Naval Operations Quotes
Most Americans do not realize that our naval forces were disbanded after the Revolution and even the Constitution did not require a navy. We had some Federal revenue cutters to interdict smugglers but no warships and no permanent sailors or officers. The Barbary Pirates had an incredible extortion racket going in the Mediterranean. If nations would pay them an annual sum each year, they would not attack and seize merchant ships of that country and sell the ships and goods while holding the sailors for ransom. See {640850},86703,{640846} & {640848}
At the time, most Japanese (and American and worldwide) Naval leaders and strategists believed that it was the battleship that was the critical naval weapon. Yamamoto proved to be correct and ironically, the American Aircraft Carriers and Planes were his undoing.
One of the interesting things about Roosevelt is that he thoroughly enjoyed both the politics and the administrative parts of his different positions.
Months after the Tonkin Gulf incident, the President complained about the reliability of the information he had gotten from the navy, The escalaton of the Vietnam War was the result of Johnson acting on this information.
Roosevelt was then the Assistant Navy Secretary. However, the Secretary was on vacation and Roosevelt as Acting Secretary anticipated the Spanish American War. TR had also ordered large amounts of supplies and ammunition and when the President and Congress were faced with the possibility of war with Spain, the Navy was fully ready for war enabling the Declaration.
