—included Jack, Tinosa, Dace, Whale, Greenling, Gato, Pargo, Trepang, Billfish and the Torpedo Retriever "Labrador" TWR-681. On 30 September 1991, SubRon 10 was disbanded and Fulton was decommissioned at her berth in New London, Connecticut.
• Submarine Development Squadron 12 Groton, CT (DEVRON 12)
• Submarine Squadron 14 Holy Loch, Scotland 1961–1992
• Submarine Squadron 16 King's Bay, GA
• Submarine Squadron 20 King's Bay, GA
• Submarine Squadron 22 La Maddalena, Italy 1972–2008 (known as Submarine Refit and Training Group La Maddalena until the mid-1980's)

List of submarine groups

• Commander, Submarine Group 2 Groton, CT (Parent of CSS-2, CSS-4, CSS-6, CSS-8, and CSS-10)
• Commander, Submarine Group 7 Yokosuka, Japan (Parent of CSS-15. Also functions as CTF-74 under Seventh Fleet, and as CTF-54 under Fifth Fleet.)
• Commander, Submarine Group 8 Naples, Italy (Also functions as CTF-64 and CTF-69 under Sixth Fleet)
• Commander, Submarine Group 9 Bangor, WA (Parent of CSDS-5, CSS-17 and CSS-19.)
• Cpmmander, Submarine Group 10 Kings Bay, GA (Parent of CSS-16 and CSS-20.)