The Martial Spirit—Naval Style: The Naval Reform Movement and the Establishment of the General Board of the Navy, 1873 – 1900 (original) (raw)

CHARTING A NEW COURSE: The Knox-Pye-King Board and Naval Professional Education, 1919–23

2018

E ducation occurs in many forms within the context of military organizations, whether during peace or war� Training often reflects the prevailing doctrines, as prescribed within the hierarchical context of rank-oriented organizations� The nexus between education and training remains an uncharted area of historical interest among contemporary military thinkers� As we look beyond the present to the unexplored frontier of the future, the past may offer some perspective on the question of professional military education� Given these broad assertions, this article focuses on the problem of education within the U�S� Navy of the First World War era� In considering the efforts of Captains Dudley W� Knox and Ernest J� King of a century ago, contemporary practitioners may recognize familiar trends concerning the future of professional military education� Throughout their careers of more than fifty years, Knox and King challenged fellow American naval professionals to open their minds in addressing the strategic problem of education� With Commander William S� Pye contributing, Knox and King studied the problem in detail on their return from Europe after the First World War� Knox and King presided in compiling their recommendations, while Pye gathered evidence to substantiate their conclusions concerning the problem of education within the Navy� Knox, King, and Pye characterized U�S� naval professionals,

Cutting Through the Ranks: the Navy’s Forgotten Legacy

2019

The bearer of this sword was a member of a United States Navy that rapidly grew in power during the Civil War, increasing its enlistment 500% and developing the first ironclad ship. However, even as the Navy was in the midst of its transition, one thing remained in place: The U.S. Model 1852 Navy Officer’s Sword. The sword is still used in the Navy today, albeit for ceremonial purposes. Yet, for all that this sword symbolizes, very few scholars have given much attention to it or the sailors who used it in the Civil War. The common soldier has received much more attention than the common seaman and his officers. While there were considerably more men serving in the Army than the Navy (the Navy started the war with 7,600 sailors and grew to 51,500 by the end, whereas the Union Army boasted about 2.2 million enlisted men), the Navy was still an important part of the Union war effort and therefore deserving of attention. An analysis of the U.S. Model 1852 Navy Officer’s Sword provides a...

Naval Command and Tactics During the American War for Independence

Naval Command and Tactics During the American War for Independence, 2020

This project explores the effective and ineffective use of aggression during the American War for Independence (1775-1783). The contemporary historiography agrees that an admiral’s command abilities, such as his battle preparation methods, approach to naval command and tactics and use of signals during battle, impacted the use of aggression during battle. That said, historians also individually claim that certain contextual factors, such as the ineffective signal system, the insufficiency of the navy, French unwillingness to fight and the increased centralization of eighteenth century society, influenced the contrast in the use of aggression during the American War. By comparing mid-eighteenth century and American War admirals’ additional instructions, signal books, quotes, letters as well as key battles of each period, this project will further explore admirals’ command abilities to highlight what the effective use of aggression required and why some American War admirals were able to effectively use aggression while others faltered. This project will also compare contextual factors, such as catalyst(s) for reform, the society, the politics, the sufficiency of the navy, tactical doctrines and battle circumstances, of the mid-eighteenth century and the American War period to show how an admiral’s context influenced his use of aggression. Ultimately, the project will show that, while aggressive tactics were generally attempted during the American War, there existed a contrast in admirals’ use of aggression because the necessary contextual and command factors did not, or did not always, exist.

Naval Power in the Twenty-first Century: A Naval College Review Reader

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