Ranger (CVA 61) - Naval Cruise Book

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Zflzc cw Navy . . . . . . ll rcflcctian of the Old I .fd-af if no The the md leir hey .nd ved to ese len the l2'i people were an unknown ocean. Men dared not venture far from the coastline of their homeland while on the sea. Even when man had progressed in the design and perfection of more capable sailing craft and marine instruments, he still remained afraid of extended sea travel over the wide expanses of ocean. The deep, dark, unknown waters allowed man to create in his imagination outlandish legends of sea serpents, forbidden lands, and rumors that the earth was flat. Whatever the reason for those first seafarers quest for the sea . . . whether .r-orf trade, pleasure, or exploration 'fhsvi soon discovered protection was The first seafaring skeptical and afraid of i Qfieeded to combatthe dangers of the sea. ,ns ,FJ A, , . . as ,,f T . V K A , M .gt fr Ein early sailors were not battling the .Qaturff elements, they had to constantly Stay alert for the appearance of sea going i'.., ',gE?eda,ors. E 'ie Wealth associated with ei - -..nie provided an .open invitation for Mig :fiejn The 12ii'.-ggffqessels often sailed giwgitilg-Qvgyi',g.'og7vfL,1nHcbaistline. This practice ' gig. formany years and merchant ,vid Vessels were forced to take longer routes V. 1 l dfgfgyirate ships. gi-fffff'-ifhcseveparly sea scavengers were Q fea..-ir: enough for the formation of the I I I iirst navies. lviany port communities set aside special ships manned by soldiers assigned to sea duty fmarinesl. These ships were given the task of protecting the community's commercial ships, both in and out of port. In time these special ships were specifically designed as . X X X1 r Q Z1 xr X is iid B a1--,J Q iii 5 XX X3 N ? My N tl! ,XX fighting craft with the aid of marine architects. The better fitted vessels were able to more easily fulfill their function of sea protection. As more nations started to use the sea for commercial interests, and the need for sea protection became evident for all seafaring countries, a long history of sea power began. Aside from the protection of their own shipping, newly established navies were given the job of attacking enemy shipping even when conflicts between nations stemmed from other causes than the use of sea lanes. Because the sea was vital as a means of communication, a nation would have a difficult time winning any conflict without access to it. A country's sea power was measured in terms of its ability to use the sea without fear of intervention by other nations. A well-fitted navy could deny the enemy the use of the sea for communications. Additionally, with control of the sea, that nation could carry the offensive across the sea to the enemy. Qur own United States Navy was established ten years after the American Revolution, in 1794. Prior to the Revolution, American merchantmen had been competitive in British shipbuilding and as major shipping carriers for the British Empire. However, after the Revolution, our young nation found itself hard pressed for trade alliances since Britain barred her from British and West Indies trade

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' 2 iff si 1'- S-.. F5 FX? JW V J ,ff ff l K . T X X a Z A fr? K my N ' KN f rye, 'i 'VT 'f1-- A As far back in time as when man first looked upon the sea as a sort of highway instead of a barrier, that is when the experience began. A sea drama still alive and teeming with the spirit, excitement, fear, and apprehension that the first seafarer had when he first set a course on unexplored waters. Sea use is not a recent discovery. Ocean travel dates back as early as Egypt in 4,000 B.C. when it is estimated that the first sea vessel may have been constructed. Early forms of sailing were as primitive and simple as having reeds latched together in the l 3 X X ff X 1 Z ' X -:fda-:f f i S 51- xi EGYPTIAN PAPYRU DHOW C 3500 BC .A ,f K -Z' X v W S'-,Y I ::.f f ff l I' i I 'ali ' , lim - ' f 'e'.' X I A X I c FS if ix.: , I X is! Xxx' s- x X fb .eh - N, - ' . 'I 1 ?ff - Q ,4..- K . ',..- V v 1 f - , Xxx... -fe e-,.- iffge, f X , Q csgx Q, giqzrffi' 7 -1,12 K! ' x X si fx ' ' f 'Tlf ,. -. ,df xr :sf : F--' 1. ,U f N- NQ-- ,,f.3e1-:q,f ,',-- , , - 1 , X K ij: : . ' a r, 'N' L-1. V -i . ,,.... 'i N 1 of ' . 4 . i ' .X l.S - ,, I ff' W Q-Sf: fff -efx fx S fffff form of a raft. As years passed, there were no remarkable improvements in the contruction of sea vessels up to the advent of the seafaring Grecian and Phoenician dynasties. Combining their scienctific knowledge with what they knew of the sea, the Greeks and Phoenicians experimented and improved upon the earlier modes of sea travel to produce more capable sea craft. These newer, more tightly constructed wooden vessels were more able to survive the powerful currents, storms and other forces of the sea. ' ' 'ht ,N. f 1,- ':-' fl by, ,I X. ,' ' 4 VA 1 'Z

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do - - 1 A '., 'I iq., -.i,SX:9V a , , , . ai A uf, 1 , , ,v -4- -a ,. , :. -:- V el N -ir ?, N in , ' ' .zz-inn A.. '15 f ef: I K 32 A, -,fi-f! .-,,,.,,,...,.--'- routes Without protection under the Bfltlfll flag U S merchants found thernselves at the mercy of the Barbary pirates from the North African coast when ventured into or near the Mediterran an area The corsairs began to take their toll of American trade ships and the humiliation of these captures provided ' good argument for the formation of a permanent American Navy The final outbreak of war between Britain and France and the operations of each to curtail American trade with the other provided the final catalyst to effect the establishment of our Navy Having been established as a protective force for an expanding American maritime trade, the young United States Navy was immediately morally economically and politically opposed Some thought a Navy to be too costly while others opposed its function on the assumption that it would cause great harm by bringing about costly foreign wars Its continued existence can be attributed toearly sea victories and the popular acclaim won by individual officers who became national , g ' ' I O. fs' L1 -- 1 Si' J xx 5 . ia . x w X X:1T7f X 1 cs Nix X X l 'lil - ,-X Y ,Y V ,,,.,--- X..,-,, 'Z' --'7 . -f' 'if5 M 7 'X ,Z fe ag K Y - 2 If X' ,f. -4-jf ...,,..-lf Q-D-Zga.,-,,--f-fn --1--'fx X G- ,R-,, ,,,-1 f' -.--e- ' 'S+ 3iigg xv.,,,-,,-.f-? '1' ,i-,Qi-X xx xn- x vw , f p '