US NAVY HISTORY

The following Information will provide a partial Insight, as well as additional Information, regarding some of the US Navy Traditions that you may be exposed if your Son, or Daughter, selects Navy after their four years as a MID at the Yard.

BACKGROUND

The United States Navy (USN), also known as the US Department of the Navy, is headed by a Commandant who is a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Member.

During conflicts, the USN Mission is to conduct all Operations essential to the successful prosecution of any Naval Campaign.

WEB SITE is www.navy.mil

HISTORY

The History of the US Navy falls into 3 Major Divisions:

¨ CONTINENTAL NAVY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION ¨

The US Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established on 13 October 1775, authorized Continental Legislation to procure, outfit, and man 2 armed Ships to cruise in search of Munitions Ships that were supplying the British Army in America. All together, the Continental Navy numbered some 50 Ships, with approximately 20 Ships active at maximum strength. A few Cruisers and mostly Frigates and were under the Direction and Supervision of a Naval Committee that reported to the Continental Congress. Several States had their own Navy, and a variety of Privateers cruised the Seas. However, this Navy did capture some British shipping and temporarily caused alarm in British Waters.

The American Revolution Continental Navy left a Legacy of colorful Traditions, but its quality and performance were not very impressive. The most useful Operations of the American Revolution Continental Navy were in protecting Convoys and carrying Military Supplies to the Continental Army. Despite the valiant sea-faring efforts of John Paul Jones, most of the Navy Ships were captured or destroyed in the Maine Penobscot Expedition. In 1785, after the American War of Independence, Congress sold the Ships of Continental Navy and released Seamen and Officers. The Continental Navy, an isolated phenomenon, quickly disappeared when, Alliance, was sold

The US Constitution, which was ratified in 1789, gave Congress the power to provide and maintain a Navy. In 1794, acing upon this authority, Congress ordered the construction and manning of 6 Frigates, and the War Department administered all Naval Affairs from that year until Congress established the Department of the Navy on 30 April 1798.

¨ PERMANENT NAVY ¨

In 1785, the Barbary Pirates, after seizing several American Merchantmen, were primarily responsible for the beginning of a Permanent Navy. In 1789, the Secretary of War was made responsible for Navy, as well as Army Materials. With few Soldiers and no Ships, this unification was a natural. In 1794, to offset High Seas Threats, Congress voted to build Ships that were to be more powerful than any Ships of the British Royal and other Foreign Navies. During the next 17 Years, this Navy fought Barbary Pirates, the French, and finally, the British. In 1798, with the Navy expanding to confront French Hostilities, Congress established a separate Navy Department and Benjamin Stoddert of Maryland became the first Secretary of the Navy. The undeclared War with France, resulting from reckless abuse of American Shipping in the Caribbean and elsewhere, was a success. With the French Navy sadly demoralized by the French Revolution, the Caribbean became so safe for American Shipping, that the savings in Maritime Insurance were greater than the Cost of supporting the Navy.

In 1801, with the end of French Fighting, President Thomas Jefferson, who was not pro-Navy, was unable prevent the making of Navy Shore Establishments permanent. He was able to make drastic Reductions, cutting the Navy to only 6 Frigates on Active Service. The War of 1812 with the British again revised the Navy. However, it was overwhelmed and very few Navy Ships or Merchantmen were able to run the Maine to Georgia Blockade. The British, with their Land and Sea Command, were able roam at will, eventually burning Washington in August 1814. In 1805, the Barbary Pirates again prevented a serious post-War slump. Squadrons were sent to the Mediterranean to punish the Algerians, were successful and for almost another Century, the Navy maintained a Mediterranean Squadron. By 1840, several other Squadrons were established: East Indian; West Indies; South Atlantic; Pacific; and African, but the Mediterranean was the most important. Each Squadron consisted of several Ships under the command of a Commodore, although in actuality, Captain was the higher Rank! Under normal conditions, each Ship was on its own, showing the Flag in Ports and after 3 Years On-Station, returned to its Home Navy Yard, discharged its Crew, and sent its Officers on Leave. In 1841, the Maine-New Brunswick Boundary Dispute appeared to threaten another War with the British; therefore, the US set up a Home Squadron as protection against any British Attacks. Between 1838 and 1842, a Naval Expedition under Lieutenant Charles Wilkes advanced the knowledge of the Antarctic and the Pacific Oceans, producing numerous Charts, which were also still being utilized during WW II. In 1842, the Pacific Squadron prematurely seized California, but took it permanently during the Mexican War 4 Years later. In that same timeframe, the expanded Home Squadron, in cooperation with Land Forces, successfully attacked Vera Cruz. Most significantly, from 1853-1854, the expanded East Indian Squadron, under the command of Commodore (Com) Matthew Calbraith Perry, opened Japan to the World.

In 1842, the Department of the Navy assumed to be an Organization, which would be maintained with little change, until 1915. The Navy copied the majority of Functionality from the British, but failed to adopt the Admiralty Concept, an effective blend of Civilian Authority and Professional Experience. In 1815, after the end of the War of 1812, Congress formed the Board of Navy Commissioners, or the Navy Board, which consisted of the following distinguished Officers: Commodore Isaac Hull, Commodore John Rogers, and Commodore David Porter. However, these Officers were not in charge. Instead, they were tasked with handling Civil Matters: Shipbuilding, Repair, and Supply, while the Civilian Cabinet Member retained control of all At-Sea aspects. The chief criticism of the Navy Board was that its Members had joint Responsibilities and no one Individual was accountable when things went wrong.

Then Congress went to the opposite extreme and established 5 Bureaus modeled after the Army, each of which had full responsibility for specific Naval Operations. Thereafter, until the creation of the Chief of Naval Operations, in 1915, the Navy Department was comprised of highly compartmentalized Areas coordinated by the Secretary of the Navy, who was generally quite ignorant in Naval Matters. The Bureau System reflected the Division of Officers into Line and Staff. Line Officers were the fighting Officers and who were widely versed in Navigation, Ship Handling, Gunnery, Damage Control, and other Afloat Functions. Staff Officers, who were initially Civilians, came from Naval Instructors and Civil Engineers. Gradually, they developed into a Staff: Medical, Pay, Supply, Construction, Civil Engineering, and Chaplains and were given Status and Insignia equivalent to their associated Line Officers. In 1842, with the introduction of Steam, the Engineer Corps was created.

In 1845, the United States Naval Academy, the Yard, was established at Annapolis, MD, through the initiative of then Secretary of the Navy, George Bancroft. Previously, prospective Line Officers, while still youngsters, had gone to Sea as Midshipmen. In 1884, the US Naval War College was founded in Newport, RI. Gradually, the Naval Revolution transformed the Fleet and the Navy, from Wood and Sail to Steel and Steam. Steam came first, and the Navy had the distinction of building the first Steam Warship and was the first to utilize this Ship in Naval Operations.

The Civil War provided several challenging aspects for the Navy. The Naval Revolution was a time of rapid innovation and transition into Armor, Ordnance, Mines, and Submarines. The North and the South were continually experimenting with new Devices and Designs. The Navy grew from a few dozen Wooden Cruisers to a Force of over 800 Ships, including everything form Ironclads to Excursion Boats and Ferries. During the Civil War, the Navy’s most significant achievement was the Blockade of the South. Without it, the South could have shipped Cotton and other Goods to England and France and would have received Munitions to fight the War. Linked with the Blockade was the seizing of or closing of key Southern Seaports. In addition, Ironclads figured prominently for both the North and the South in Harbor Enforcing. Also, far from Salt Water, the Navy, in cooperation with the Army, played an active and useful role on the Mississippi and other Inland Rivers. An important outcome during the Civil War was that the Navy of the North was able to come and go as it pleased, while the South could not.

After the Civil War, the impressive strength of the Navy quickly disappeared as the Navy slumped into it Dark Ages. The Navy failed to keep pace with the Naval Revolution and actually slipped backwards, and the Western Expansion of the US did not help the cause. Also, Navy spending rose dramatically while trying to maintain obsolete, slow Ships armed with out-dated Weaponry. Searching Congressional Investigations also revealed widespread inefficiency and corruption, particularly in the politics-ridden Navy Yards.

¨ NEW NAVY ¨

During the 1880s, a new Navy gradually came into existence. In 1892, Congress ordered the Navy to cease major repairs on old Ships and to start procuring the newer Steel Ships, with the last of the Wooden Cruisers being retired in 1897. With the advent of Steel Ships, the Navy decided to utilize Domestic Armor Plate to build them. This decision provided a great stimulus for the fledging US Steel Industry. Ships were previously built in Navy Yards, and the Weapons purchased from Private Manufacturers. However, this situation was reversed when a Naval Gun Factory was established at the Washington Navy Yard, with Ships now being built in Private Shipyards.

In 1890, the Battleship appeared and acquired a prominent position in the Navy and has held that position for almost 50 Years. Prior to this, the Navy Fleet consisted primarily of Cruisers that were utilized for raiding and/or protection of Commerce. Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan emphasized that it was important to have a Capital Ship Battle Fleet to gain and keep Sea Control to prevent an Enemy from utilizing the Seas. In 1890, Congress ordered the building of Battleships. Building the Battleship, with its Heavy Guns and Armor, tended to reduce the need to build other Navy Ships. In 1898, the new Navy proved its worth in the Spanish-American War. Winning the Battle of Manila Bay resulted in the annexation of the Philippines, while the Battle of Santiago freed Cuba, as well as annex Puerto Rico. As a result, the Navy acquired a reputation much more enhanced than the Army and experienced a rapid expansion --- particularly after Theodore Roosevelt became President in 1911. With new Battleships being built yearly, the Navy was soon only second to the British Royal Navy until 1911 when the rapid growth of the German Navy relegated the Navy to 3rd Place. In late 1907, as a result of a Japanese Relations Crisis, President Roosevelt ordered the Fleet to cruise around the World. The Fleet returned to the US in early 1909.

For many years, the Navy had sought a more efficient organization to replace the Secretary-Bureau System, which made no provisions for Operational Planning and Control. Several attempts were made to re-organize, but none provided the appropriate functionality. Finally, in 1915, with the creation of Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), tangible advances were made, with more efficient organization of the Navy occurring in 1942.

Participation of the Navy in WW I was much less extensive than that of the Army, or its own Forces in the Civil War, as well as in WW II. The main WW I Navy Task was Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), involving tedious Patrols in the North Atlantic Sea Lanes to Europe to offset the German U-Boats as destroyers of Commerce. Unexpectedly, throughout WW I, Navy Casualties were amazingly low; and after WW I, the Navy, as well as the other World Navies, underwent a strenuous period of readjustment. Then, in 1916, Congress initiated the building of a Navy that was to be Second to None, primarily to offset the growth of the Japanese Navy. However, in 1919, this new Naval Program was suspended, and the involved Ships were sunk, or scrapped, as a result of the 1921-22 Washington Arms Conference. In 1934, this suspension was overcome when Carl Vinson, Chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee, persuaded Congress to pass the Authorization Acts to re-build the Navy.

A principal Naval Innovation between World Wars was the rapid development of Naval Aviation. From a modest start in 1911, it expanded considerably during WW I as a result of Air Patrolling. In 1921, a separate Bureau of Aeronautics was established. In 1922, it initiated the conversion of a Collier into the first Aircraft Carrier, as well as formulated Dive and Torpedo Bombing Techniques. As a result, Naval Aviation was ceded to be the Best in the World! WW II brought the Navy into its own. At the start of WW II, the Navy was virtually even with the British Royal Navy for 1st Place among World Navies. That is, it was larger than all of the other Navies combined with Battleships and Aircraft Carriers by the Dozen, Cruisers and Submarines by the Score, Destroyers and Escorts by the Hundreds, and Aircraft and Small Craft by the Thousands. For the Navy, WW II was also another period of rapid technological transitions, involving constant experimentation with new Devices and Equipment.

Among the Host of Wartime Innovations Afloat, these 3 were most important:

FIRST -- Battleships lost their time-honored preeminence with the development of the Fast Carrier Force. Aircraft Carriers, protected by Cruisers, Destroyers, and those Battleships, were capable of Speeds of approximately 33 Knots.

SECOND -- Logistical Development that made it possible to supply Ships with Ammunition, Fuel, and Supplies, allowing them to remain At-Sea without having to Return To Base (RTB) for re-supply.

THIRD -- Development of Amphibious Warfare Ships and Techniques for landing of Troops on Enemy Shores.

In WW I, the prime Navy Task was to conduct ASW Operations in the North Atlantic, in cooperation with the British Royal Navy. In WW II, this was only one of several assigned Navy Tasks. One Task was the landing of Troops on Enemy Shores, in cooperation with the British. The 1st of these Oversea Assaults occurred in North Africa in late 1942 and was followed by many more Amphibious Landings throughout the European Theater, including Normandy.

The most important Navy Task was the Recovery of the Pacific Area, through which the Japanese had rapidly spread after their attack on Pearl Harbor. In complying with this Directive, the Navy became involved in many major Encounters with the Japanese: Coral Sea, Midway, Solomons, Gilberts, Marshalls, and Marianas, to name a few. Many of the Pacific Assaults were made with Amphibious Forces, similar to those being conducted in European Waters, with USMC heavily involved in these Pacific Attacks. Meanwhile, American Submarines were handily crippling Japanese Shipping so that Oil and other essential Supplies were unable to reach the Japanese Homelands.

WW II precipitated some important changes in the Department of the Navy that aided the Wartime Role of the Navy. In mid-1940, Congress established the position of Undersecretary of Material Procurement in the Department of the Navy. Also, as an outcome of Pearl Harbor, the Navy revised a Condition that had existed since 1915, where CNO only had responsibility for Planning, Coordination, and Logistics, but NO real Authority over the Bureaus, or the Fleet. In 1941, the position of Commander In Chief (COMINCH) of the US Fleet was instituted with Headquarters in Washington, DC, not on some distant Flagship, to exercise more complete control of both Atlantic and Pacific Forces. In 1942, this position was combined with the CNO Position and designated COMINCH-CNO, giving the Holder more complete Authority than any previous Naval Officer. At the conclusion of WW II, this arrangement was combined into the single position of CNO.

Again after WW II, the inevitable sharp reduction of Forces occurred, including the Mothballing of a considerable portion of the Fleet into an Inactive Reserve. However, there were a few important developments that affected Navy Operations. With British economic difficulties impacting their Fleet effectiveness, the Navy took over a considerable portion of British Royal Navy responsibilities At-Sea, as well as Showing The Flag around the World.

In 1955, 2 Ships embodying radial new features joined the Fleet, ushering in a dramatic Transition in Naval Ships. The Submarine, Nautilus, was the first to utilize Nuclear Power as a Propulsion source, while the Cruiser, Boston, became the first Ship to substitute Guided Missiles for Conventional Guns. Thereafter, new developments kept appearing, with some combining both features onto 1 Ship, as on the Cruiser, Long Beach, the Super-Destroyer, Brainbridge, and the huge Aircraft Carrier, Enterprise. Another Development was the capability of Submarines to carry Ballistic Missiles of varying Ranges. If all Land-based Missile Installations were destroyed, these wide-cruising Submarines were capable of interdicting any and all Threats.

The National Security Act of 1947 unified the Armed Forces, changing the Navy Role of First In Defense. Congress then acted for total Integration, but the Korean War reinforced the Navy position of the need for Balanced Forces.

After the Viet Nam War, the Navy began to implement a re-design of its Forces. Older Ships were retired to limit the Fleet to fewer than 500 Ships. However, by 1977, the number of Ships joining the Fleet exceeded those being RETIRED!

NAVY YARD

A Navy Yard, or Naval Shipyard, is a Shore Establishment operated by the Navy and consists of Water Frontage, Machine Shops, Building Ways, Drydocks, Piers, Berthing Facilities, Offices, and Storehouses.

These Facilities are utilized to build and repair of War Ships, as well as for storage of Naval Supplies, Spare Parts, and Materials. In Great Britain, Navy Yards are Dock Yards, and in Latin Countries, Arsenals. Navy Yards came into existence during the American Revolution when the Continental Congress purchased selected Seaport Facilities to convert Merchant Ships into War Ships, as well as to keep these Ships in repair. In those last Years of the 18th Century, these Navy Yards were expanded to build Frigates when Hostilities with France were eminent. Thereafter, during the Wood and Sail Era, the majority of Navy Ships were built in Navy Yards.

With the advent of Iron and Steam, Private Shipyards began to construct Navy Ships, and from 1880 through 1905, all Navy Ships were Private Shipyard Products. At this time, the Navy Yard Mission was then to keep these Navy Ships in repair. As a result of this practice, the US Government revised its Shipbuilding Policy and assisted the development and stimulation of the Private Shipbuilding Industry by assigning them the majority of Navy Ship Construction. In 1898, to keep the Fleet in repair and because of the Spanish-American War, another Navy Yard Expansion occurred and also included Navy Yard Workers, which heightened Navy Yard importance. In 1916, with authorization of a new Naval Program and in 1917, US entrance into WW I, all Navy Yards received Shipbuilding Facilities, although not all were equipped to build larger Navy Ships.

For approximately 10 years after WW I, limited New Construction occurred due to the Naval Armament Limitation that was instituted as a result of the Washington Naval Conference. With expenditure curtailment, Civil Service Employees insisted that that all Navy Ships only be built in Navy Yards. As a result, in 1929, Congress passed a Law requiring that Navy Ships be equally built in Private and Public (Navy Yards) Shipyards. With the passing of this Law, further increases in Shipbuilding Facilities were required, and this was recognized as a National Asset when the 1940 Defense Program was empowered. This then, made it possible for Navy Yards to immediately undertake more important role in this Shipbuilding Program.

The enormous WW II Logistic Requirements made tremendous demands upon Navy Yards, necessitating still further expansion. During WW II, the largest Battleships and Aircraft Carriers were built by Navy Yards, and in 1945, the Navy Yard Name was changed to the current one of Naval Shipyard. In addition, major changes were instituted to Naval Shipyard Management. The Naval Shipyards now came under the guidance of Navy Department Bureaus that controlled their appropriate Naval Shipyard Operational segments, as well as the associated funding. This made it very difficult to hold any one Bureau responsible for efficient and economical Naval Shipyard Management. In 1945, a distinction was then drawn between Naval Shipyard Technical and Management Control, with Technical Control remaining under the cognizance of the appropriate Bureau.

However, Management Control over each Naval Shipyard and Shore Establishment was assigned exclusively to a single Bureau, Bureau of Ships (BuShips) and controlled all Congressional Appropriation Funding. A similar principle was utilized in assigning Management Control over all other Naval Shipyard Activities.

The Naval Officer detailed to command a Naval Shipyard is required to be technically trained in the building and repair of naval Ships and must have substantial experience in all Technical and Management Phases of Naval Shipyard Operations. This Officer has the title of Command, Naval Shipyard, and at larger Naval Shipyards, has the Rank of Rear Admiral. All Naval Shipyard Upper Management Positions are filled by Naval Officers who are Line Officers, detailed for Limited Duty Tours, and have Special Education and Training in Engineering; others are from the Civil Engineering and Supply Corps.

The Naval Shipyard Technical Specialists: Shop Masters, Scientists, Engineers, Draftsmen, Accountants, and so forth, are Civil Service Employees with permanent employment status. The Mechanical and Unskilled Employees are also Civilians; however, this Work Force fluctuates in size dependent upon the Naval Shipyard Work Loads. In the mid-1960s, the Secretary of the Navy instituted a new Fleet Activities Command, under the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), to control all Naval Shore Establishments and assigned each to a Naval District Commandant. At the same time, the 4 Material Bureaus (Naval Weapons, Ships, Supplies and Accounts, and Yards and Docks) were assigned to the Secretary of the Navy and consolidated into the Naval Sea Systems Command (NavSea).

National Opinion has always been divided regarding the wisdom of building Ships at Public Yards (Navy Shipyards). The Opposition has also always argued that, to continue to keep America in the forefront of Sea Power, the building of Navy Ships required a healthy and prosperous Private Shipbuilding enterprise. They continually cited higher Navy Yard costs due to the higher pay of Civil Service Employees, as well as the larger number of Holidays and Vacations (Leaves). However, there has never been any argument as to Navy Yard Quality. In fact Navy Yard-Built Ships have always enjoyed the reputation in the Fleet, that these Ships were superior to Private Shipyard-Built Ships.

NAVAL AVIATION

In 1898, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the Assistant Secretary of the Navy to conduct an evaluation of a primitive Flying Machine under construction by Professor Samuel P. Langley. In so doing, the President marked the Navy's first official interest in Aviation. Langley's Aerodrome never took flight, the honor instead went to the Wright Brothers, who on 17 December 1903, launched the Aviation Century over the windswept dune hills of Kitty Hawk, NC.

On the shores of Lake Keuka in Hammondsport, NY, Glenn H. Curtiss was designing Aircraft capable of operating on both Land and Sea. On 14 November 1910, in the hands of a daring young Civilian Pilot named Eugene Ely, one of Curtiss's Air Machines successfully took off from a makeshift Wooden Deck erected onboard the Cruiser, USS BIRMINGHAM (CL-2), in Hampton Roads, VA.

Two months later, on 18 January 1911, Ely successfully guided a Curtiss Pusher to a landing onboard the Armored Cruiser, USS PENNSYLVANIA (ACR-4), in San Francisco Bay, CA. A series of Ropes weighted down by Sandbags, helped to bring the Aircraft to a stop, achieving the first-ever Arrested Landing onboard a Navy Ship. Later that year, the Navy requisitioned 2 Aircraft from Curtiss, and the first Officer, Lieutenant Theodore G. Ellyson, received orders to report for Flight Training.

In 1914, the Navy established a permanent Home for their Naval Air Corps in a recently closed Navy Yard in Pensacola, FL. Later, with Aircraft operating from Canvas Tent Hangars erected along the shore of Pensacola Bay, Training Flights commenced. The Panhandle Town would come to be known as the Cradle of Naval Aviation, and to this day all prospective US Naval Aviators receive a portion of their Training there.

In April 1914, American Naval Aviators responded to the Vera Cruz Insurrection in Mexico and flew the first Combat Missions in American Military Aviation History. In April 1917, with the tales of Biplanes jousting over the Trenches of Europe filling Newspapers, many men aspired to win their Wings as Aviators to test their mettle in this new Warfare. In June 1917, Naval Air Personnel were the first US Military Forces to arrive Overseas, going ashore in France.

A handful of men logged Combat Missions with the Northern Bombing Group against Enemy Submarine Bases in Belgium, some flew against Austria from Italian Bases, and Lieutenant (jg) David S. Ingalls became the Navy's first Fighter Ace over the Western Front. However, most Naval Aviators spent the War flying Anti-Submarine Patrols from coastal Air Stations, with sightings of German U-Boats quite rare. In just 19 Months, Naval Air emerged as a sizeable Organization, growing from a handful of Personnel and Planes into more than 2,000 Pilots and 33,000 Support Personnel with 2,337 Aircraft, Dirigibles, and Kite Balloons.

WW I proved vital to Naval Aviation, as Naval Aviators gained invaluable experience under Wartime Conditions, both in Operations and Logistical Support of a burgeoning Military Force. In addition, experience was acquired working with Foreign Naval Forces, particularly with respect to Aircraft-carrying Ships that were operated by the British Royal Navy. As a result, Naval Aviation demonstrated the tremendous promise embodied in the Airplane.

In May 1919, the successful first Atlantic Air Crossing by a NC-4 Flying Boat marked the beginning of the most important Decade in Naval Air Development. In the months preceding the Transatlantic Flight, Atlantic Fleet Ships, for the first time, departed for Winter Training in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with a formal Aviation Detachment, including War Surplus Sopwith Camels, flying off a Wooden Deck erected on the Battleship, USS TEXAS (BB-35). In July 1919, Congress appropriated funds for the Conversion of the Collier, USS JUPITER (AC-3), into the Navy's first Aircraft Carrier; in 1922, the Ship was re-christened USS LANGLEY (CV-1).

Ashore, the Naval Aviation Office was under in the Bureau of Navigation in Washington, DC; and in July 1921, the Navy established a separate Bureau of Aeronautics, giving Naval Aviation a place in entrenched Bureaucracy. In 1921, the colorful and outspoken Air Power Advocate, Army Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell, led Bombing Attacks against captured and obsolete Battleships off the Virginia Coast. This Exercise was conducted to validate that Air Power, under the control of a unified Independent Air Force, was capable of replacing the Navy as the Nation's Traditional First Line Of Defense.

In 1925. President Calvin Coolidge convened the Morrow Board to establish US Military and Aviation Policy regarding conduct of the War and Navy Departments with regard to Aviation. Board findings preserved Naval Air and ended for a time, the Campaign to incorporate Naval Aviation into a unified Air Force. The Navy was still considered the first line of Offense and Naval Aviation, as the Advance Guard of this line, was integrated into the Fleet, to become one and inseparable Operation.

Now, Naval Aviation's Seagoing Force consisted of USS LANGLEY (CV-1), a handful of Seaplane Tenders, and Scout and Observation Airplanes deployed on Capital Ships. However, Sea-based Naval Aviation had yet to demonstrate any offensive prowess that would dispel the traditional tenet of the supremacy of the Battleship. This changed with the appointment of Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet. Finally, by increasing Aircraft Operations and drilling Pilots and Deck Crews incessantly in an effort to reduce the time that it took to launch and recover Aircraft, Naval Air demonstrated the offensive potential of the Aircraft Carrier. USS LANGLEY (CV-1), USS LEXINGTON (CV-2), and USS SARATOGA (CV-3), monstrous Aircraft Carriers displacing over 30,000 Tons with speeds in excess of 30 Knots, launched Simulated Attacks against Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal. The success of these Strikes marked the birth of the Carrier Task Force Concept utilized by Aircraft Carriers patrolling the Pacific during WW II.

Other Aviation Elements developed as well. Patrol Planes formed an important Element of Naval Air. Onboard Battleships and Cruisers, catapult-launched Bi-Planes provided Spotters for the Ship's Guns, and Rigid Airships were utilized as long-range Scouts. They also allowed for the operation of F9C Sparrowhawk Fighters by launching and recovering them, utilizing a Trapeze raised and lowered from an internal Hangar.

Within months of the beginning of WW II, the North Atlantic became the greatest Naval Battleground in History, and Naval Ships and Aircraft engaged in Neutrality Patrol Operations to guard our Nation's Atlantic Shores. Also, attention was focused West in the Pacific, since throughout the 1930s, Imperial Japan was expanding its influence in the Far East, by launching Military Actions into China and secretly fortifying Pacific Island Bases. WW II also marked Naval Aviation's ultimate Test: Proving Ground for Tactics and Doctrine. Naturally, the Platform upon which the Airplane went to sea, the Aircraft Carrier, figured prominently in Combat Operations. In 1942, 4 great Carrier Battles took place between the US and Imperial Japanese Navy Ships. The first occurred in the Coral Sea on 7-8 May, and was the first Naval Engagement in History in which Opposing Force Ships never came within sight of one another. The Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz Battles, fought off Guadalcanal in August and October, respectively, were bitter struggles, as well as vicious Air-To-Air Engagements, that broke the back of Japanese Naval Aviation.

Of all the great Sea Battles, 1 stands alone as the defining Moment of Naval Aviation's ascendancy: Midway, insignificant spit of sand and coral West of Hawaii represented a decisive Battleground on 3-6 June 1942. In an all-or-nothing Gamble, the Japanese Combined Fleet steamed across the Pacific in an effort to destroy once and for all, the US Pacific Fleet's surviving Aircraft Carrier Air Power. Against all odds, the Pacific Fleet assembled a motley assortment of Navy, Marine Corps, and Army Air Forces Aircraft on Midway. At the same time, Aircraft Carriers, USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6), USS HORNET (CV-8), and USS YORKTOWN (CV-5), were sent to intercept the Invaders in an Area, which was appropriately nicknamed Point Luck. Benefiting from the Intelligence Coup of the Breaking of the Japanese Naval Code, Pilots and Gunners pressed their Attacks, and in a stunning blow, sank 4 Japanese Aircraft Carriers in a matter of Hours, turning the Tide in the Pacific War. Victory did not come without Cost, however, particularly among the Aircraft Carrier-based Torpedo Plane Squadrons.

In August 1943, the new Essex Class Aircraft Carriers launched Strikes against Marcus Island, and over the course of the next 2 Years, these Fast Aircraft Carriers spearheaded the Pacific Offensive. When challenged by Japanese Aircraft Carriers at the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, F6F Hellcat Fighters shot down over 250 Attackers in a matter of a few Hours, giving the Engagement the lasting Nickname of the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. Aircraft Carrier-launched Fighters neutralized Enemy Air Power and cleared the way for landings at Saipan, Leyte, Okinawa, and numerous other Islands, while Bombers and Torpedo Planes helped render the Japanese Navy and Merchant Marine impotent.

Anti-Submarine Warfare was a Central Mission for Naval Aviation; and during WW II, it came of age in the struggle against Hitler's U-Boat Wolf Packs. Flying TBM Avenger Torpedo Bombers, Sub-Hunting Aircraft, PBY Catalina, or PV Ventura/Harpoon, Naval Aviators sent over 80 U-Boats to the Bottom during the Battle of the Atlantic. Lighter-Than-Aircraft were also used to great advantage to patrol for Enemy Submarines. Based in the US and Overseas, Blimps maintained a silent vigil over Convoys traversing the Atlantic, logging some 380,000 Flight Hours. In 1931, the Army and Navy had reached an agreement making Naval Aviation a Sea-based Force of Aircraft Carrier Aircraft, Floatplanes, and Flying Boats. But, War Requirements superceded this arrangement, and Navy and Marine Corps Squadrons began operating Liberator and Mitchell Bombers that were more familiar to Army Air Forces Crews. In the Atlantic, they logged Anti-Submarine Patrols, as well as operating from Island Bases to launching Single-Plane Raids against Land and Afloat Targets, often at Altitudes of just a few Hundred Feet.

Naval Aviation's War Combat Operations increasingly involved Night Flying. The first Air-To-Air Kill under the Stars came on 26 November 1943, when an USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6) TBF Avenger Crew blasted 2 Enemy Aircraft out of the Sky near the Gilbert Islands. The following Year, VT-10 employed the same Aircraft to attack Truk Island, sinking or beaching 13 Ships in the first Nocturnal Attack Mission from an Aircraft Carrier. The most unanticipated use of Night Aircraft proved to be the ad hoc Employment of lumbering PBY Catalina Flying Boats. Painted Black to mask them in a darkened Sky, these Radar-Equipped Aircraft were highly effective in bombing Japanese Shipping and Shore Installations, with over 70% of all Attack Sorties flown occurring under cover of Darkness.

In 1945 the Navy had emerged from the ashes of Pearl Harbor into the most powerful Fleet ever assembled, and to a large extent it was an Air Navy. More than in any other Conflict, Air Power played a decisive role in the prosecution of WW II, and sea-based Air Power proved important to final Victory. During WW II, Naval Aircraft logged 284,073 Combat Sorties, dropping 102,917 Tons of Ordnance, destroyed 9,291 Aircraft, and sunk 564 Ships sending a Total of 2,536,664 Tons to the Bottom. However, the Mushroom Clouds over Hiroshima and Nagasaki provided of 2 monumental struggles: Naval Air Power's relevance in the Atomic Age, and a Cold War marked by limited Conflicts calling to Arms under trying circumstances. Reminiscent of the Interservice Controversy during the 1920s, a bitter debate over Armed Forces Roles and Missions dominated the immediate post-WW II Years.

At issue was their unification under a centralized Department of Defense, the creation of an independent Air Force, and that the Atomic Bomb rendered Aircraft Carrier Air Power obsolete. The result was a virtual Internal War waged in the Press and in Congress. Before it was over, construction of the Navy's first Supercarrier, USS UNITED STATES (CVA-58), was cancelled, and CNO sacrificed his Career in supporting the Revolt of the Admirals. In March 1950, a Congressional Report stated that Strategic Bombing was not the essence of Air Power, but only 1 vital Portion. The wisdom of this Opinion was revealed 2 Months later when North Korean Troops stormed across the 38th Parallel into South Korea.

Naval Aviation entered the Korea War as a Transition Force. Without a Supercarrier, Aircraft were launched from WW II-era Aircraft Carriers, and Pilots flew not against an Enemy Fleet At-Sea, but to project Power Ashore. The dawning of the Jet Age introduced a new chapter in Air Warfare. Flying F9F Panthers and F3D Skyknights, as well as F-86 and F-84 Fighters during Exchange Tours with the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps Jet Pilots were credited with 37.5 of the 52 Air-To-Air Kills recorded by Naval Aviators. Yet Naval Aviation continued to rely extensively on Propeller-Driven Aircraft. For Infantrymen and Marines, blue-painted F4U Corsairs and AD Skyraiders roaring in at Low Altitudes to deliver Close Air Support were a welcome sight. Whether Jet or Prop, Naval Aviation continued to rule the Night, building upon the advances in Nocturnal Operations begun in WW II by knocking down North Korean Snoopers and protecting Air Force B-29s during Strategic Bombing Raids above the 38th Parallel. Flying Boats flew Long-Range Patrols throughout the War, but the Air-Sea Rescue Duties were largely shifted to Helicopters. The intrepid Crews of slow and lumbering HO-3S Helicopters repeatedly braved adverse Weather Conditions and Hostile Ground Fire to rescue downed Airmen over Enemy Territory.

With President Harry S. Truman desegregation of the Armed Forces, Black Airmen and Aviators began serving alongside their White Counterparts during the Korean War. All told, Naval Aviators logged 346,487 Flights during the Korean War, dropping some 195,000 Tons of Ordnance and losing 559 Aircraft to Enemy Ground Fire and 4 to Enemy Aircraft. They demonstrated that Naval Air Power was indeed relevant in the Atomic Age.

Naval Aviation experienced a 2nd Golden Age following the Korean War. In 1955, the Navy's first Supercarrier, USS FORRESTAL (CVA-59), was placed in Commission, providing an added degree of flexibility to Aircraft Carrier Aviation that increased with the Commissioning of USS ENTERPRISE (CVAN-65), the World's first Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier, in 1962. The Korean War Fighters, at best, achieved speeds of less than 600 MPH, but 3 Years after the War, the Navy was conducting Test Flights on the F8U (F-8) Crusader, which became the first Fighter Aircraft in History capable of flying over 1,000 MPH in Level Flight. Other Aircraft supported 2 fundamental elements of Naval Air Power's Role in National Defense: Nuclear Weapons Delivery and Anti-Submarine Warfare. In 1955 the Navy commissioned its first Heavy Attack Squadrons, and the A-3D (A-3) Skywarrior and subsequent A-5 Vigilante Aircraft joined with the Supercarrier to form Naval Aviation's Atomic Punch.

To prevent potential Task Force Attacks by Soviet Bombers, the Navy procured the F-4 Phantom II, a High-Altitude Interceptor equipped with Sparrow Missiles that could hit Targets Head-On at Extended Ranges. However, it was in the traditional realm of hunting Enemy Submarines in the World's Oceans that Patrol Aviation made its greatest contributions: P-2V Neptunes and P-3 Orions joined Anti-Submarine Helicopters in countering an Enemy's Underwater Threat. Selected Essex Class Aircraft Carriers were designated Anti-Submarine Aircraft Carriers and formed Task Groups hunting Submarines, a modernized version of the Escort Aircraft Carrier Hunter-Killer Groups of WW II.

As the Navy Blue Water Capability grew, Naval Aviation was on call, and Naval Aircraft flew Top Secret Intelligence Missions along the Soviet Border. In addition, Naval Aviation provided support for the Marine landing in Lebanon in 1956, patrolled the troubled waters between Taiwan and mainland China, and assisted in Photoreconnaissance and Blockade Operations during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. In 1964, Navy and Marine Corps RF-8A Crusader Aircraft began flying Surveillance Missions over Laos, and to the east, was the divided country of Vietnam, nominally Democratic in the South and Communist in the North. On 5 August 1964, Navy Aircraft Carrier Aircraft launched Air Strikes in response to North Vietnamese Attacks against Destroyers operating in the Gulf of Tonkin. Vietnam was a most peculiar war. Its prosecution was governed more by Political Considerations than those on the Battlefield. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the Air War over North Vietnam, where periodic Bombing Halts and Restrictive Rules of Engagement hampered the application of Air Power and adversely affected the morale of the men who flew into Harm's Way. President Richard Nixon ordered Operation Linebacker, and over the course of the War, 20 Aircraft Carriers made 87 Combat Deployments to the waters off Vietnam, and Sailors soon labeled the Ships on-station as the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club.

With Soviet Combat Supplies, North Vietnam developed a sophisticated and deadly Aerial Defense System into which Naval Aviators flew virtually around the clock. A total of 711 Navy and Marine Corps Aircraft fell to Enemy Fire. Though Enemy Aircraft proved no threat to the Aircraft Carrier Task Forces, Operational Accidents resulted in the deaths of 205 men. Naval Aviators shot down 61 Enemy Aircraft. The diminutive A-4 Skyhawk proved to be the War Workhorse, joined by the A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair II. Perhaps the most dramatic Air Operations involved Helicopter Crews, who braved heavy Enemy Fire in slow, lightly protected Aircraft to execute rescue attempts deep in Enemy Territory, both Day and Night. Naval Aviation also contributed significantly in the South. The establishment of Helicopter Attack Squadrons, flying UH-1 Helicopters, Hueys, procured from the Army, the Seawolves supported the Navy's Riverine Operations, providing Close Air Support for armed Patrol Boats operating in the Mekong Delta. Similarly, Modified OP-2E Neptune Maritime Patrol Planes were utilized, dropping sensors to monitor Traffic on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Other Patrol Aircraft flew up and down the coastline, providing surveillance of Ships attempting to supply Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army Forces by Sea.

Like all US Military Branches, the Navy emerged scarred from the Decade-long Involvement in Vietnam. The tumultuous social upheavals of the Era affected the Naval Air in the form of racial unrest onboard Aircraft Carriers At Sea and relaxed standards of Discipline to keep pace with changing times. Funding for Personnel and Hardware dropped dramatically, and a distinct Schism existed between the population of a Nation tired of War and a Military tasked with defending it. A noteworthy Change was the introduction of Women to the Naval Aviator Ranks and Naval Flight. In 1993 the Defense Department lifted the restriction on Women flying Combat Missions, and in December 1998, Women Aviators were among the Aircrews launching from USS ENTERPRISE (CVAN-65) to attack Targets in Iraq during Operation Desert Fox.

The post-Vietnam Era also brought a changing of the Guard with respect to Ships and Aircraft. The last Essex Class Aircraft Carriers were decommissioned, and the Nuclear-Powered USS NIMITZ (CVN-68), and Sister Ships, began joining the Fleet. F-14 Tomcat, replaced the venerable F-4 Phantom II, the Southeast Asia Workhorse. In August 1981, 2 Tomcats shot down 2 Libyan Su-22 Fitter Jets that attacked them during Exercises in the Gulf of Sidra.

This act defied Libyan Strongman Muammar Qaddafi's Proclamation of a Line of Death, and began a Decade in which Naval Aviation's Quick-Strike Capability represented American interests abroad.

In addition to regional crises, the 1980s marked the Age of the so-called Evil Empire, the term President Reagan coined to describe the Soviet Union. The growth of the Soviet Navy, including a proliferation of Nuclear Submarines and the introduction of Aircraft Carriers, prompted the administration to re-emphasize a Blue Water Force capable of Combating the Soviets in the high seas. A 600 Ship Force was created, including 15 Aircraft Carriers. Given the Undersea Menace, Navy Anti-Submarine Capability became increasingly important. P-3 Orion Long-Range Patrol Aircraft, Aircraft Carrier-based S-3 Vikings, and SH-3 and SH-60 Helicopters based on Aircraft Carriers, Cruisers, Frigates, and Destroyers engaged in Nautical Cat and Mouse Games of throughout the Decade.

In August 1990, Iraqi Tanks and Infantry conquered Kuwait and threatened Saudi Arabia. Within days, USS INDEPENDENCE (CV-62) steamed into the Arabian Gulf and USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN-69) was on-station in the Red Sea, their Air Wings representing significant American Air Power in the region if Sadaam Hussein ordered his Army further South. Over the next 5 Months, an American-led Coalition assembled the largest collection of Military Forces since WW II. Deployed to this Theater were 6 Aircraft Carriers, their Air Wings augmented by 59 Squadrons and Detachments based in Saudi Arabia within range of Kuwait. On 16 January 1991, hundreds of Coalition Aircraft commenced Operation Desert Storm. MH-53E Sea Dragons from Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadrons helped clear Mines around the Arabian Peninsula while Aircraft Carrier-based Aircraft, supported by P-3 Orion Patrol Planes, obliterated the Iraqi Navy. Whether flying through Pyrotechnic Anti-Aircraft Fire or destroying Armor to clear the way for Ground Forces, Naval Aviation played an important role in the Desert Victory.

Unfortunately, the Tailhook Scandal quickly overshadowed the Operation Desert Storm Triumph. Alleged misconduct by a small Officers Group at the 1991 Tailhook Convention, reverberated throughout the entire Service, forcing the resignation of the Secretary of the Navy and adversely affecting the Careers of scores of other Officers.

This Scandal, combined with the Force Reductions prompted by the end of the Cold War, tested the mettle of the Naval Air Crews, who found themselves continually on call around the World.

Even after the Victory in the Gulf War, Navy and Marine Aircraft continued to patrol the No-Fly Zone over Southern Iraq; and in 1993, Aircrews began manning up to fly over the former Yugoslavia, an Area wracked by political unrest. Over the course of the ensuing 7 Years, names like Bosnia and Kosovo became quite familiar to them. Naval Air Power executed Missions ranging from Humanitarian Relief to engaging in Sustained Bombing Campaigns as part of Operation Allied Force in March-June 1999.

For the US, a Maritime Nation surrounded by Oceans on 2 Sides, it is Naval Forces that secure freedom of the Seas. Since the end of WW II, Naval Aviation has been the Force Centerpiece, embodied in the might of the Aircraft Carrier, a veritable Symbol of American Might Abroad. Fittingly, one of these Ships is named USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN-73). A far cry from the Wooden Sailing Ships, however, she and her Sister Ships nevertheless represent the decisive Naval Superiority of the U S Navy.

Each time an Aircraft flies off an Aircraft Carrier, it represents the continuation of the Golden Journey that had begun in 1910.

EMBLEM / SEAL

The Department Of The Navy Emblem consists of a circular background of fair Sky and moderate Sea with Land in a sinister Base, a 3-Masted Square-Rigged Ship underway before a fair breeze with After Topsail furled, a Commission Pennant atop the Foremast, a National Ensign atop the Main, and the Commodore's Flag atop the Mizzen. In front of the Ship is a Luce-type Anchor inclined slightly bendwise with the Crown resting on the Land. In front of the Shank and in back of the Dexter Fluke, is an American Bald Eagle rising to sinister regarding to Dexter, one Foot on the Ground, the other Foot resting on the Anchor, near the Shank; all in proper Colors. The whole is within a Blue Annulet bearing the Inscription: DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY at the top and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA at the bottom, separated on each side by a Mullet and within a Rim in the form of a Rope. Inscription, Rope, Mullet, and Annulet edges, all Gold in Color.

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY EMBLEM is illustrated on the Left, and the US NAVY SEAL is illustrated on the Right.

The US NAVY SEAL was adopted in 1957.

ANCHORS AWEIGH

In 1906, MIDN 1/C Alfred Hart Miles approached Bandmaster, Lieutenant Zimmerman with a request for a new March. As a member of the Class of 1907, Miles and his Classmates were eager to have a piece of Music that would be inspiring. A Song with a swing to it, so that it could be used as a Football Marching Song. One that would live forever!

As a result, Anchors Aweigh was written by Bandmaster, Lieutenant Zimmerman and became the Official US Navy Marching Song, with BLUE and GOLD being the Official Colors.