# Mosquito Fleet > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mosquito_Fleet > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mosquito_Fleet.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito_Fleet > Source revision: 1355425303 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Nautical term with a variety of meanings *[Virginia V](/source/Virginia_V)*, last of the [Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet](/source/Puget_Sound_Mosquito_Fleet) The term **Mosquito Fleet** has had a variety of naval and commercial uses around the world. ## United States In [U.S.](/source/United_States) naval and maritime history, the term has had several meanings: - The [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy)'s fleet of small Jeffersonian gunboats, leading up to and during the [War of 1812](/source/War_of_1812), most were part of the [New Orleans station (US Navy)](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Orleans_Navy_Station&action=edit&redlink=1).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] - A [squadron](/source/Squadron_(naval)) of shallow-[draft](/source/Draft_(hull)) [schooners](/source/Schooner) sent to the [West Indies](/source/West_Indies) under the command of [Commodore](/source/Commodore_(United_States)) [David Porter](/source/David_Porter_(naval_officer)) to suppress piracy between 1823 and 1825, founding the [West Indies Squadron](/source/West_Indies_Squadron_(United_States)). - In the [Second Seminole War](/source/Second_Seminole_War#The_"Mosquito_Fleet"), a joint Army-Navy-[U.S. Revenue Marine](/source/History_of_the_United_States_Coast_Guard#The_Revenue_Marine) task force in southern Florida that patrolled along the shore to intercept Bahamian and Cuban trade with the Seminoles, and made reconnaissance patrols on rivers and through the Everglades. - The name of a United States Navy "squadron detachment", commanded by Commodore [Matthew C. Perry](/source/Matthew_C._Perry), that fought against the Mexican fortresses at [Tuxpan](/source/Tuxpan) and [Villahermosa](/source/Villahermosa) during the [Mexican–American War](/source/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War). - In the American Civil War, it was the name of a group of converted gunboats originally of the North Carolina Navy, later transferred to the [Confederate States Navy](/source/Confederate_States_Navy), that operated in and near the North Carolina Sounds from the start of the war until the [Battle of Elizabeth City](/source/Battle_of_Elizabeth_City).[1] - In the American Civil War, it was the name of Commodore George Hollins River defense fleet that opposed the Union Gulf Blockade fleet in the [Battle of the Head of Passes](/source/Battle_of_the_Head_of_Passes).[2] - A [fleet](/source/Puget_Sound_Mosquito_Fleet) of small steam vessels which plied the waters of [Puget Sound](/source/Puget_Sound) during the late 19th century and early 20th century (see [Washington State Ferries](/source/Washington_State_Ferries) and [Puget Sound Navigation Company](/source/Puget_Sound_Navigation_Company)). It was also used to describe the various steamboats and other small craft that served on the rivers and bays of the Oregon coast. (See [Steamboats of the Oregon Coast](/source/Steamboats_of_the_Oregon_Coast)). There was also a similar fleet on the east coast of the United States; see [Sabino](/source/Sabino_(steamer)). - A fleet of converted yachts used by the U.S. Navy during [World War I](/source/World_War_I) off the Atlantic Coast of France to patrol for [U-boats](/source/U-boat) and provide support for convoys into [Brest](/source/Brest%2C_France), [France](/source/France). This fleet was also called the "Suicide Fleet". - The fast, wooden [PT boat](/source/PT_boat) used by the U.S. Navy in [World War II](/source/World_War_II), with the most famous being [*PT-109*](/source/Motor_Torpedo_Boat_PT-109), skippered by Lieutenant Junior Grade [John F. Kennedy](/source/John_F._Kennedy), a future president of the United States. - The fleet of sailing ships that plied the waters off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia in the mid-19th century, trawling for shrimp and selling their catch in local markets; the fleet was primarily crewed by [Gullah](/source/Gullah) fishermen. ## South Australia Main article: [Mosquito Fleet (South Australia)](/source/Mosquito_Fleet_(South_Australia)) The term "Mosquito Fleet" also refers to the fleet of small [ketches](/source/Ketch) and [schooners](/source/Schooner) operating in the shallow coastal and gulf waters of [South Australia](/source/South_Australia), from 1836 to 1982.[3] ## Queensland Main article: [Mosquito Fleet (Johnstone River, Queensland)](/source/Mosquito_Fleet_(Johnstone_River%2C_Queensland)) In the early days of settlement at Geraldton (now Innisfail), the Johnstone River had a sand bar at the mouth and several shallow stretches in the river. The problem of large ships being unable to enter the river made it difficult for bags of sugar from the district sugar mills to be transported to southern refineries. To overcome this problem, shallow draft steam ships and lighters were used to carry the bags of sugar out to meet larger ships. The small ships became known as "The Mosquito Fleet". ## Iran In the 21st century, the term "Mosquito Fleet" has been applied to the small, [fast attack craft](/source/Fast_attack_craft) of the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy](/source/Islamic_Revolutionary_Guard_Corps_Navy) (IRGC-N).[4][5] These vessels—often [speedboats](/source/Speedboat) capable of exceeding 100 knots (115 mph)—are used in [asymmetric warfare](/source/Asymmetric_warfare) "swarm" tactics to harass, board, or attack [oil tankers](/source/Oil_tanker) and other commercial shipping, particularly in the [Strait of Hormuz](/source/Strait_of_Hormuz) and the [Persian Gulf](/source/Persian_Gulf).[6] Unlike Iran's [conventional navy](/source/Islamic_Republic_of_Iran_Navy)—whose larger warships were largely destroyed in the [2026 Iran war](/source/2026_Iran_war)—the IRGC-N's fast boats are easily hidden in coastal caves and among civilian traffic, making them a persistent "disruptive force."[4] The strategy originated in the 1981 - 1988 "[Tanker war](/source/Tanker_war)" of the [Iran–Iraq War](/source/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War) when Iran increasingly turned to asymmetric methods after losing larger vessels in direct confrontations with the [U.S. Navy](/source/United_States_Navy).[6] IRGC commanders describe the fleet as the "backbone" of Iran's naval strategy, enabling high-speed, [hit-and-run](/source/Hit-and-run_tactics) operations that commercial vessels are not equipped to repel.[7] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Capture of Elizabeth City"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120531105701/http://www.us-civilwar.com/elizabeth.htm). *US Civil War*. Archived from [the original](http://www.us-civilwar.com/elizabeth.htm) on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** *Official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion* I, v. 16, p. 725. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Mosquito Fleet](https://maritime.history.sa.gov.au/events/mosquito-fleet/) [South Australian Maritime Museum](/source/South_Australian_Maritime_Museum). Retrieved 17 February 2021. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-NYT2026_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-NYT2026_4-1) MacFarquhar, Neil (18 April 2026). ["Why Iran's 'Mosquito Fleet' Remains a Potent Threat in the Strait of Hormuz"](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/world/middleeast/iran-irgc-navy-strait-of-hormuz.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Ynet2026_5-0)** ["Swarm tactics in Hormuz: Iran's 'mosquito fleet' strikes as US releases dramatic tanker raid footage"](https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hyiys5ppzl). *[Ynetnews](/source/Ynetnews)*. 22 April 2026. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Telegraph2026_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Telegraph2026_6-1) MacFarquhar, Neil (18 April 2026). ["Why Iran's 'mosquito fleet' remains a potent threat in the Strait of Hormuz"](https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/why-irans-mosquito-fleet-remains-a-potent-threat-in-the-strait-of-hormuz/cid/2156725). *[The Telegraph (India)](/source/The_Telegraph_(India))*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["'Layered system of threats': How Iran's use of 'fast-attack ships' is choking Hormuz"](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/defence/international/layered-system-of-threats-how-irans-use-of-fast-attack-ships-is-choking-hormuz/articleshow/130482691.cms). *[The Times of India](/source/The_Times_of_India)*. 23 April 2026. v t e United States Navy squadrons 19th century Africa Squadron Brazil Squadron Chesapeake Bay Flotilla East India Squadron Home Squadron Mediterranean Squadron Mosquito Fleet New Orleans Squadron Pacific Squadron West Indies Squadron Civil War Atlantic Blockading Squadron East Gulf Blockading Squadron Mississippi River Squadron North Atlantic Blockading Squadron Potomac Flotilla South Atlantic Blockading Squadron West Gulf Blockading Squadron West India Squadron Post-Civil War Asiatic Squadron Bering Sea Squadron European Squadron Flying Squadron North Atlantic Squadron North Pacific Squadron Pacific Station South Atlantic Squadron South Pacific Squadron Special Service Squadron Squadron of Evolution --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mosquito Fleet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito_Fleet) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito_Fleet?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.