Q5. W h a t w a s t h e m a j o r c a u s e o f t h eSpanish-American War?Q6. Who was instrumental in quickly ending theSpanish-American War?THE NAVY FROM 1900 THROUGHWORLD WAR ILearning Objective: When you finish this chapter, youwill be able to—Recognize the roles and responsibilities of theNavy during World War I.The 20th century began with a world at uneasypeace. Between the end of the 19th century and WWI,the U.S. Navy developed some new weapons. Forexample, in April 1900 the Navy accepted its firstoperational submarine, USS Holland.SUBMARINESThe Navy continued to experiment with thedevelopment of submarines throughout the next decade.One of the main problems continued to be the gasolineengine—it heated up and gave off fumes that overcamemany of the crew.The gasoline engine was replaced by the dieselengine. The first diesel engines were installed in theUSS Skipjack (SS 24) and the USS Sturgeon (SS 25).These new engines required no complicated ignition orsparking systems, produced fewer fumes, and werecheaper to operate. The diesel engine and electricbattery remained as the main propulsion systems forsubmarines until nuclear power emerged in the 1950s.DESTROYERSDestroyers had been used primarily to delivertorpedo attacks. With the development of thes u b m a r i n e , t h ey b e c a m e s u b m a r i n e h u n t e r s .Construction of our first destroyer, which displaced 420tons, began in 1899. Destroyers proved so successfulthat building these ships began on a large scale. From1892 to 1914, the start of World War I, over 50destroyers were built; and 273 were ordered during thewar.CRUISERS AND BATTLESHIPSThe battleship resulted from the major changes inship design that took place during the 19th century.Battleships carried heavy guns and correspondingarmor protection. The United States had begun buildingits battlewagons in the late 1880s; each succeeding classhad more firepower than the one before.By 1895, the heavy elements of the U.S. Fleetconsisted of 15 steel cruisers, the heavy cruiser USSNew York, and three battleships. The first twobattleships were the USS Texas, commissioned onAugust 15, 1895, and the USS Maine, commissioned onSeptember 17, 1895. Both were listed as “second-class”battleships. The third ship, the USS Indiana (BB 1), wascommissioned in 1895. It was our first “first-class”battleship.In 1906, the United States began a largebattleship-building program. Five battleships were ofthe same class as the USS New Mexico and USSColorado; however, they weren’t completed until afterWorld War I. Based on lessons learned from wartimeexperiences, many improvements were incorporatedinto their design. For example, battleships of the sameclass as the USS Colorado were the first ones equippedwith 16-inch guns.NAVAL AVIATIONAs the 19th century drew to a close, the Wrightbrothers were working on their flying craft. The Wrightbrothers’ first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,began the vision of the future. Most people thought offlying as a stunt or a sport, while others talked about5-15Student Notes:
Integrated Publishing, Inc. - A (SDVOSB) Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business
