New Orleans (LPH 11) - Naval Cruise Book

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NANCY, which carried a large amount of sorely needed supplies in the form of guns and ammunition. Washington, however, found that most of his captains tended to be too independent-minded about following orders, preferring their own prize targets. Their crews were, a disorderly set. in Washington's opi- nion. Eventually, he released the ships of the so-called Washington's Navy. The new navy which the Continental Congress had ordered to be es- tablished began to come into being in the last months of 1775. The first commander-in-chief was Esek Hopkins, who put to sea the first squadron of the Continental Navy on 18 Feb 1776. In its' continuing efforts to build a fleet, Congress had authorized the construction of 13 brand-new frigates which were well under way. All were solidly constructed ships with a number of guns, but even so, pitted against the established and superior British force Cthen the finest navy in the worldj, they were at a serious disadvantage. Among the names associated with this new made-in-America fleet of frigates is that of john Barry, john Manley and Abraham Whipple, who courageously commanded many ships. Among the most daring commanders bringing the war to British waters was john Paul Jones. As skipper of RANGER he departed from -QM dw, , . ,-,Ae France on 10 April 1778 for raids against the British. After capturing a number of ships, he actually landed on British soil, raiding Whitehaven, in an attempt to capture the Earl of Selkirk. Some months later he took command of an old French ship which he named BONHOMME RICHARD. She carried 42 relatively light guns, some in doubtful condi- tion. Jones headed for the coast of Ireland, taking some prizes and destroying others. By the time the war was over, the official Continental Navy had some 56 different vessels at one time or another, although it had only managed to reach a peak of 27 ships operating at the same time. They captured a total of 196 enemy transports and warships, with an estimated worth of more than S6 million. The Continental Navy itself never numbered more than 3000 men at any one time with a total of 123 of- ficers. This tiny Continental Navy, hurriedly assembled when the colonies declared their independence, served not only to inflict damage on the proud ships of the Royal Navy, but also lifted American morale with each of its' victories. g'

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For instance, there were several naval engagements between Americans and British actually before the Continental Congress authorized a Navy. Congress first authorized a Naval Committee on 13 Oct 1775 and then ordered the acquisition and fitting out of a number of ships. The first Naval Committee bought and fitted out one 24-gunship, ALFRED, plus the 20-gun COLUMBUS, and two brigs, ANDREW DORIA and CABOT. These were ready for sea in December 1775 and by the end of the next month, the tiny Continental Navy had obtained sloops PROVIDENCE and HORNET and the schooners WASP and FL Y. This fleet, however, was actually pre-dated by the little-known group of ships that came to be called Washington's Navy. During the summer of 1775, General George Washington was concerned as he saw British ships sail supplies and munitions in and out of the Boston harbor untouched. He needed supplies and ammunition for his own troops to carry on his seige of the British in Boston. Using funds provided for his Army, General Washington painfully assembled a small fleet of eight vessels that might capture some of the supplies and ammunition for his army. Washington sent two of his ships to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River hoping to intercept two unarmed brigs from England carrying muskets and gunpowder to Quebec. Instead, the ships raided Charlottetown, sacking the city and kidnapping a British official. They took a number of small merchant ships as prizes. Washington's Navy was short-lived. It had its' difficulties, but it must have been an eye-opener to the British in Boston. It was also responsible for the capture of one significant plum, the British transport :f

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.. .5 ,. -,V The news of daring raids and victorious battles at sea were acclaimed in the 13 youthful United States. With the end of the Revolutionary War,- followed by the es- tablishment of a new federal government, the infant U. S. Navy went into eclipse. By war's end in 1783, the Navy was down to five ships. These were disbanded shortly thereafter, with the frigate ALLIANCE, the last of them, being sold in 1785. It didn't take too long, however, before the need of a Navy was realized, since America's small merchant fleet was being molested on the high seas. In 1794, a Navy-conscious Congress authorized the construction of six frigates. They were to be of a new design, long and strong. They possessed a combination offirepower and class. One of these was CONSTITUTION completed in 1798. Rated a 44- gun, she was known to sail at 1310 knots. Harnessing the power of steam was the most important development in the surface Navy during the first half of the 19th century. Steam began to replace the not-so-reliable wind as a means of propulsion and promised to eliminate some of the hazards and delays caused when ships were blown off course or left dead in the water. E The Navy continued to expand its sailing fleet. From 1815 to 1840, more 74-gun ships-of-the-line were built. In 1837 the Navy launched the 3104-ton PENNSYLVANIA, largest of America's ships-of-the-line. ' While advances with steam were slow, the Navy had been mak- ing other strides. It began making its ships with iron instead of wooden hulls. The year 1843 saw the launching of the Navy's first iron-hulled warship, the paddle sloop MICHIGAN. The Civil War brought many fantastic ships to a now rapidly changing N avy. Both Union and Confederate navies were engaged in frantic shipbuilding programs. It brought the era of ironclads into full swing. 1 . The Civil War also gave us those two famed ironclads of a new type, MERRIMA CK and MONITOR. The battle of the ships was indecisive, with both sides claiming victory. After the Cival War the Navy had begun to experience a downward trend. New inventions, improved .training and long range guns resulted in the pride and defense power of war torn country. Meanwhile the aviation age had arrived and the Navy im- mediately began experimenting with the new flying machine. In November 1910, Eugene Ely made a daring takeoff from a 57-foot platform rigged on the cruiser BIRMINGHAM. In January 1911 he accomplished another unusual feat. He made the first shipboard landing on a platform mounted on USS PENNSYLVANIA. Destroyers became a primary symbol of British-American cooperation in WW I. The immediate threat was the German U- boats which were practicing unrestricted warfare and generally terrorizing the seas. At the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl' Harbor, the Navy had 343 combatant ships in commission and 344 more in the building ways. During the early stages of WW II, our ship losses were high. From 7 Dec 1941 to 31 Dec 1943, the Navy lost 359 vessels. The pattern of widespread oceanic war brought about the building of a fleet unlike any in history. It consisted of a swift strik- ing force, having the advantage of speed, mobility and surprise, yet possessing the fire-power and protective armor to stand and slug it out with enemy forces. In the five-year period ending in late 1944, 9 million tons of vessels had been added to the U. S. Navy. Attack cargo ships, transports, barracks ships, net tenders, all types of repair ships, radar pickets, mine-layers and minesweepers, as Well as many other types of ships too numerous to mention, changed the shape of the U. S. Navy almost overnight. When Japan surrendered, the U. S. Navy had emerged as the strongest navy in the world. The navy has been advancing in other areas of the fleet as well. An example of this is the new class of amphibious assault ship. The LHAs are the largest and fastest amphibious ships in the Navy in- Vef1'C0fY and offer the greatest operational versatility in the history of amphibious warfare. D The Navy, in this, its 200th year, is building on its proud tradi- tion as it offers the seagoing sailor a varied and challenging career. i l i l6 l