US Naval Training Center - Compass Yearbook (Bainbridge, MD)

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' ,, ..,--,..--.........--....-v- The battleship USS New Jersey IBB-621 firing nine ...NWKN I 16 meh guns in one Salvo USS Missouri QBB-631 firing a broadside. The USS Missouri during action off th hat- rces :ans lded auch im- erve y to sea the leny 'rom .ility :CtBd sea eans r the only dis- nited tains E the gh0l1t used on-.vow . V .4 W.-. M in the United Nations' efforts in the Far East, is an indispensable part of modern defense upon which the security of our country ultimately rests. On the sea, under the sea, in the air above the sea, and in land operations wherefnaval forces includ- ing the Marine Corps are committed, the Navy stands ready tolmeet any aggressive challenge whenever and wherever offered. The modern fleet includes many task forces built around the present capital ship- of-the-line, the aircraft carrier. Fast carrier task forces composed of carriers, battle- ships, cruisers, destroyers and other com- batant vessels, are the principal elements of todayis offensive naval strength and, as such, comprise the Navy's main striking force. The Navy is no longer shackled by the historic barriers of the shoreline, nor by the range of its shipborne guns, but can strike blows deep in enemy territory, and can deliver at the target the atom bomb, when and if needed. Fast carrier task forces are able, without resorting to diplomatic channels, to establish offshore anywhere in the world airfields completely equipped with machine shops, ammunition dumps, tank farms, warehouses, together with quar- Assaultwave ioining up for a beach operation. ters and all types of accommodations for operating personnel. Such task forces are virtually as complete as any air base ever established ashore. They constitute the only air bases which can be made available at the enemy's frontier without assault and conquest. Amphibious Assault and Naval Bombardment Whenever and wherever assault and con- quest is deemed necessary, the accomplish- ment of an amphibious assault until a stable beachhead has been established is solely the responsibility of the Navy. The am- phibious task forces are composed of all types of ships, naval aircraft, under-water demolition teams, reconnaissance facilities, and the specialized troops-the Marine Corps. Before, during, and after an initial assault naval guns and rocket launchers, in close coordination with naval aircraft, are able to devastatingly bombard enemy troops and installations, and lend close strategical and tactical support to our own ground forces in their advance to a desired objective. LST landing support personnel e coast of Korea. letting loose with the 8-inch guns of the cruiser USS Toledo 1CAL'I33J. An underwater demolition team of Frogmen returning from a mission in North Korea.' landing craft for the infantry in action. inns

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Launching the USS Nautllus ISSN 5711 the Navy s first atomic powered ship. Cgrgqirg returning to the USS Boxer lCV'2ll after a combat mission over North Korea. The Navy and Sea Power ARLY in the seventeenth century Sir Walter Raleigh observed that Who- soever commands the sea, commands the trade, whosoever commands the trade of the world, commands the riches of the world and, consequently, the world itself. That principle is as true today as it was centuries ago. Nothing of major import has occurred, not even the advent of the mod- ern aircraft, to lessen the importance of sea power and sea trade to our national defense and prosperity. The day hasnot been reached, nor ever will be reached, when control of the seas of the world can be exercised solely by shore-based aviation, guided missiles, and the atom bomb. Control of the sea can be exercised effectively only by forces which travel the sea and can remain at sea for long periods of time. Sea forces and sea-based air forces-in other words, sea power-furnishes the only effective control of the sea. Sea power has a mobility which land power can never have. Whatever the weapons used, aircraft carriers fhighly mobile air fieldsl can be moved at high speed to the most favorable Helicopter landing on the USS Box A corner' USS Anfiewm icv'36l 'md de5 '0Ye 1 U55 Sllelion er qffer q rescue m,,s,on KDD 7901 being refueled by USS Tolovana QAO-641. points for attack on enemy targets. What- ever the weapons used, large ground forces can be transported rapidly by naval means to selected coastal points and landed against opposition. The mere threat of such attacks at unpredictable points would im- mobilize large enemy forces held in reserve to meet them, thus forcing the enemy to effect a wide dispersion. Dominant sea power, therefore, in the hands of the United States and its Allies, would deny to an enemy the ability to attack us from the sea while conferring on us the ability to launch a seaborne attack at any selected point or time. The continued vital importance of sea power is clearly evident. Vlfhen the oceans of the world are no longer required for the transport of men and goods, then and only then can the United States afford to dis- pense with a Navy. The Navy's Offensive Power Fulfilling an historic role fthe United States Navy today, as in the past, maintains a vigilant guard over the fre om of the seas. Naval power, as exhibite throughout the struggles of World War Il and as used The destroyer USS Robt. H. McCord.

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i 'ZN. ' a ' , -P' ...R ..,. - - .:'1 u A Personnel on board a U S submarine U55 K-11 ne Submarine and Anti-Submarine Warfare The Navy's submarine forces, with a his- tory of outstanding performance in World War II, are ready to assume again their vital tasks of offense or defense in any mission assigned. And, as a defensive measure, the Navy's Hunter-Killer task units, composed of escort carriers, blimps, and destroyers equipped with newly devel- oped electronic devices, are training to- gether as a team to track down and destroy any undersea craft of an aggressor nation. Logistical Supply In addition to its function of denying the use of the sea to an enemy, the Navy now has the responsibility of lifting cargo by sea for the supply of all the armed services abroad. This problem seems to become more enormous and complex with each war. The Far Eastern operations are no excep- tion as shown by the fact that the cargo discharged in that area has averaged more than sixty pounds per man per day. This is well above the World War II average of forty-four pounds per man per day in any theatre of operation. The tremendous and ever-increasing task of logistical supply to overseas bases will always remain a naval responsibility. Superior Naval Strength Through all its varied components, the United States Navy exercises control of the The Sea Dart experimental Jef Seaplane undergoing pre-flight trials. The U w Hunter-Killer class submarine. seas and the coastal areas bounding them, All units of the fleet display unrivaled flexibility and mobility and, together, com. prise a vast fighting potential-inimical to the interests of aggressive-minded nations -and a powerful safeguard of freedom. In measuring our own capabilities against a potential enemy, due appreciation must be taken of the factors of relative strength and weakness. We may, for example, find ourselves comparatively weak in manpower. We know happily that we are superior in naval strength, which includes the strength of naval aviation. lt is axiomatic that in preparing for any contest, it is wisest to exploit-not neglect -the elements in which we have superior strength. We must lead from strength- not from weakness. We should Accen- tuate The Positive. Thus it is that a policy which provides for balanced development and coordinated use of -strong naval forces must be fostered if we are, within the foreseeable future, to meet the challenge of arms of the forces which seem to oppose us. Trained Naval Personnel The Navy's fighting ships and aircraft represent the results of America's most ad- vanced scientific research and develop- ment. They are precision products of Amer- ican ingenuity and industry. But scientific research, improved equipment, and new naval construction alone will not insure that the Navy can maintain its present world man CSS-327 Classl leaving port. f-ann'--ww.. . '-'f g?.Qg