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
THE HISTORY OF NAVIES AROUND THE WORLD Command of the seas was a primary ingre dient in the Greek defeat of the Persians in the 5th century BCH in Rome's defeat of Carthage in the 3rd century BCE in Britain s defeat of France during the Napoleonic Wars and in the victory of the Allies over Germany Italy and Japan in World War II CoMMAND STRUCTURE The command structure of modern navies evolved slowly over the centuries Such early navies as those of Greece and Rome were rather simply run Ships were guided by an expert seaman and powered by banks of rowers There was normally a contingent of marines kept in reserve for hand to hand combat when an enemy ship was boarded As naval warfare became more complex onboard responsibilities were divided among officers and seamen of various ranks The enormous technological complexities of modern warfare served to create many highly specialized functions The command structure covered here is that of the United States Navy Other major navies of the world are similar though officer titles may vary from country to country
WHAT IS A NAVY Naval personnel are ranked in two cat egories enlisted men and commissioned officers There are nine rates ranks or posi tions of enlisted men The lowest rate is Seaman recruit Above the recruit are seaman apprentice and seaman The rate of seaman is comparable to that of a private first class in the Army or a lance corporal in the Marines Above the seaman ratings are six grades of noncommissioned officers all using the term petty officer Lowest of these is petty officer 3rd class followed by 2nd class 1st class chief petty officer senior chief petty officer and master chief petty officer The petty officer 3rd class is comparable to an Army corporal Higher levels are of a grade similar to the various rankings of sergeants with the master chief petty officer being on the same level as a staff sergeant major Basic training for recruits is conducted at Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois After basic training recruits enter areas of specialization in which they will work dur ing their terms of service Among the many occupational fields are marine engineering ship maintenance weapons control data systems construction health care logistics cryptology communications intelligence 15
