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

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LEGEND: El MUTUAL DEFENSE NATIONS AND POSSESSIONS MAGG NATIONS AND POSSESSIONS I NEUTRAL NATIONS I USSR AND SATELLITES ,5 MAJOR SEA LANES PROJECTED BUMMUNIST MOVE T0 BUT MAJOR SEA lANES AND DIVIDE THE FREE WORLD FREE WORLD DEFENSE HE FREE WORLD is in effect an oceanic coalition which includes such major treaties as the Organization of American States, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Northern Tier, South East Asia Treaty Organization, Australia-New Zealand- United States and bilateral treaties with Spain, the Philippine Republic, Nationalist China, The Republic of Korea and Japan. Combined, these nations face the power of the Soviet Union and her satellites, including Red China. This means that the United States needs a Navy with the planes, ships and men to do a job which in many aspects is peculiar to naval power alone. Current events point up the urgency of backing our immobile bases on foreign real estate with a modern, fast, hard-hitting Navy. The United States has become the arsenal of the free world. Current commitments undertaken by the United States include eight treaties involving 42 nations, and military assistance agree- ments with 20 additional nations. Although not all of these treaties bind the United States to go to war, there is a strong moral obligation to do so. That all these treaties are dependent on sea usage is not so surprising if it is remembered that 7202, of the world is water. At the present time 62 nations, 52 percent of the worlds land area, and 54 percent of the worlds popula- tion, depend upon sea power for survival. DISTANT DEFENSE The distant defense we build against communist aggression depends upon sea power for maintenance of our international lanes of communication. These sea lanes must be made secure. Over these ocean lanes come the raw materials which keep the industrial machine of this nation running and, conversely, over these same lanes go the finished products which are vital to the survival of the free world and the economy of the free nations. The offensive capabilities of the United States Navy are specifi- cally designed to maintain the security of these sea lanes. In a general war it is obvious that Soviets will make every effort to cut these lanes. To lose control of these sea lanes would divide the free world

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RUSSIA RANKS SEO0N0 T0 THE UNITED STATES IN WORl0 NAVAL POWER l 84l i ; l l ; i l l l l l 15 9 a t : l 1 l T l A l l l ATTACK SUPPORT PATROL MINE AUXILIARY AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT VESSELS WARFARE VESSELS CARRIERS CARRIERS VESSELS CODE: U; S. ACTIVE FLEET - CRUISERS DESTROYERS SUBMARINES U.S.S.R. FLEET MAJOR COMBATANT MINOR COMBATANT GROWING SOVIET NAVAL POWER In keeping with Soviet strategic objectives, the Soviet Union is a growing naval power. As a world naval power the Soviet active fleet ranks second only to the United States. Her sub- marine Heet continues to grow at an alarming rate; she has nearly 500 submarines. In her auxiliary program she has a num- ber of small submarine tenders which implies mobility and advanced bases. Her planned use of submarines has shifted away from the restraint of early 20th Century Fortress Fleet con- cepts which characterized the Imperial and early Soviet Navy. She has a growing surface Navy of 27 cruisers and 175 destroyers. These facts become increasingly significant when we realize that during World War II the Bismarck and other German surface raiders at various times tied up large Allied naval efforts and at the same time they had a definite ePfect on Allied cargo ship- ments. The Soviet Union has full appreciation of mine warfare. Mines are a cheap and inexpensive method of sinking ships. Her mine warfare force consists of 500 ships plus the mining capabilities of her major combatant ships. Although we believe the Soviet Navy has no aircraft carriers she does have a naval air arm of more than 3,000 planes. She intends to provide coverage for her naval forces with land based air and sea planes. This is in complete keeping with the Soviet strategic objectives to control Eurasian waters. This, in the eyes of the Soviet, is a balanced Heet. She does not need aircraft carriers to deny to us the use of those waters contiguous to the Eurasian Continent. We, on the other hand, must be able to control and exploit the entire ocean area. Aircraft carriers are an essential part of that capability. This is not the end of the Soviet story. Her program of build- ing ships is accelerating. Since 1950 the Soviet Union has con- structed over 200,000 tons in cruisers, she has built 9 times as much tonnage in destroyers as we have, 6 times as much in sub- marines. The United States went to war twice when control of the seas was threatened. Control of the seas will have a definite bearing on our decision to fight the next war. The Soviet Union's ac- celerated naval pace is in keeping with the communistic doctrine of world domination. TONS 250,000 TONS 3,000,000 l NAVAL 00NSTRO0TION SINCE 1950: SHOW- ING INCREASE IN 00MMUNIST MER- L'HANT SHIPS 0VER 1,000 TONS USSR AND ALLIES 200,000 MERCHANT SHIPS OVER 1,000 TONS 100,000 700 SHIPS 100 SHIPS 'I'IO SHIPS TONS 300,000 DESTROYERS SUBMARINES CRUISERS SATELLITE CHINA u.s. lCONSTRUCTIONl- CONSTRUCTION 1950-'56 ESTIMATED INCREASE

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into small and vulnerable areas following that time-proven rule of warfare- divide and conquer. CONTINENTAL DEFENSE The United States Navy is playing an increasingly important role in continental air defense, whose radar fences include the distant early warning line, the mid-Canada line, and the pine tree line. In order to prevent the Soviet Air Force from making an end around these radar fences, the United States Navy is charged with the responsibility of providing the ships and air- craft of the seaward extension of the distant early warning line and the contiguous ocean area radar coverage off the coasts. We have learned to identify the submarine with the torpedo- ing of ships and the mining of channels and harbor and sea approaches. In recent years the submarine has assumed an ad- ditional vital role as a member of anti-submarine forces. Now what may well prove to be an even more important function of the submarine is its employment as a guided or ballistic missile launcher. USS NAUTILUS NUCLEAR POWERED SUBMARINE AT SEA NUCLEAR SEA POWER The advent of nuclear power, long range sonar, and guided missiles have had such a radical effect on the submarine that it must be considered virtually as a new weapon. Nuclear power combined with improved hydrodynamics in hull designs gives to the modern submarine greatly increased submerged speeds, and endurance limited only by the stamina of the crew. New long range sonar enables our submarines to project anti-submarine warfare to the very enemy breakwater for the purpose of detect- ing and sinking enemy submarines departing for and returning from patrols. The combination of the guided missile and the submarine gives to us a weapon of unprecedented stealth and secrecy. This submarine can be used to destroy naval installations, targets of naval interest and, most important in that first phase of anti- submarine warfare, the destruction of U-boat pens before the enemy submarines have a chance to get to sea. Survival of the free world depends upon the continuing ability of the Allied Anned Forces to maintain suflicient strength to counter and overcome any potential enemy, but the projection of military power by air, land or sea depends upon the ability of the United States Navy to control the seas. The United States Navyls Shipbuilding and Conversion Pro- grams are designed to meet the challenge of the Atomic Age and are patterned on a long range plan to shift to nuclear power, atomic weapons, guided missiles, and advanced warfare tech- mques. The USS NAUTILUS, the first nuclear powered submarine, has exceeded our fondest hopes in operational capabilities. She has steamed over 50,000 miles without refueling, Half of this has been completely submerged. Our carrier planes have the capability of delivering the atomic bomb. An interesting devel- opment in missiles includes the development of a long range missile. The Navy intends to launch these missiles from ships. This will impart to the United States the tremendous advantage of missile mobility. In other words, the Navy can launch these missles from any place on the seven seas. GUIDED MISSILE REGULUS lAUNCHED AT SEA l l l I i l l 1 I !