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Joshua Vannoy
Eric Ratica
Microsoft Applications

Evolution of the US Navy from 1865 to the Modern Era

In todays society where the national security is constantly being threatened by outside
forces on a constant basis. There is one force that is constantly being deployed around the world
to protect everyone in the United States, the US Navy. The Navy has protected the nation since
its conception on Oct. 17, 1775 (Naval History and Historical). Ever since then, the navy has
been in constant change and improvement, especially since the end of the Civil War. Since then,
the navy has had the task of keeping the nation safe, and has constantly changed to meet the
threats posed to the nation. Over the past 151 years, the US Navy has constantly been evolving to
meet the challenges in the modern battlefield.
At the end of the Civil War, The navy had found itself at the back of the world when it
came to any form of technological superiority. The rise of the ironclads and the steam powered
ships had proven that this was the case. The navy in this time had been following the old
traditions that large Sloops of War and frigates were the hallmarks of a great nation, but the
world was changing (McBride, William). At this time, the navies of Great Britain and France had
begun the construction of warships that had ran on the use of steam engines and propellers
instead of the sail (McBride, William). This, along with the fact that the members of both the
Line Officers and Engineers had held a substantial gap, led to the navy integrating Line Officer
and Engineer Training at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland(McBride,
William.). This training, however, fell apart very quickly as the campus was unable to reach the

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goals set up by the navy for passing engineers (McBride, William). They later formed the
program to have a select few students work under the engineers program (McBride, William).
The same problem was also affecting the creation of the new Naval Architect, which were
limited to only to 46 members in 1902 and 75 in 1903 (McBride, William).
The US Navy had a substantial change in its operations during the war periods between
1915-1545. One such change was the rise of new technologies such as the submarine, and the
Torpedo Boat Destroyer (later known as a Destroyer) (McBride, William). In between the wars
was the rise of the use of aircraft in the theater of Naval Warfare. The feasibility of the airplane

The destroyer has evolved many different times since the original Clemson
class destroyers sailed, leading up to the newest class of destroyer, the Arleigh
Burke class Flight 2
in naval warfare was tested on the German Naval Battleship Ostfriesland (McBride, William).
These test were done to show the feasibility of Airplanes as Naval Artillery and delivering
explosive payload. The test were conducted in violation of the Rules of Engagement at the time,
and were later wrote off by saying that the battleship was still the most capable ship on the seas
(McBride, William). Even though this this was later proven wrong on December 7th 1941, the
navy began to turn the shells of the Battleships that had not been completed before the 1922
Washington Naval Treaty into first generation Aircraft Carriers (McBride, William). These would
become vital after the attack on Pearl Harbor when most of the fleet in the pacific was destroyed.
They would be at the front of many of the major engagements during the pacific campaign.

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After World War Two, the US Navy had to engage a new enemy with new weapons. The
soviets had become hostile and the United States had gained the power of the Atomic Bomb
(Marolda, Edward J.).The navy had become the front lines in the new Cold War (Marolda,
Edward J.). They had to adapt themselves to face this new enemy in the Cold War by gaining a
technological edge with the use of jet aircraft and ship based missile systems. As time went on,
the systems become more advanced and the notions of the old ways were gone, all except one,
racial equality (Sherwood, John Darrell). The Navy still did not allow for the equal treatment to
blacks and whites and many African Americans did not have the same chances and employments
as their white counterparts (Sherwood, John Darrell). This led to sit ins aboard the USS
Constellation and riots n the USS Kitty Hawk and USS Hassayampa (Sherwood, John Darrell).
The Navy had had enough and issued a policy of equality across the fleet (Sherwood, John
Darrell). After this, much of the Navy advanced forward with the help of technology, and
outperformed the Soviets, dispute their best attempts. Once the Soviet Union collapsed, they
were left as the only major power on the seas.
As can be seen through this essay, the United States Navy has advanced a great deal since
the Civil War ended. They have held their stance in the world as the lone superpower on the seas
for close to 35 years. Though this may be, the times are changing with the rise of another power
in the far east. China has become a major naval power in recent years with the commissioning of
the Liaoning and the buildup of their Navy. Does this mean that they will rise to surpass the
Navy? I believe not. The Navy shall rise to meet the challenges and advance with technological
superiority.

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Works Cited
McBride, William. Technological Change and the United States Navy: 1865-1945. Baltimore,
London. The John Hopkins University Press, 2000. Print.
Marolda, Edward. "The US Navy In The Cold War, 1945-1991." Naval History and Heritage
Command. n.p. Apr 13 2015. Web. Feb 12 2016
"Naval History and Historical Timeline." America's Navy. n.p. n.d. Web. Feb 12 2016
Sherwood, John. Black Sailors: White Navy. New York: NYU Publishing, 2007. Print