US Navy Recruit Training Command - Keel Yearbook (Great Lakes, IL)

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The Navy and Sea Power Early in the seventeenth century Sir Walter Raleigh observed that HWhosoever commands the sea, commands the tradeg who- soever commands thetrade. 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 modern aircraft, to lessen the importance of sea power and sea trade to our national defense and prosperity. The day has not 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. What- ever the weapons used, aircraft carriers fhighly mobile air fieldsl can be moved at high speed to the most favorable points for attack on enemy targets. Whatever 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 evi- dent. When 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 dispense with a Navy. The Navy's Offensive Power Fulfilling an historic role the United States Navy today, as in the past, maintains a vigilant guard over the freedom ofthe seas. Naval power, as exhibited throughout the struggles of World War ll and as used 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 where naval forces including the lVlarine Corps are committed, the Navy stands ready to meet any aggressive challenge when- ever and wherever offered.

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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, battleships, cruisers, destroy- ers and other combatant 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 gunsg 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 quarters 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 conquest is deemed necessary, the accomplishment of an amphibious assault until a stable beachhead has been established is solely the respon- sibility of the Navy. The amphibious 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 rockets 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. Submarine and Anti-Submarine Warfare The Navy's submarine forces, with a history 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-Killeri' task units, composed of escort carriers, blimps, and destroyers equipped with newly developed electronic devices, are training together as a team to track down and destroy any undersea craft of an aggressor nation. Logistical Supply ln 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 fContinued on next pagel l EFF ' 'l miie? malaga-H i L ':