The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-10-28
u. S. Owes Much
To Its Navy

There is no more fitting time |
than the present to pay Well-de-
served tribute to the United States
navy. Yesterday, Oct. 27, was Navy
Day, and it is well that every cit
izen of this nation pause at this
time to give thought to the great
value of that magnificent arm Of
our national defense.
Every since the days of John
Paul Jones, James Lawrence,
Stephen Decauter. Farragut and
Dewey, the people of the United
States have owed a great debt of
gratitude to the navy for the brav
cry of its officers and men and
their ability to fight and defend
their country This is no less true
today when the nation finds itself
in the greatest war of its history
Today the navy is again writing a
sublime record of achievement on
near and distant oceans
The United States navy was es-
tablished by act of Congress Octo-
Der IS, TITS, which authorized the
building of two vessels of 10 and
IA guns as national cruisers. a COM
mittee Of Congress was placed in
charge, and shortly after other yes
sells were provided for and rules
for the government of the Ameri-
can navy were made. The first
American men-of-war were mer-
chant vessels, hastily and poorly
equipped and armed The first COM
mander-in-chief, Esek Hopkins,
opened the career of the navy by
capturing the British naval station
at Nassau, Bahamas, with small
squadron, and thus obtained 100
cannon which were placed on the
new ships.
After the Declaration of indie
pendence, Congress began to build
up the navy, and on November 8,
l776, authorized the building of
three 74-gun ships, which were the
first line-o battle ships in the
American navy In 1898 America
entered on a naval war with France
to put stop to the numerous out
RACES committed by that country up
on American shipping This war
lasted two and half years, and was
marked by several victories at sea
bv the American vessels. A treaty
of peace was signed in, February !,
1901.
In the war with England in 1872
the new navy, small in numbers
but strong in personnel and spirit
gained worldwide fame, the Con
stitution and the United States es-
pecially gaining victories thai
aroused popular enthusiasm, which
was increased by Commodore De
cauter's subsequent victory over tht
Barbary pirates in the war witt
Algiers and Tunis.
In the Civil war, the armoret
vessels Monitor and Merrimac Wer'
developed by the North and thu
South The battle between thes'
two vessels on March 3. 1862, CAV
a great impetus to the use of armoI
which has since become general Il
all navies. 1t was not until 2
years later that Congress began t
provide for navy Of modern typ
and strength. The Maine and Texas
authorized in 1886. were pionee
vessels of battleship type, followe
in 1890 by three ships of the Ore
gon type.
The war with Spain in 1898, be
ginning with the destruction of tn
Spanish fleet at Manila by Ad
miral Dewey on May /, 1898, an
followed by the naval victory Of
Santiago, Cuba, caused increase
attention to be given to naval al
fairs by the United States.
BY 1904, the American navy wa
second in world Importance, bu
in 1910 Germany rose to secon
place, and when the European wa
broke out in 1914 the navies of tn
United States and France wer
about tied for third place. But late
maritime developments gave tn
United States navy a commandin
influence in world affairs.