HST 315: Military History of the U'S'

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HST 315 Military History of the U.S.

• Naval Developments, 1865-1910s

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Naval Developments, 1865-1910s

• Contributions of Luce and Mahan
• Mahans ideas and influence
• Roosevelts influence
• Developments in naval technology

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Post Civil War Naval Policy

• 1860s-1870s
• Reduction of fleet
• Return to sail steam an adjunct
• Commerce raiders, not battleships

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Post Civil War Naval Policy

• 1880s-1890s
• Steam gradually replaced sail power
• But designs not advanced
• US dependent on others for coal globally

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Post Civil War Naval Policy

• 1880s-1890s
• Protected cruisers (Newark, Baltimore)

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Post Civil War Naval Policy

• 1880s-1890s
• Armored cruisers (Maine, Texas)

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Luce and Naval Professionalism

• Stephen Luce
• Civil War
• Saw connection between land operations and use of
  sea power
• Concern for naval professionalism
• Seamanship no longer enough
• Systematic study of strategy needed

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Naval War College, Newport, RI, 1884

• Luce primary founder and first president
• Brought in Mahan
• Prompted him to think about naval strategy on a
  grand scale

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Alfred Thayer Mahan

• Background
• Career
• Famous trilogy
• The Influence of Sea Power on History, 1660-1783
• The Influence of Sea Power upon the French
  Revolution and Empire, 1793-1812
• Sea Power and Its Relation to the War of 1812

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Mahans Strategic Thought

• Control of crucial geographic positions key to
  world power

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Mahans Formula for Success in War

• Destroy enemys main battle fleet
• This frees own fleet to
• raid commerce
• blockade enemy
• cooperate with own land forces to destroy enemy
  on land

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Spanish-American War Seemed to Prove Mahan Right

• Dewey at Manila Bay, May 1, 1898
• Schley at Santiago de Cuba, May 29, 1898
• Spain unable to transfer forces from Europe to
  scene of conflict

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Implications of Mahans Doctrine

• Biggest navy always wins
• Sparked expensive naval arms race
• Emphasis on big-gun battleships
• HMS Dreadnought, 1906

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Limitation of Mahans Doctrine

• Ignored developments in mines and submarines
  (still experimental)
• USS Holland, 1900

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Roosevelts Influence

• Theodore Roosevelt
• Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 1897-98
• Hero of Spanish-American War
• McKinleys VP in election of 1900
• President after McKinleys assassination, Sept.
  1901

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Roosevelts Influence

• Saw value of a large, two ocean navy
• Protect U.S. political and economic interests
• Strength of navy would deter war
• Used prestige of presidency to convince Congress
  to expand and modernize the fleet.
• By the end of Roosevelts presidency the U.S. was
  the worlds third greatest naval power (behind
  U.K. and Germany).

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Voyage of the Great White Fleet, 1907

• Global voyage cemented public support for large,
  modern navy

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Major Developments in Naval Technology, 1865-1910s

• Transition from wood and sail to steel and steam
• Conversion from coal to oil well underway when
  WWI began
• Transition from muzzle-loading broadside guns to
  breechloaders in turrets
• Drastic increase in ranges 20 miles or more (to
  the horizon)

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Evolution of Battleships

• 1870s-1905 Multi-purpose gun platforms
• 1906 onward Big gun ship-killers

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From Ironclads to armored belts
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Sophisticated armor scheme
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