the bureaus of the Navy Department, but that defect has been remedied since World War II. By November 1917, in World War I, 50 American destroyers were at work with the British Navy in the antisubmarine campaign. By 1918 the strength of U.S. naval forces in European waters had grown to 5 battleships, 95 destroyers, and many other ships, patrol craft, aircraft, and submarines. By the middle of 1918, 70,000 mines had been laid across the entrance to the North Sea, 80 percent of them by vessels of the U.S. Navy. During the war a total of over 2,000,000 soldiers were moved across the Atlantic in British or American transports, convoyed largely by American warships. Not one man was lost in the outward crossings due to enemy action. After World War I, the shore establishment (see below) was improved by an extension of the naval districts from seacoast strips into areas covering among them the entire United States and outlying possessions. Also naval aviation was effectively integrated into the Naval Establishment. The aircraft carrier emerged as a cardinal element of a modern fleet. A Bureau of Aeronautics was established in 1921. In accordance with the Washington Treaty of 1922, the Navy scrapped, sank, or demilitarized nearly 2,000,000 tons of vessels, including 31 capital ships. Considerable construction was authorized by the Vincent-Trammell Act of 1934. In 1938, following Japan's denunciation of the Washington and London Treaties, Congress authorized a further 20% increase in naval strength. On 7 December 1941 ("Pearl Harbor Day") we had in service 216 major combat surface craft, of which about onethird were based on Pearl Harbor. The brilliantly executed Japanese air attack sank or badly damaged 17 of these, including 8 battleships, thereby giving Japan temporary naval superiority in the Pacific. The Navy recovered promptly from this disaster. A two-ocean fleet came into being, and tactics and armament were modified to meet the new conditions of sea warfare imposed by air power. The decisive battle of Midway, in June of 1942, turned the tide. Naval and Marine amphibious forces, and Army units convoyed and protected by the Navy, "island-hopped" across the Pacific to their final landing in the Philippines. The naval construction battalions ("Seebees") did a remarkable job in building airfields and other military installations during the advance. In a series of campaigns in the western Pacific, the Japanese Navy was destroyed as an effective fighting force. In the Atlantic, meanwhile, hunter-killer naval forces gradually eliminated the German U-boat menace. The Navy kept the sea lanes open for the shipment of our armies to Europe and Africa, and its amphibious forces made possible the invasions of North Africa, Italy, and France. By the time that Japan declared its surrender on board the battleship Missouri on 2 September 1945, the personnel of the Navy, including Marines, had increased from 280,000 (in 1941) to about 4,000,000. When the Korean War broke out, the Navy went into action at once. It maintained complete mastery of the sea throughout the conflict. Navy gunfire and aviation played an important part in damaging enemy land communications. Naval craft cooperated in the Inchon landing, which resulted in the North Korean army being knocked out of the war, and would have ended the affair except for the intervention of Red China. When the Chinese forces drove south, the Navy covered and protected the evacuation of some 200,000 troops and refugees, 17,500 vehicles, and 350,000 tons of cargo, without the loss of a single man due to enemy action. In World War I our naval losses were not great. One battleship and one heavy cruiser were mine casualties, although both succeeded in making port; and 46 other craft, mostly small, were sunk. In World War II, however, the Navy paid a heavy toll. At various times we lost 2 battleships,1 5 heavy aircraft carriers, 6 escort carriers, 7 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers, 71 destroyers, 11 destroyer escort vessels, 52 submarines, and 538 of other categories, a total of 695 naval vessels. Personnel losses, including Marines, were 89,554 dead and 104,985 wounded. 1 Permanent casualties at Pearl Harbor: the other battleships damaged there were restored to service THE ARMY ALMANAC THE NAVY TODAY. Geographically as well as organizationally, the Navy consists of three separate but mutually supporting parts: The Navy Department, the operating forces, and the shore establishment. NAVY DEPARTMENT. The Navy Department is the home office of the Naval Establishment, from which stem the overall policies, administrative command, and logistic direction to the operating forces and the shore establishment. At its head, and having the immediate supervision and direction of the entire Naval Establishment, is the Secretary of the Navy. In the performance of his duty he delegates parts of his authority to naval and civilian assistants. Under the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958 (PL 85-599) a Service Secretary no longer functions as Executive Agent for a unified or specified command. The commander of a joint or a specified command reports directly to the Secretary of Defense through the Joint Chiefs of Staff. OPERATING FORCES. The legal framework of the present Navy consists of seven laws enacted between 1940 and 1951. These called for the construction of new ships; the last, a bill passed on 11 March 1951, providing for 173 new warships and other vessels suitable for modern atomic warfare. They include not only supercarriers of the Forrestal type but atomic powered warships of all classes, many designed as guided missile ships. The operating forces are organized into two main fleets (the Pacific Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet) and also into various forces, such as the U.S. Naval Forces, Western Pacific, and the U.S. Naval Forces, Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. The Atlantic Command and the Pacific Command are each Joint Commands operating under the Secretary of Defense through the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Nomenclature of Naval Vessels and Craft. The following is a partial list of types of Navy vessels today, and of their standard abbreviations. Battleships Landing craft: Flotilla Flagships .LC(FF) Infantry (Gunboat) .LCI(G) Infantry (Large) .LCI(L) Infantry (Mortar) .LCI(M) Infantry (Rocket) LCI(R) Support (Large) (Mk. III) .LCS(L)(3) floating equipment) District Craft, (including service craft and Landing Craft, Tank (Mk. V) ..LCT(5) Motor Torpedo Boats House Boats Fuel Oil Barges (self-propelled) .LCT(6) .PT YHB YO YOS YS YD YDG YDT .YM Ferryboats and Launches YFB Yard Floating Docks YFD Car Floats YCF Covered Lighters (self-propelled) YF Patrol Vessels Heavy YP CA Floating Pile Drivers Large YPD ..CB Light Salvage Pontoons YSP ..CL Heavy, Guided Missile Harbor Tugs, Big YTB .OAG Floating Workshops YR Guided Missile Cruisers BB Strength of the Navy. At the present time the Navy has a total, in round numbers, of some 4,500 ships. Of the ships other than service craft, about 900 are in active service and the remainder are in the Reserve Fleet. It is significant to note that there are no battleships and no battle cruisers in active service. The Navy is presently emphasizing the importance of submarines, carriers, and ships of other types which are now in the construction and conversion stages. About 117 ships are to be constructed and 22 are to be converted by 1961. The Navy presently has 5 nuclearpowered submarines in commission and 14 more in the construction or authorization stages. The present construction program includes 20 new ships, 13 of which will be armed with guided missiles (7 frigates, 5 destroyers, and 1 submarine). Six will be nuclear-powered (1 guided missile frigate and 5 submarines). An auxiliary and 2 amphibious assault ships complete the current procurement plan. The conversion program includes 6 light cruisers being fitted with guided missiles, 2 carriers being modernized, 4 auxiliaries being readied for ocean station radar duties, 3 LSD's being converted to seaplane tenders, and 1 Mariner hull being converted to an attack transport. Naming of Vessels. The following system has been adopted for naming Naval vessels Battleships: States of the Union. Cruisers, large: territories or insular pos- Destroyers: deceased persons who were (1) Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard killed in action in World War II. Landing ships: places of historic interest. Submarines: names of fish or other sea animals. Similar rules apply to the naming of other types of vessels. SHORE ESTABLISHMENT. The shore establishment is that part of the Navy which supports the operating forces from land. Geographically it is organized into 14 Naval Districts under the Chief of Naval Operations. District commanders exercise direct military command over naval bases and naval air bases in their districts. Naval Districts. The headquarters of the Naval Districts are located as follows First: 495 Sumner St., Boston 10, Mass. Fifth: Naval Station, Norfolk 11, Va. Ninth: Administrative Bldg., Naval Training Twelfth: Federal Bldg., San Francisco 2, Cal. States Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, T. H. The Second, Seventh, and Sixteenth Naval Districts were formerly located at Newport, R.I., Jacksonville, Fla., and Cavite, P.I. respectively. They have been discontinued as separate entities. Air Training. The Air Training Command at Pensacola, under the Chief of Naval Operations, trains naval and marine air personnel. Four commands assist: Air Advanced Training Command. Corpus Christi, Tex.; Air Basic Training Command, Pensacola, Fla.; Air Reserve Training Command, Glenview, Ill.; and Air Technical Training Command, Memphis, Tenn. About 45 air stations and training units assist. Officer Training. The United States Naval Academy occupies some 235 acres along the west bank of the Severn River at Annapolis, Md., with a present enrollment of 3,300 midshipmen. The students have the rank of midshipman in the United States Navy, and are granted the degree of bachelor of science upon graduation. Graduates are commissioned as ensigns in the Navy or, in limited numbers, as second lieutenants in the Marine Corps. The Naval Academy has the following mission: "Through study and practical instruction to provide the midshipmen Data for Navy strength has largely been taken from the magazine, ALL HANDS, August 1958. with a basic education and knowledge of the naval profession; to develop them morally, mentally, and physically; and by precept and example to indoctrinate them with the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty in order that the Naval Service may be provided with graduates who are capable junior officers in whom has been developed the capacity and foundation for future development in mind and character leading toward a readiness to assume the highest responsibilities of citizenship and Government." Public Law 729, Seventy-ninth Congress, authorized a Naval Reserve Officer's Training Corps program of 15,400 students, of which a maximum of 14,000 can be regular students, the others being contract students. The regular students are furnished uniforms, books, fees, and tuition plus retainer pay at the rate of $600 per year. Upon satisfactory completion of all work, they are commissioned ensign, U.S. Navy, and go on active duty. The contract students are furnished uniforms, and in the last two years of college receive one commuted ration per day. Upon satisfactory completion of all work they are commissioned ensigns, U.S. Naval Reserve. MARINE was THE UNITED STATES CORPS. For the duties of the Marine Corps, see above. The Corps founded on 15 November 1775, and saw its first combat service in the assault and capture of New Providence Island in the Bahamas on 2 March 1776-the first of over 300 landings made by Marines. It has taken part in all wars and expeditions with the Navy, and has fought beside Army troops in numerous battles in the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, both World Wars, and others. The Corps is headed by a Commandant, who is directly under the Secretary of the Navy. Functionally it may be considered as having three parts, as follows Logistic and Training Establishments. They include the Marine Corps Schools at Quantico (Va.); recruit depots at Parris Island (S.C.) and San Diego; numerous stations which serve as bases for Marine air and ground units; and depots, the most important being at Philadelphia, Norfolk, and San Francisco. Security Forces. The Corps maintains ships' detachments on all major combatant vessels, and barracks detachments at most of the important shore-based Navy activities, in fulfillment of its secondary mission to provide security forces for the Navy. The Fleet Marine Force (FMF). This is a balanced force of the combined arms, including divisional and nondivisional troops and Marine Corps Aviation, for service under the Commandersin-Chief of the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. It represents about half the total strength of the Corps. Traditionally, a small percentage of Marine officers have been selected from Naval Academy graduates. Other sources of officers are qualified noncommissioned officers from the ranks, selected graduates of civilian universities, Reserve Officer candidates, and former aviation cadets. Enlisted men are normally procured by voluntary enlistment, although in wartime some have been provided by selective service. PERSONNEL STRENGTH. The accompanying table gives the strengths of the Navy and Marine Corps for certain years. The figures are for 30 June of each year, excepting the Navy figures for 1800, for which the exact date is not known. Navy officer figures from 1945 include nurses; Navy enlisted figures from 1900 include officer candidates. Navy figures for 1940-1945 inclusive do not include Coast Guard personnel serving with the Navy. SECRETARIES OF THE NAVY. The following have served 18 Jun 1798-31 Mar 1801 11 Mar 1845-9 Sep 1846 |