Naval Training Center - Rudder Yearbook (Orlando, FL)

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The next 100 years of the Navy showed more emphasis on technological development. The Navy's first submarine was constructed, the Navy Hospital Corps was established, and the Great White Fleet made its around-the-world cruise in 1907. Commander Robert Perry raised the U.S. flag at the North Pole and the Navy's first airplane was ordered in 1911. The Navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier in 1922 and the Seabees were established in 1924. From 1946 to the late '50's, the Navy became electronic and supersonic. On January 17, 1955, the first submarine using nuclear power, the USS NAUTILUS, got underway. On July 7, 1948, the first enlisted woman was sworn into the regular Navy. In 1959, four naval aviators were among seven men selected for prospective astronauts and John Glenn made the first manned orbit of the earth in 1962 in the FRIENDSHIP 7. The Navy also played an important part in the tracking of manned and unmanned space craft as well as being responsible for recovery of manned space capsules. The planning, the sacrifice, the devotion to duty of generations past and present constitute the heritage on which the Navy continues to build and improve. The Navy is linked to the future by a responsibility to deliver the best it can produce. Based on a foundation of valor and tradition the Navy moves fonuard to help shape the future. i

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THE NAVY 0F YESTERYEAR The second Continental Congress established the Continental Navy on October 13, 1715. During the Revolutionary war, the newly-created Navy never had more than 27 ships. The Navy relied on the support of privateers who had been defending the harbors and shores of the colonies since 1661. Successes by the small continental Navy were numerous during the Revolution, yet the Navy was disbanded and the last ship was sold in 1785. In 1794, The U.S. Navy was once again established by Congress to protect U.S. shipping in the Mediterranean against Algerian pirates. Two of the six frigates constructed, the CONSTITUTION and the CONSTELLATION, are still afloat today. Famous names during the first 100 years of the Navy included: John Paul Jones, Robert Morris, Lafayette, Stephen Decatur, Oliver Hazard Perry, George Bancroft and David S. Farragut. During the first 100 years, naval hospitals were established by Congress, Antarctica was discovered, the Navy suffered its first mutiny, the trans-Atlantic cable was laid, The Confederate Navy surrendered, petroleum oil was tested for use as a fuel source and the USS INTREPID, the first warship to be equipped with torpedoes, was commissioned.

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TODAY'S NAVY - TOMORROW'S The United States Navy today is an instrument of sea power. Its basic mission is national security. Today, all potential targets in the world are within reach of Polaris missiles launched from fleet ballistic missile submarines. Modern developments in anti-submarine warfare have led for the first time to the adoption of a strategic offensive concept, that is, the detecting and confronting of enemy or potential enemy submarines where they are, rather than waiting for them to come to us. Surveillance forces are supported by new mobile weapons systems, including fixed-wing aircraft, nuclear attack submarines, a new generation of escort ships and aircraft, new sensors in the form of sonars and new Anti-Submarine Warfare systems of all types. The Navy has been a leader in the development of air-launched weapons. The newest in the fleet is the Walleye, a bomb guided by television, which can hit targets with extreme accuracy and effectiveness. Nuclear power has been adapted to the surface fleet and has brought with it most of the advantages proved in its application to submarines: greater speed, longer endurance, and more freedom from shore-based support. Today major fleets with Fleet Marine Forces embarked are deployed in both the Atlantic and Pacific. Anti-submarine warfare forces and nuclear attack submarines also patrol important areas of the world sea. In summary, the United States Navy today is engaged in implementing our nations interests through sea power. And sea power means many things. lt means security for the ocean commerce that is the very life blood of our free economy and security for our homeland against attack on the sea or from the sea. For the United States, sea power also means the ability to control up to seventy percent of the earth's surface when our national interests require. Speculations can be made as to future advances in nuclear power, aviation, space travel and weaponry. But it is a fact that the U.S. Navy will continue to make giant strides in technology, exploration and the welfare of its many members. The Navy will always employ new weapons, new techniques and greater power to protect and defend the United States on the sea, under the sea and in the air. Now and in the future, control of the sea gives the United States her greatest advantage for the maintenance of peace and for victory in war. Mobility, surprise, dispersal and offensive power are the keynotes to the new Navy. The roots of the Navy lie in a strong belief in the future, in continued dedication to the tasks, and reflection on the Navy heritage. Never have the opportunities and responsibilities for the Navy been greater. 10 FLEET .- . Y.