incident is probably best remembered by CommanderTaussig’s simple remark upon reporting to the Britishadmiral in charge: “I shall be ready when refueled, sir.”D e s t r oy e r s b e c a m e a p r i m a r y s y m b o l o fBritish-American cooperation during WWI. Destroyerswere the main defense against German U-boats, whichwere practicing unrestricted warfare and terrorizing theseas. U-boat attacks were one reason for our entry intothe war.The British and Americans exchanged signals,codes, and inventions in combining their destroyerforces to seek out and attack the German submarines.Destroyers served as escorts for troopships and supplyconvoys for the Allies, helping to ensure their safety. OnNovember 17, 1917, the destroyers USS Nicholson andUSS Fanning were the first U.S. ships to sink an enemysubmarine.When the United States entered World War I, navalaviation assets were limited. The nation had only 54aircraft, 1 air station, and 287 personnel assigned toaviation. The nation had no armed forces or operationsabroad.In spite of its size, the air arm proved its value as asupporting unit to surface antisubmarine (ASW) forces.Navy pilots served with Allied units in France andEngland. The airplane created a new breed of hero, theace. Nineteen year-old Lieutenant David Ingalls, laterAssistant Secretary of the Navy (Air), flew a SopwithCamel to become the Navy’s first ace.In World War I, the women’s role in the Navy cameinto its own. In 1811, a Navy surgeon recommendedemploying women in hospitals to care for the Navy’ssick and wounded. The idea was not acted upon at thattime.NOTEIn the Civil War, women nurses, although notpart of the Navy, served aboard the hospital shipUSS Red Rover in the medical department. Inthe war of 1898, the first trained nurses in theNavy, though not an official unit, werestationed at the Norfolk Naval Hospital to carefor the injured. A decade later (in 1908), theNurse Corps was officially born.As the nation readied itself for World War I, itneeded Yeomen and personnel in related jobs to handlethe growing demand from headquarters and naval shorestations. Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, askedhis legal advisors, “Is there any law that says a Yeomanmust be a man?” The answer was no, but until that timeonly men had been enlisted. “Then enroll women in theNaval Reserve as Yeomen,” the Secretary said. In suchjobs, he added, they would offer the best “assistance thatthe country can provide.”Immediately after the United States entered WorldWar I, women were enlisted on a large scale “in order torelease enlisted men for active service at sea.” By thetime the armistice was signed, 11,275 women wereenlisted in service as Yeomen (F). They handled most ofthe clerical work at the Navy Department, in addition tomany highly important special duties. Yeomen (F) werestationed in Guam, the Panama Canal Zone, andHawaii, in addition to the United States and France.About 300 “Marinettes,” as the female enlistedpersonnel of the Marine Corps were designated, wereon duty during the war. Most of them were stationed atMarine Corps Headquarters at the Navy Department,although a number were assigned with Marine Corpsrecruiting units.All Yeomen (F) were released from active duty byJuly 31, 1919. Secretary Daniels sent the followingmessage to the Yeomen (F): “It is with deep gratitude forthe splendid service rendered by the Yeomen (F) duringour national emergency that I convey to them the sincereappreciation of the Navy Department for their patrioticcooperation.”REVIEW 4 QUESTIONSNOTEAll questions in this review concern WorldWar I (WW I).Q1. Before WW I, the Navy built surface ships andsubmarines. What other development occurredthen that is still a big part of today’s navalarsenal?5-17Student Notes:
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