United States Navy

The US Navy or United States Navy is the Navy the United States of America and represents one of the 5 components of the Armed forces of the United States.

It depends on the Secrétaire to the Navy of the United States and it is directed by the Chief off Naval Operations .

US Navy is made up in 2007 of more than 260 naval Aéronautique and warships whose most imposing 11 giant aircraft carriers are its comprising approximately 4 000 operational aircraft. It is necessary to add the 123 Navire S auxiliaries (oil, transport and supply craft of the Military Sealift Command ) as well as the Fleet of reserve.

More than one half-million of men and women form part of it, whether it is in active service or in the Réserve.

The US Marine Body depends administratively on US Navy.

In the event of war, the forces of the US Coast Guard, which concern the Département of the Internal security, are placed under the command of US Navy.

History

The War of independence of the United States of America

The October 13rd 1775, the Congress of the United States load a Committee of the Navy, precursor of the future ministry, to create a fleet of war. A little later this authority sees its attributions extended to the whole of the maritime businesses.

To assemble of all parts a military navy, the administrative organization, directed by the commodore Hopkins, takes as a starting point what he knows already - the British model - while yielding in the local conditions and mean financial realities of the moment.

The any young person Continental Navy can be at least based on the experiment of the building sites of the Atlantique coast which, for one century, have built ships for the Royal Navy. As for the crews, Hopkins calls upon the sailors and officers who were useful in the fleet of His Majesty. Among those appears the young person Lieutenant John Paul Jones, which will be shown in example with generations of American naval officers, to have summarized an obviousness in a formula remained famous: “Without has sizeable Navy, went America! ” . Although certain supplies are lacking, a number impressing of buildings is launched during the conflict. If only one Ship of the line of 74 guns, the America , is built, small the frigate S, corvette S, brigs and others Goélette S are of rather good invoice. On the other hand, the Artillerie poses problem. Know-how misses, so that for the armament and the other military supplies, the Insurgents turn to the France.

Indeed, whereas the fleet of American war was only embryonic - what did not prevent the Corsaire S, with the image of John Paul Jones, to lead effective a Guerre of race to the trade of the old metropolis -, France in the war of American independence played a part that some say decisive, it is indeed the royal marine of Louis XVI which, by making sure the control of the seas, prohibited the supply by sea of the British troops, facilitated the Franco-American victory over ground and finally pushed the British Empire to capitulate.

After independence

The degradation of the diplomatic relations between the United States and the revolutionary France in war with the rest of Europe made that one attended a maritime Quasi-war between 1798 and 1800 between these nations, or the use of Corsaire S on both sides was intensive.

The all young American navy was then strong of 14 war buildings including 9 frigates, supported by 365 ship-corsairs. Captures of trading vessels and several naval actions lasted until France of the Consulat agrees to a honourable payment.

Then in 1801 took place the first war barbaresque, or the dey of Tripoli and his allies of the Coast of Barbaresque declared the war in the United States which did not want to pay any more tribute for the passage of their ships. That involved the sending of a squadron in Mediterranean which at the price of two ships will make that the peace treaty of the June 4th 1805, the United States are released from the obligation to pay a tribute in Tripolitains. As from this date, an American squadron will wet in the Mediterranean permanently, except the period of the American Civil War. But one second war burst in spring 1815 and a naval forwarding was carried out by Decatur against the dey of Algiers.

The Guerre of 1812 lives for the second and last time of the American ships to face the Royal Navy. In front of the power of the British fleet, in fact there too Corsaire S attacking the unfavourable tradind ships made the most action.

The American Civil War

US Navy had been conceived in the beginning to hold head with its former enemy, the Royal Navy. Although of an intermediate size at the beginning of the hostilities, with only 90 and sailing ships vapor, it developed quickly, counted 386 boats carrying 3 027 guns at the end of 1862, and fulfills its missions of blockade of the ports of the States confederated of America and support for the terrestrial forces in a satisfactory way.

One saw during this war the first combat of Cuirassé S and the use of Sous-marin S by the South which although being extremely dangerous for their own crew, or 28 federal ships damaged ran. US Navy captured 1 551 buildings of trade and destroyed 355 during this war of them.

After this war, the Navy saw the majority of its disarmed ships and its manpower to fall to only 2 000 officers and 10 000 sailors.

Beginning of a world navy

In 1882, the navy counted only 138 ships including only 57 employees in active service.

In 1890, the U.S Navy is yet only the sixth fleet of the world, with 122.000 tons.

The weakness of this one compared to the other nations was criticized and in 1890, the Naval Policy Act (the Council of maritime policy), named by the secretary of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracy affirmed the need for the United States for having a powerful fleet not only for its coastal defenses but also to protect its trade route. Its recommendations were not entirely followed but one directed oneself nevertheless with the Naval Act of 1890 towards a more ambitious policy, the Budget of the Navy passing from 75 million Dollar S in 1880 to 725 million in 1910.

In 1898, the destruction of the USS Maine in the port of Havana started the Guerre Spanish-American, which constituted the first serious test of fire against a major maritime power since the confrontations against the United Kingdom. The fleet was composed then of 5 Cuirassé S modern of 10 000 T., 18 cruisers, 6 monitors, 6 destroyers of high-sea and many auxiliary buildings

It crushed the Spanish Navy in Cuba and Philippines in a decisive way.

In 1900, US Navy became third military navy of the world. In 1908, it will be the second behind the Royal Navy.

First World War

Like the table shows it above, the United States had a fleet of high edge which did not have anything any more to see with the light buildings which dominated at the time of the war of 1898, the deficiencies noted at the time in the field of the Transmissions or of the shooting to the sea were largely corrected.

After the entry in war of the United States of America in the First World War, in 1917 the American navy very quickly took part in the anti-submarine Lutte and with the protection of the convoys at the time of the battles of the Atlantic. It was decided that it would defend and patrol in the Western hemisphere, while Royal Navy would continue its anti-submarine action around British Isles with the assistance which US Navy could provide him. This one was not made wait: 6 destroyers gained Cobh (then Queenstown) in Ireland as of on May 4th, 1917. July 5th, there were 35 American destroyers in this base. At the end of the war, 383 American war buildings were in Europe and the fleet counted more 2 000 ships and 533 000 officers and sailors. One stopped as of the month of May 1917 a construction schedule of Linership launched in 1916 to build in priority 250 destroyers and 400 hunters of Sous-marin S.

To transport the task force to France, Navy Department laid out, in all and for all, on July 1st, 1917, of 7 ships of transport of troops and 6 trading vessels, is 94 000 tons. In November 1918, a Cruiser and Transport Forces of 143 vessels, representative 3 250 000 tons had been made up. It ensured the transport of 911 000 soldiers in France (a million others were it by the British Navy) like 8 700 000 tons of material, France providing as for it most of the armament and ammunition is approximately 4 000 000 of tons.

The convoys of American troops for Europe were so well defended that there was not to deplore any loss of ships charged with troops, which constitutes a remarkable success.

At the beginning of 1918, the allies reflect a final point with the action of the U-Boot S of the Kaiserliche Marine when their principal escape way, the passage of 290 km between the the Orkneys and the Norway, was barred by a field of 70 000 marine mines

Inter-war period

Since 1922, most of the fleet is in the Pacific Ocean, most of the fleet resulting from the Great War is disarmed.

The Crise of 1929 and the economies budgetary in the Budget of defense which follow touch it from there with much amplitude, even if it less touched than the United States Army.

It is then divided into two very unequal fleets in quantity and quality:

the United States Fleet with:

the Battle Forces , which counts the modern battleships, the aircraft carriers, a division of cruisers and three or four divisions of destroyers. It is based with Pearl Harbor, with Hawaii.
the Scouting Force , which includes/understands the remainder of the cruisers and several destroyers, operates in the Atlantic and the Caribbean. It has in other of a squadron drive which counts the three older battleships and eight destroyers.
the Submarine Forces , whose submarines are distributes equitably on the two oceans.
the Base Forces , or the Train , which gathers the auxiliaries distributes between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

the Asiatic Fleet , which exists under various names since 1835, is based in République of China and comprent:

the South Clouded Patrol , with 19 destroyers based with Chefou.
the Yangtze To rivet Gunboats Flotilla , with five Drain-hole S based with Shanghai.
Twelve submarines and of the auxiliaries.

In 1933, with the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt with the presidency of the United States, a Net rectification appears. Its goal is to carry the fleet at the level authorized by the Traité of Washington of 1922 of which it is far.

The Congrès of the United States agrees to grant appropriations sufficient for launching new ships, but blocks on the other hand the marine number of S, so that in 1935, the navy has only: 8000 officers and: 82500 sailors who can arm the ships that with 81 %;

One notes between 1934 and 1939 a notable increase, especially with regard to the cruisers and the destroyers. But the forecasts show that 1944 would have to be waited until to arrive at the desired level.

When the Sino-Japanese war bursts in 1937, the Asiatic Fleet is repatriated with the Filipino whereas an incident preceding occurs the engagements to come.

At the time of the Japanese projection on Nankin, the drain-hole USS Panay (PR-5) taking part in the evacuation of the foreign nationals of the east city deliberately run following the action of the colonel of the Armed imperial Japanese woman Kingore Hashimoto who after having cannonaded without result the ship the day before calls upon aviation the December 12th 1937 to send it by the bottom. Member of a Secret society from which the goal is to eliminate any civil influence in the Japanese government, it considered it necessary for that to cause a war with the United States.

In spite of the death of two sailors and a civilian, the business does not degenerate because the government of Tokyo expresses excuses immediately and offers repairs and in addition the American Isolationnisme supported by the vast majority of the Public opinion prevents very possible military reaction.

The Scouting Force will become Atlantic Squadron in January 1939, composed in the beginning of an aircraft carrier, of four old battleships, four cruisers heavy and a flotilla of destroyers. It will be the core of the formed Atlantic Fleet on February 1st, 1942.

The Second world war

With the release of the Second world war which had seen the Germany dominating continental Europe and the Japanese imperialism to become increasingly active in Asia and in the Pacific, the Sénat of the United States had voted the June 14th 1940 the Naval Expansion Act , also known under the names of Law Vinson-Walsh or Two-Ocean Navy Act followed other laws of programming which allotted considerable appropriations to increase the fleet of 70 %, the construction of 1 325 000 tons of warships, the purchase or the conversion of 100 000 of auxiliaries and to assemble manpower of the Air and sea to 15 000 apparatuses against less than 300 embarked planes, more or less modern, and an about sixty large Seaplane S in September 1939.

February 1st, 1941, United States Fleet based in the Pacific takes the name of Pacific Fleet.

Measures aiming at helping the the United Kingdom are taken, while remaining neutral. In exchange of the demise of bases in the Caribbean, Royal Navy receives 40 old American destroyers; the zone of neutrality under the protection of the United States inaugurated in 1939 is carried to the meridian 26e. It obliges the U-Boot S to limit their attacks in the oriental party of the Atlantic. In margin of the Lease-lend, the Greenland is placed the April 10th 1941 under American protection and the July 7th, of the American troops take the changing of the British forces in Iceland.

From April in June 1941, three battleships, an aircraft carrier, four cruisers and two flotillas of destroyers are transferred from the Pacific to the Atlantic (either 20 % of the fleet of the Pacific).

In September 1941, an additional step of the more high importance is crossed. Ships of US Navy take part in the escort of the Convoi S in the North Atlantic and enters the second battle of the Atlantic.

The October 17th 1941, a U-Boot damages seriously the destroyer USS Kearney . The 31, it is the USS Reuben James which is run by a German submarine. At the same time, a air and sea Group composed of an aircraft carrier and two battleships supervises the outlet of the Détroit of Denmark (between the Iceland and the Greenland), likely to be borrowed by buildings of the Kriegsmarine. If the battleship of pocket Admiral Scheer had not been victim of a damage of machines, one would have probably witnessed the first German-American naval engagement, more than one month before the Japanese attack. The president Franklin Delano Roosevelt however refuses to push the things to the extreme; generally, he neglects to forward to the American Navy the interceptions of the messages of the machine Enigma transmitted by the British services.

But at the time of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Navy had always only 6 operational aircraft carriers (8 whole included/understood at December 31st, 1941 with the CV-1 Langley like transport of planes) and engaged the Campagnes of the Pacific against the Japanese imperial Marine with an unquestionable handicap.

The Armoured S of the Fleet of the Pacific being run or very seriously damaged, US Navy had to conceive an original strategy with the means which remained at its disposal.

The “ Silent Service ”, quiet service of the American submarines, whose tactic rested on discretion, and who had to deplore the loss of 52 units had a big role and ignored enough by strangling the Japanese economy.

They intervened as of the beginning of the operations, whereas the Japanese were the Masters of the Pacific. In.liaison.with the British submarines and Dutch, the 289 American submarines ran 1 178 trading vessels either or 4 800 000 tons and 201 war buildings (including 8 aircraft carrier, 15 cruisers, 45 destroyers, 25 submarines) for the loss of 52 units. Thus the merchant fleet of the Empire of Japan which was of six million barrels in 1941 was reduced to 312 000 barrels with the capitulation in 1945.

The industrial power of the United States is felt massively in 1943. On the whole, the navy brings into service 8 fast battleships, 17 heavy aircraft carriers of Classe Essex, 9 aircraft carriers light of Classe Independence, 77 escort carrier and it posts a quasi absolute superiority in the field of the buildings of unloading, of the Train of squadron or the genius ave the Seabee S.

September 2nd, 1945, US Navy lays out of 99 aircraft carriers and more than 41 000 planes, it was the height of its power.

On the whole, 354 ships of US Navy of any type were destroyed during this conflict including 10 aircraft carrier, 5 run battleships, 24 cruisers and 26 destroyers for which it is necessary to add the loss of 5 units of USCG and 16.512 destroyed planes.

to supplement

The cold war

August 1st

Dice the finished second world war, one attended a very fast demobilization of the American forces. For the Navy, one disarmed 607 large ships of which almost all battleships and 1 233 light units of which several hundreds are put in reserve under “cocoon”, it is the 16th fleet, wet in 7 bays of the east coast of the United States.

One undertook to finish the 3 large aircraft carriers of Classe Midway of 45 000 T., some anti-aircraft cruisers of 13 000 with 17 000 T. like several destroyers and escort ships.

The fleet activates is summarized at the end of the years 1940 to two great units:

Fleet of the Atlantic: 12 aircraft carriers, 1 linership, 16 cruisers, 79 destroyers and 35 submarines.
Fleet of the Pacific: 8 aircraft carriers, 1 linership, 15 cruisers, 79 destroyers and 35 submarines.

The unit remains imposing and the ships much more powerful than at the beginning of the decade.

Situation in 2006 and futurologies for the Years 2010

The number of combat ships is in constant reduction after the apogee of the Second world war where US Navy less counted fine 1945 pas than 95 Porte-avions but the Navy of the United States remains the first of the world by far after having during the Cold war pursued by the Soviet Marine. Within the framework of budgetary economies required by the Administration Clinton, the number of combat buildings, amphibians and of support to 300 in 2000 instead of the 450 was tiny room envisaged by the Administration Bush father in 1992, already reduced on the 600 envisaged by the Administration of Reagan in 1981.

The major operations in the course of the American forces in the War against terrorism since the beginning of the 21e century reaching of the considerable costs, that has consequences on the programmes of renewal of the fleet.

Indeed, it passed in 2006 under the threshold of the 260 warships whereas it aligned 568 units in 1987. To stop this deflation, US Navy hopes to obtain 32 new ships in addition to the ships normally envisaged, to compensate for the withdrawals, which appears doubtful under the current conditions. All the programs of equipment took from 1 to 3 years of delay.

According to edition 2006 of Fleets of combat , it appears probable that starting from 2012/2013, the Navy cannot preserve her current format of 12 super Porte-avions of more than 100 000 T and which it will be tiny room to 10 units. Even report about its 12 large helicopter carrier of attack of 40 000 T which would be also tiny room to 10 starting from 2011.

At the air and sea level, the last F-14 Tomcat were withdrawn from the service and were replaced by F/A-18E/F '' Super Hornet '', evolution of the Hornet , which with this one will compose totality of the fighters of the fleet. An evolution of this last is in the course of development to replace the planes of electronic Guerre EA-6B '' Prowler '' which will see nevertheless their life prolonged until in 2012/2015; this Standard isation should make it possible to carry out large savings of Logistique and mechanic and pilot training. Convertible MV-22-A '' Osprey '' starts to enter slowly in service on the ships of attack. The program of the F-35 takes much delay and risk to be operational only in 2014, which will pose problem with the USMC whose last AV-8B Harrier II will be withdrawn from the service at the same time.

In the category of the Cruiser S, after the withdrawal of the first five not modernized specimens of the class USS Ticonderoga, the situation must remain stable with twenty-two units of which several are equipped from 2006 with missiles anti Ballistic missile within the framework with the National missile defense.

To compensate for the delay of the program of large the Destroyer S futuristic of the Classe Zumwalt which in the beginning was to count 30 units and will limit finally between 8 and 12 specimens because of the enormous cost of these ships (2,3 billion dollars the unit) and which were to in theory replace the Classe Spruance whose last were disarmed in 2005, US Navy ordered some Arleigh Burke additional Flight IIA. This class will thus include/understand finally 62 units (28 Flight I and II, and 34 Flight IIA).

The program of frigates furtive Littoral combat ship intended to replace the last frigates Classe Oliver H. Perry with taken as delay and it is not very probable as the 56 units envisaged are built. 2 LCS flight 0 of the project Lockeed Martin and 2 LCS flight 0 of the project General Dynamics should have been built but of the problems of going beyond of cost made stop the building site of the third specimen and it will be only in the end of 2007 that the definitively selected model will be stopped.

The program of large LPD of Classe San Antonio at taken 3 years of delay, whereas 12 transport of troops was to be delivered between 2003 and 2010, one will see finally only 9 ships entering in service in 2006 and 2010.

The number of underwater nuclear of attack will be tiny room to 48 units (instead of 54). The Classe Virginia, which was to include/understand between 15 and 30 units, will be perhaps tiny room to a little more than one ten with an order per annum but the American congress seeks to increase rate to reach the two deliveries per annum.

12 SNLE of the Classe Ohio will be still theoretically in service in the years 2010 and do not have yet of designated successor while the 4 SSGN ex-SNLE of the same class of which first is operational since 2006 gives a considerable firepower and a support for the Special forces which will undoubtedly be appreciated by the interested staffs.

Battle order at January 1st, 2002

BUILDINGS OF COMBAT

AMPHIBIOUS BUILDINGS

BUILDINGS OF LOGISTICAL SUPPORT (except MSC and RRF)

TOTAL TONNAGE Of the US NAVY: 3.003.655 tons

Source: Fleets of combat 2002

Deployment of the Fleet S

2 {{E}} fleet: spreads in the Atlantic Ocean (HQ: naval Base of Norfolk (Virginia)), under the command of the US Joint Forces Command
3 {{E}} fleet: in the Pacific Ocean is spread Is, under the command of USPACOM (HQ: Pearl Harbor (Hawaii); ship-admiral: USS Coronado )

5 {{E}} fleet: spreads in the Persian Gulf and in Mer of Oman, under the command of USCENTCOM (HQ: Manama, Bahrain)

6 {{E}} fleet: spreads the Mediterranean at sea, under the command of USEUCOM (HQ: Naples, Italy; ship-admiral USS Mount Whitney )

7 {{E}} fleet: spreads itself in the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean, under the command of USPACOM (HQ: Yokosuka, Japan; ship-admiral: USS Blue Ridge )

Ranks in US Navy

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