During the past year our Navy has been depleted by the sale of some vessels
no longer fit for naval service and by the condemnation of others not yet
disposed of. This, however, has been more than compensated for by the
repair of six of the old wooden ships and by the building of eight new
sloops of war, authorized by the last Congress. The building of these
latter has occurred at a doubly fortunate time. They are about being
completed at a time when they may possibly be much needed, and the work
upon them has not only given direct employment to thousands of men, but has
no doubt been the means of keeping open establishments for other work at a
time of great financial distress.
Since the commencement of the last month, however, the distressing
occurrences which have taken place in the waters of the Caribbean Sea,
almost on our very seaboard, while they illustrate most forcibly the
necessity always existing that a nation situated like ours should maintain
in a state of possible efficiency a navy adequate to its responsibilities,
has at the same time demanded that all the effective force we really have
shall be put in immediate readiness for warlike service. This has been and
is being done promptly and effectively, and I am assured that all the
available ships and every authorized man of the American Navy will be ready
for whatever action is required for the safety of our citizens or the
maintenance of our honor. This, of course, will require the expenditure in
a short time of some of the appropriations which were calculated to extend
through the fiscal year, but Congress will, I doubt not, understand and
appreciate the emergency, and will provide adequately not only for the
present preparation, but for the future maintenance of our naval force. The
Secretary of the Navy has during the past year been quietly putting some of
our most effective monitors in condition for service, and thus the exigency
finds us in a much better condition for work than we could possibly have
been without his action.