| abstract | - A Service Squadron (ServRon) was a U.S. Navy squadron that supported fleet combat units. Service Squadrons were used by the US Navy from their inception in 1943 to as late as the early 1980s. At the time of their inception during the second world war they allowed the US Navy to operate across the ocean for extended periods of time. During the war Service Squadrons would create a temporary forward base. A good example of one such base was at Ulithi, a small atoll in the central Pacific. Service Squadrons allowed the US Navy to do the seemingly impossible, they essentially created a major naval base at a location relatively near the area of operation. With the naval base at Ulithi to refit, repair and resupply, many ships were able to deploy and operate in the western Pacific for a year or more without returning to a major port facility such as Pearl Harbor or San Diego. Among the vessels operating in service squadrons were tankers, oilers, refrigerator ships, ammunition ships, supply ships, floating docks and repair ships. They provided diesel, ordnance, aviation fuel, food stuffs and all other supplies. Equally important at places like Ulithi were the portable piers and floating dry docks which allowed a great many ships to undergo battle damage repair without having to travel the thousands of miles back to a major US naval base. To have a fully functional major port in the middle of the Pacific was a big advantage for the U.S. Navy. Ulithi was as far forward from the US naval base at San Francisco as the San Francisco base was from London, England. The commander of the service squadron was responsible for the operation of all the ships, docks and repair yards in the squadron. The Commander was referred to as ComServRon, with the title followed by the unit designation of his Squadron, such as ComServRon 10. Service Squadrons were slowly disbanded as fleet combat support functions were shifted to Military Sealift Command, manned by civilians in the late 1970s.
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