The navy was ready and began to take part in the war even before the
formal declaration, for as early as March 12, 1917, in response to the
President's order, it began arming American merchantmen and fighting
their battles. Meantime, the navy gathered in recruits and set about
building ships and getting in supplies ready for the more important work
which followed when the nation was actually at war. At present there are
150 warships, including battleships, with 35,000 personnel, in the war
zone.
In a year the navy has more than trebled its personnel. As a beginning
it called up its own reserves and also the National Naval Volunteers and
the Coast Guard. The following figures show the increased personnel:
APRIL, 1917
Officers. Men.
Regular Navy 4,366 64,680
*Naval Reserves ---- 10,000
Naval Volunteers ---- 10,069
*Coast Guard ---- 4,500
Marine Corps 426 13,266
Total 4,792 102,515
APRIL, 1918
Officers. Men.
Regular Navy 7,798 192,385
*Naval Reserves 10,033 79,069
Naval Volunteers 805 15,000
*Coast Guard 639 4,250
Marine Corps 1,389 38,629
Total 20,664 329,333
*Approximately.
On May 4, twenty-eight days after the declaration of war, United States
destroyers arrived at a British port to assist in patrolling European
waters, and on the following day Admiral Sims attended an allied war
conference at Paris. The first of the regular armed forces of the United
States to land in France were units of the naval aeronautic corps. They
arrived on June 8. The first contingent of the army transported and
convoyed by the navy was landed safely at a French port early in July.
Night and day since then American warships have convoyed transports and
supplies across the Atlantic and brought the ships safely back. Only
one empty transport in its care has succumbed to an enemy attack, and
only two naval vessels have been sunk by enemy U-boats--the destroyer
Jacob Jones, torpedoed Dec. 6, and the patrol vessel Alcedo, a converted
yacht, sunk Nov. 5, 1917. The small destroyer Chauncey was sunk in
collision with a British transport. The Cassin was torpedoed, but
reached port under her own steam, was repaired, and returned to service.
Casualties in the navy have been 144 killed or died and 10 wounded;
total, 154.