9781422280195

D efending O ur N ation

D efending the S eas : T he N avy

D efending the S eas : T he N avy

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Series Titles C itizen S oldiers : T he N ational G uard

C ustoms and B order P rotection D efending the S kies : T he A ir F orce D efending the G round : T he A rmy D efending the S eas : T he N avy T he D rug E nforcement A dministration H omeland S ecurity T he N ational C ounterterrorism C enter P rotecting A gainst B iological and C hemical A ttack P utting O ut F ires : F irefighters

R escuing H ostages : T he FBI S topping C rime : T he P olice

D efending O ur N ation

D efending the S eas : T he N avy

F oreword by M anny G omez , E sq ., S ecurity and T errorism E xpert

B y C hris M c N ab

MASON CREST

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2018 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3759-5 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-3763-2 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-8019-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: McNab, Chris, 1970- author. Title: Defending the seas : the Navy / FOREWORD BY MANNY GOMEZ, ESQ.,  SECURITY AND TERRORISM EXPERT ; BY CHRIS MCNAB. Other titles: Navy Description: Broomall, Pennsylvania : MASON CREST, [2018] | Series: Defending our nation | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016053117| ISBN 9781422237632 (hardback) | ISBN   9781422237595 (series) | ISBN 9781422280195 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: United States. Navy--Juvenile literature. | Warships--United States--Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC VA58.4 .M378 2018 | DDC 359.00973--dc23

Developed and Produced by Print Matters Productions, Inc. (www.printmattersinc.com) Cover and Interior Design by Bill Madrid, Madrid Design Additional Text by Kelly Kagamas Tomkies

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C ontents

F oreword by M anny G omez , E sq . …….…… 6

7  W arfighting and P eacekeeping …….……60

1  H istory of the U.S. N avy …….…….…… 8

S eries G lossary …….…….…….…….……71

2  R oles of the U.S. N avy …….…….…….18

C hronology … .…….…….…….…….……75

3  W arships of the U.S. N avy …….…….26

F urther R esources …….…….…….…….77

4  A ircraft C arriers …….…….…….……36

I ndex …….…….…….…….…….…….……78

5  S ubmarine D efense …….…….…….……44

6  D omestic and R escue O perations …….52

A bout the A uthor and P icture C redits ……80

V igilance F oreword

W e live in a world where we have to have a constant state of awareness—about our surroundings and who is around us. Law enforcement and the intelligence community cannot predict or stop the next terrorist attack alone. They need the citizenry of America, of the world, to act as a force multiplier in order to help deter, detect, and ultimately defeat a terrorist attack. Technology is ever evolving and is a great weapon in the fight against terrorism. We have facial recognition, we have technology that is able to detect electronic communications through algorithms that may be related to terrorist activity—we also have drones that could spy on com- munities and bomb them without them ever knowing that a drone was there and with no cost of life to us. But ultimately it’s human intelligence and inside information that will help defeat a potential attack. It’s people being aware of what’s going on around them: if a family member, neighbor, coworker has suddenly changed in a manner where he or she is suddenly spouting violent anti- Western rhetoric or radical Islamic fundamentalism, those who notice it have a duty to report it to authorities so that they can do a proper investigation. In turn, the trend since 9/11 has been for international communication as well as federal and local communication. Gone are the days when law enforcement or intelligence organizations kept information to themselves and didn’t dare share it for fear that it might compromise the integrity of the information or for fear that the other organization would get equal credit. So the NYPD wouldn’t tell anything to the FBI, the FBI wouldn’t tell the CIA, and the CIA wouldn’t tell the British counterin- telligence agency, MI6, as an example. Improved as things are, we could do better. We also have to improve global propaganda. Instead of dropping bombs, drop education on individuals who are even considering joining ISIS. Education is salvation. We have the greatest

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production means in the world through Hollywood and so on, so why don’t we match ISIS materi- als? We tried it once but the government itself tried to produce it. This is something that should definitely be privatized.We also need to match the energy of cyber attackers—and we need savvy youth for that. There are numerous ways that you could help in the fight against terror—joining law en- forcement, the military, or not-for-profit organizations like the Peace Corps. If making the world a safer place appeals to you, draw on your particular strengths and put them to use where they are needed. But everybody should serve and be part of this global fight against terrorism in some small way. Certainly, everybody should be a part of the fight by simply being aware of their sur- roundings and knowing when something is not right and acting on that sense. In the investigation after most successful attacks, we know that somebody or some persons or people knew that there was something wrong with the person or persons who perpetrated the attack. Although it feels awkward to tell the authorities that you believe somebody is acting suspicious and may be a terrorist sympathizer or even a terrorist, we have a higher duty not only to society as a whole but to our family, friends, and ultimately ourselves to do something to ultimately stop the next attack. It’s not if there is going to be another attack, but where, when, and how. So being vigilant and being proactive are the orders of the day.

Manny Gomez, Esq. President of MG Security Services,

Chairman of the National Law Enforcement Association, former FBI Special Agent, U.S. Marine, and NYPD Sergeant

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C hapter 1

H ISTORY OF THE U.S. N AVY

John Paul Jones—United States’ first well-known naval fighter in the Revolutionary War.

T he history of the U.S. Navy is long and distinguished. Officially formed on April 30, 1798, the Navy eventually evolved to become the largest maritime military force of any nation in history. Today, it is the greatest and best-equipped navy on Earth. Like the Army, the U.S. Navy was created to fight for independence. During the Revolution- ary War (1775–1780), the newly created Continental Army and state militias fought the British on the mainland, but military shipping was needed to fight against the Royal Navy. On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress decided to establish a small federal naval force that would harry British shipping on the open seas. The Continental Navy, as it was known, was no match for the size and strength of the Royal Navy. It did, however, have some success. In 1778, the legendary Captain John Paul Jones and his ship Ranger captured the Royal Navy warship Drake and even attacked the coast of England. Unfortunately, the Continental Navy also suffered many defeats, and it had little impact on British shipping. In 1784, four years after the end of the war, the navy was disbanded. The U.S. Navy Is Born After the Revolutionary War, U.S. shipping faced a new threat. The economy of the young United States was highly dependent upon overseas trade. Its ships commonly sailed to the Mediterranean Sea for trade with southern Europe. However, they fell prey to pirates from

Words to Understand Amphibious: Something that can be used on both land and water. Frigate: Military ship that is small and fast. Harry: Attack or raid.

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the Barbary Coast, the coastal area of North Africa bordering the Mediterranean. The pirates hijacked the ships, sold off the cargo, and even put the crews into slavery. It was clear that the ships needed protection, so the government debated the formation of a federal navy. In 1789, the U.S. Constitution was adopted, which gave the government official permission to create a navy for the protection of U.S. shipping and the U.S. coastline. Several years later, on April 30, 1798, Congress established the Department of the Navy. The early Navy was equipped with fast, heavily armed frigates , such as the 40-gun USS Constitution , which could travel at top speed of 13 knots (15 mph or 24 km/h) and the 36-gun Congress. Their first missions were escort duties for U.S. merchant ships, guarding them against attacks from the French or various pirate groups. They were soon called upon for more aggressive actions. In 1812, the Navy found itself again battling the Royal Navy after the outbreak of the War of 1812 (1812–1814). The war was a mix of dramatic victories and equally dramatic defeats for the U.S. Navy. Victories included the destruction of the British warships Guerriere , Macedonian , and Java , and battles were won on Lake Erie and Lake Champlain in Canada. Defeats included the loss of the Chesapeake to the Royal Navy frigate Shannon , and battles were lost on Lake Ontario, which was a major center for British supply shipping. Although the war was brought to an end by a peace treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom, the war had proved that the United States needed a more powerful navy to keep foreign powers from dominating U.S. shipping lanes. For the rest of the 19th century, the Navy embarked on a period of major growth and increasing confidence. New technology came on board midcentury, including steam power instead of sail power, breech-loading guns, and armor plating, all of which gave the Navy greater power, both to cover distance and to fight. During the Civil War (1861–1865), the Navy gave the Union forces supremacy at sea over the Confederates. Its ships were able to blockade many southern ports and prevent Confederate

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supplies from being brought in from sea, while the Union Army received much of its supplies from Navy shipping. These two conflicts proved that the U.S. Navy was an important military force in its own right. For about a decade after the Civil War, however, it declined in shipping and personnel as the United States attempted to rebuild itself. From the 1880s onward, the Navy began its gradual rise to become the global leader of the seas.

The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. Her crew of 60 officers and sailors participate in ceremonies and educational programs, and the ship is open to the public year round for tours. The Constitution is berthed at Pier 1 at one end of Boston’s Freedom Trail.

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The Destruction of the Drake Here are edited extracts from the diary of John Paul Jones, one of the finest captains of the Continental Navy. They relate to the destruction and capture of the British Royal Navy vessel Drake during the War of 1812:

The captain of the Drake prepared to sail. His boat was sent out with an officer and a telescope to reconnoiter the Ranger . I took advantage of this occasion to disguise my ship. I masked my guns and had my crew remain out of sight. The Ranger having the air of a merchantman, the boat from the Drake was deceived, drew alongside, and was captured. I did not start engaging the enemy until they were within pistol range. At this distance, a lively action was sustained for an hour and five minutes, after which the English frigate lowered her flag. The Drake was heavily damaged in her masts and rigging; she lost 42 men either killed or wounded during the action. With the Ranger , the Drake , and one other prize, I ran westward of Ireland and arrived at Brest, France, on May 7, having been absent only 28 days and having taken more than 200 prisoners.

This painting depicts the capture of the Drake by the Continental ship Ranger after a sea battle.

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The Rise to Power During the late 1800s, European countries were hard at work forging empires, and the United States needed a force that could support its own relationships abroad. Steamship technology came of age, and Navy ships were able to cross vast distances with greater ease. The Navy’s key role was to protect the American continent from foreign aggressors, and it traveled the length of North and South America doing so. During the Spanish-American War of 1898, it almost completely destroyed the Spanish navy in the Atlantic. This demonstration of power led to the building of 16 new battleships, which were among the best in the world. Furthermore, in 1910, an airplane flew for the first time from the deck of a U.S. Navy cruiser. In 1911, the same pilot, Eugene Ely, took off and landed from a cruiser in San Francisco Bay. Naval aviation was born.

Pilot Eugene B. Ely, here flying his Curtiss pusher airplane from the USS Birmingham , was the first to take off and land from a Navy cruiser in 1911.

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In the early part of the 20th century, the most important event for the Navy was World War I (1914–1918). The Navy did not actually fight against enemy naval forces, but in 1916, the U.S. government began a massive naval-building program, which resulted in the Navy expanding to eight times its pre-war strength. Using its new fleet of transport ships, it carried more than two million U.S. troops to France when the United States officially joined the war in 1917. World War I ended, however, with many nations questioning the value of battleships after witnessing the lethal power of German U-boats, or submarines. Indeed, the U.S. Navy decided to concentrate on building smaller, faster ships, like destroyers. In 1922, the aircraft carrier Langley was launched, the first of a type of ship that was soon to dominate the future. In 1941, the United States entered World War II (1939–1945). The Navy was already one of the biggest in the world, after huge redevelopment efforts in the 1930s aimed at making it operational in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. During the war itself, U.S. industry and technology created a navy that was bigger than all other Allied navies combined. Its major job in the European theater was protecting Atlantic supply convoys from German subma- rines, a battle it seemed to be losing for the first two years of the war before new technology and tactics eventually gave it the edge. In the Pacific, the Navy fought pitched battles with the Japanese navy, both sides relying heavily on the aircraft carrier as their main offensive weapon. At the battles of Midway, Solomon Islands, Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf, the Japanese navy was almost entirely destroyed by the tactically and technologically superior U.S. forces. One role the Navy performed in all theaters was assisting amphibious landings. U.S. boats formed a large part of the armada of 6,000 craft that landed the Allies on D-Day, June 6, 1944. In the Pacific, the Navy took U.S. Marine and Army units “island hopping” as they cleared the region of Japanese forces. The Navy’s ability to transport thousands of soldiers across the world’s oceans was a key factor in the Allied victory in World War II.

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