New Orleans (LPH 11) - Naval Cruise Book

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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

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