THE HISTORY OF NAVIES AROUND THE WORLD Even the human face of the navy has evolved over the centuries and can be expected to continue chang ing in the years ahead Starting in the second half of the 20th century some countries around the world began relaxing their policies toward gays and women allowing gays to serve openly in the military and women to have more prominent roles including serv ing in combat In the 21st century the United States Navy the world s largest followed suit adopting policies more accepting of gays in the military and women in combat than in the past While the image of a sailor has become increas ingly more difficult to pin down so too has the definition of a modern navy Of course the core of a navy remains ships and sailors but today s navies also consist of planes and helicopters commando units and remote control vehicles This volume will trace the evolution that has led from oardriven galleyships to nuclearpowered submar rines and beyond Its pages will chronicle some 5 000 years of naval history and show how new exploits are continuing to add to naval tradition In describing the navies of today this book will profile some prominent national navies from around the world demonstrating how the challenge of mastering the seas is one that inspires people from a variety of cultures Ultimately naval tradition is not just long lived but is truly a global phenomenon Understanding that tradition is both a key to understanding history and a clue to the future Io
WHAT IS A NAVY navy is the seagoing arm of a nation s military forces In an army the indi vidual soldier is the fighting unit In a navy however it is the individual ship that makes up a fighting unit All members of the crew from the captain on the bridge to the boiler technician work together in order to make the ship an effective instru ment of combat WHY Is A NAVY IMPORTANT On April 2 1982 the military forces of Argentina seized the Falkland Islands a British possession in the South Atlantic Three days later a huge task force of Great Britain's Royal Navy sailed from Portsmouth England on a mission to recover the islands Before the end of April the task force had covered the 8 000 miles 13 000 kilometers between England and the Falklands Military operations officially began on April 25 Less OTI
THE HISTORY OF NAVIES AROUND THE WORLD than 1 weeks later the war was over and Britain had achieved its goal Success was made possible by Britain s ability to gain and keep control of the seas fend off air and sea attacks from Argentina and put combat units ashore In all history said Viscount Bernard Law Montgomery the nation which has had control of the seas has in the end pre vailed This conviction reaffirms a point of view developed by the American naval offi cer Alfred T Mahan in 1890 His book The Influence of Sea Power upon History 1660 1783 is a survey of British naval power In it he states that a nation needs a strong industrial base and a powerful navy in order to achieve mili tary supremacy and to extend its commerce around the world The book was one of the most influential military studies and had a very strong influence on the naval buildup in Europe prior to World War I For nearly four centuries Great Britain's Royal Navy commanded the sea lanes of the world During that time Britain lost only one major conflict the American Revolution The reason for the loss can in great measure be blamed on inadequate naval power in the face of an alliance of the young United States with France and Spain 12
American naval officer and historian Alfred T Mahan Mahan's book influenced naval strategy both in the United States and in Europe prior to World War I BuyenlargelArchive Photos Getty Images I3
