The United States Navy has a rich history of innovation and excellence; specifically, the Submarine Force, naval aviation, and contributions to space. All three of these areas have played an important role in shaping the strategic capabilities and operational effectiveness of the Navy.
The roots of the Submarine Force in the United States Navy can be traced back to the time of the American Revolution with the invention of the Turtle, which was considered to be the world’s first combat submarine. The Turtle did not successfully break the British blockade in Boston Harbor, but it formed a precedent for further improvement. This was followed by the entry of the Navy into the undersea realm with the purchase of the USS Holland (SS-1) from John P. Holland, which served very valuable experimental purposes when acquired in 1900.
While the role of the submarines during World War I was minimal, it managed to be one of the highly imperative forces during World War II. The U.S. submarines contributed greatly to the sinking of 540,192 tons of Japanese naval vessels and 4,779,902 tons of merchant shipping, accounting for 54.6 percent of all Japanese vessel losses. Further development and introduction into the active service of nuclear-powered submarines – for example, USS Nautilus (SSN-571) – and the establishment of the Tomahawk land-attack missile enabled further enhancement of the submarine force’s possible strategic implications.
Today, the U.S. submarine force is the most capable in the world, including Los Angeles-, Ohio-, Seawolfand Virginia-class submarines. Today, the Naval Undersea Museum and Submarine Force Museum continue to preserve and interpret this rich history and technological advancement of the U.S. Navy’s undersea operations.
Finally, the early 1990s saw some real geopolitical shifts and military engagements that tested the mettle of U.S. naval aviation. With the approach of the Gulf War in 1991, U.S. aircraft carriers arrived near the Persian Gulf, their decks standing ready to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles at pre-programmed targets. The liberation of Kuwait was swift but naval aviation remained vigilant patrolling Iraq during the ensuing years.
When the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, the Navy’s personnel and material began to be downsized. The Clinton administration favored a reduced defense budget. Even in a period of such conservatism, however, naval aviation played a critical part in the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Aircraft carriers supported Operation Provide Promise and Operations Deny Flight, patrolling Bosnian airspace to deny its use as a medium for warfare.
In 1995, aircraft from the USS Theodore Roosevelt undertook Operation Deliberate Force against the Bosnian Serb forces. Later that year peace of sorts arrived with the signing of Dayton Accords; Operation Joint Endeavor was a military enforcement of the treaty.
The 1990s also saw another landmark for women in the Navy when most restrictions on their participation in aerial and naval combat were lifted. In October 1994, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first to deploy with women permanently assigned on board.
Captain Walter M. Schirra, Jr., was a decorated naval aviator and an astronaut representative of the many contributions of the Navy to space research. Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, Schirra graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1945 and subsequently served in a variety of roles including a flight leader during the Korean War, completing ninety combat missions.
In 1959, Schirra was selected by NASA as one of the seven military test pilots to become astronauts in Project Mercury, the first US-manned satellite program. On October 3, 1962, he undertook a six-orbit flight above the Earth in his Sigma 7 spacecraft. He commanded the mission of Gemini VI, achieving the first rendezvous of two manned maneuverable spacecraft.
In 1968, Schirra commanded the Apollo VII, the first manned orbital flight of the Apollo Program, which orbited the Earth 163 times in eleven days. He received numerous accolades for his exceptional service, including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
This tradition of innovation and greatness fostered by its leadership, in various fields ranging from undersea warfare to aviation and space, continues to shape the strategic capabilities of the U.S. Navy to ensure that the latter remains as capable as possible within this steadily changing landscape of military technologies and global security.