It was formed due to the need to suppress piracy in the Caribbean Sea, the Antilles and the Gulf of Mexico region of the Atlantic Ocean.

United States Navy ships had for years operated against piracy and the slave trade in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico but it was not until 1822 that a permanent squadron was formed.

However, on his cruise back to the United States he died of yellow fever at Trinidad, which led to failure of the agreement.

The first American vessels to serve against West Indies piracy were part of an unofficial squadron which became the founding warships of the prolonged operation.

On 22 December 1817, USS John Adams forced the pirate Luis Aury to evacuate his base at Amelia Island, Florida.

By 1820, conflict with the pirates and privateers started to increase: United States warships engaged in several naval actions that year, and a total of 27 American merchant ships were captured.

Between 1818 and 1821 the USS Enterprise captured 13 pirate and slave ships while serving with the New Orleans Squadron – later in the West Indies.

On 16 December 1821, the USS Porpoise, Lieutenant James Ramage commanding, was sailing off Cape San Antonio and found five enemy vessels, including the merchant brig Bolina.

In autumn of 1821, USS Spark, under Lieutenant John Elton, departed Boston and joined the list of vessels assigned to counter piracy.

Spark then returned to the Caribbean and remained on station for the next three years, by which time the official West Indies Squadron was formed.

Commanding Lieutenant Gregory suspected the ship to be a pirate so he approached to board but as the Grampus drew near, Palyrma opened fire and fought a brief 3½ minute battle.

At this time the usual procedure for dealing with captured pirates was turning them over to Spain because the United States didn't have the authority to imprison them.

Both governors denied Porter's request to allow American shore parties to land; at the time the United States government did permit the West Indies Squadron to do so, but only in remote areas.

On 2 November 1822, USRC Louisiana, along with USS Peacock and the Royal Navy schooner HMS Speedwell, captured five pirate vessels off Havana.

On 8 November 1822, Lieutenant Allen of USS Alligator was killed in battle, while leading an attack against three enemy schooners that were holding five merchantmen hostage.

The two British ships chased Captain Aragonez into Mata Harbor, Cuba, where boats were lowered and captured the vessel.

Due to fall-out over Lieutenant Allen's death, Secretary of the Navy Thompson authorized Commodore Porter to procure new vessels for the squadron.

Commodore Biddle also received new orders of conduct: he was now permitted to land shore parties in populated areas, as long as he informed the locals first.

USS Fox was sent to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in March 1823 to obtain a list of all legally commissioned privateers and a details of their instructions.

Later that day, Ferret commandeered a small vessel with a shallow draft and returned to where their boat was sunk, hoping to engage the pirates again, but bad weather stopped the operation.

The Americans withdrew to their ship and on the next morning they landed sailors and marines, who attacked and destroyed a makeshift fort.

USS Sea Gull, under the command of Ralph Voorhees, recaptured the merchant schooner Pacification from pirates on 30 March.

Throughout the history of the West Indies Squadron, tropical disease was common among the American warships which had to sail back to the United States when outbreaks occurred.

In October 1824, pirates raided Saint Thomas in the Danish Virgin Islands and returned to Fajardo with $5,000 worth of merchandise stolen from an American-owned business.

Platt landed men in Fajardo on 27 October 1824; in order to not alert the pirates the shore party wore civilian clothes, and as result they were arrested by the Spanish Army and charged with piracy.

The United States government was not pleased by Commodore Porter's actions; he was court martialed before resigning his commission.

U.S. Navy Lieutenant Isaac McKeever, in command, led an attack against a pirate schooner at the mouth of the Sagua la Grande River.

Famed pirate Roberto Cofresí was defeated on 5 March by the USS Grampus and two Spanish sloops off Boca del Infierno.

When the conflict with the Seminoles started in 1835, the United States Secretary of the Navy Mahlon Dickerson ordered the West Indies Squadron under Commodore A.J.

During the action, Army Major David Moniac was killed while the expedition attempted to cross a stream of unknown depth.