CC 101 Naval Heritage Fundamentals Flashcards
Memorize the Sailor’s Creed.
I am a United States Sailor. I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and I will obey the orders of those appointed over me. I represent the fighting spirit of the Navy and those who have gone before me to defend freedom and democracy around the world. I proudly serve my country’s Navy combat team with Honor, Courage and Commitment. I am committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all.
Memorize the Eleven General Orders of a Sentry.
- To take charge of this post and all government property in view. 2. To walk my post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert, and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing. 3. To report all violations of orders I am instructed to enforce. 4. To repeat all calls from posts more distant from the guard house than my own. 5. To quit my post only when properly relieved. 6. To receive, obey, and pass on to the sentry who relieves me all orders from the Commanding Officer, command duty officer, officer of the deck, and officer and petty officers of the watch only. 7. To talk to no one except in the line of duty. 8. To give the alarm in case of fire or disorder. 9. To call the officer of the deck in any case not covered by instructions 10. To salute all officers, and all colors and standards not cased. 11. To be especially watchful at night, and during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons on or near my post, and to allow no one to pass without proper authority
What three major classes of warship existed at the inception of the navy?
Ships-of-the-line, frigates, sloops-of-war
Describe ships-of-the-line.
The battleships of the sailing days. These ships were the largest of all sailing warships. These battleships carried 64 to 100 guns of various sizes.
Describe frigates.
The cruisers of the 18th century. These cruisers were next in size, usually smaller than average ships-of-the-line and usually faster. They carried 28 to 44 guns.
Describe sloops of war.
The small sailing warships. These ships carried 10 to 20 guns.
What is the oldest US Navy commissioned vessel?
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world’s oldest floating commissioned naval vessel, and is one of only two active commissioned sailing vessels in American military service. Launched in 1797, Constitution was one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794.
What date is the Navy’s birthday?
October 13, 1775
Discuss the conditions that led to the formation of the U.S. Navy.
The areas of our country that became the 13 original states were colonies of England in the mid-1700. The king of England allowed the colonies to trade only with England. Problems arose between the colonists and England as the years passed. English Parliament passed several tax laws that affected the colonists in a problem known as “taxation without representation”. The colonists formed Committees of Correspondence to communicate the problems to England. They convened a Continental Congress to discuss these problems. This first congress met in 5 September 1774. At the meeting, the Congress produced a statement of rights it believed England should grant to the colonists. Then in October of 1774 the statement of rights was presented to the king. A second Continental Congress convened on 10 May 1775. The colonists appointed George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental American army on 15 June 1775. The Continental Congress felt forced to act as the provisional government for the colonies. They issued money, established a postal service, and created a Continental navy. The U.S. Navy has its birth on 13 October 1775. On this date the Second Continental Congress authorized the purchase of two vessels. The first commander in chief was Esek Hopkins, who put the first squadron of the Continental Navy to sea in February 1776.
What was the first navy ship named after an enlisted man?
USS Osmond Ingram (DD 255), It was launched 28 Feb 1919. Ingram was the first enlisted man killed in action in World War I, lost when the destroyer Cassin (DD 43) was torpedoed in October 1917.
Discuss the history and occasions of the following military customs and courtesies: Hand Salute
The hand salute is centuries old and probably originated when men in armor raised their helmet visors so they could be identified. Salutes are customarily given with the right hand, but there are exceptions. A sailor with his right arm or hand encumbered may salute left-handed, while people in the Army or Air Force never salute left-handed. On the other hand, a soldier or airman may salute sitting down or uncovered; in the Navy, a sailor does not salute when uncovered, but may salute when seated in a vehicle. Women follow the same customs and rules as men, with one exception. A woman in uniform indoors, where men customarily remove their hats, does not remove her hat, nor does she salute. She does use the proper spoken greeting, just as she would outdoors. Salute from a position of attention. Your upper arm should be parallel to the deck or ground, forearm inclined at a 45-degree angle, hand and wrist straight, palm slightly inward, thumb and fingers extended and joined, with the tip of the forefinger touching the cap beak, slightly to the right of the right eye. Hold the salute until the officer has returned or acknowledged it, and then bring your hand smartly to your side. Salute all officers, men and women, of all U.S. services and all allied foreign services. When chief or senior chief petty officers perform duties normally assigned to an officer- such as standing JOOD watches or taking a division muster- they rate the same salute as an officer.
Discuss the history and occasions of the following military customs and courtesies: Saluting the Ensign
Each person in the naval service, upon coming on board a ship of the Navy, shall salute the national ensign. He shall stop on reaching the upper platforms of the accommodation ladder, or the shipboard end of the brow, face the national ensign, and render the salute, after which he shall salute the officer of the deck. On leaving the ship, he shall render the salutes in inverse order. The officer of the deck shall return both salutes in each case. When passed by or passing the national ensign being carried, uncased, in a military formation, all persons in the naval service shall salute. Persons in vehicles or boats shall also be rendered to foreign national ensigns and aboard foreign men-of-war.
Discuss the history and occasions of the following military customs and courtesies: Dipping the Ensign
Merchant ships “salute” Navy ships by dipping their ensigns. When a merchant ship of any nation formally recognized by the U.S. salutes a ship of the U.S. Navy, it lowers its national colors to half-mast. The Navy ship, at its closest point of approach, lowers the ensign to half-mast for a few seconds, then closes it up, after which the merchant ship raises its own flag. If the salute is made when the ensign is not displayed, the Navy ship will hoist her colors, dip for the salute, close them up again, and then haul them down after a suitable interval. Naval vessels dip the ensign only to answer a salute; they never salute first.
Discuss the history and occasions of the following military customs and courtesies: Gun salute
In olden days it took as much as 20 minutes to load and fire a gun, so that a ship that fired her guns in salute did so as a friendly gesture, making her powerless for the duration of the salute. The gun salutes prescribed by Navy Regulations are fired only by ships and stations designated by the Secretary of the Navy. A national salute of 21 guns is fired on Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, and Independence Day, and to honor the President of the United States and heads of foreign states. Salutes for naval officers are: Admiral: 17 guns Vice Admiral: 15 guns Rear Admiral: 13 guns Commodore: 11 guns Salutes are fired at intervals of 5 seconds, and always in odd numbers.
Describe the courtesies rendered during Colors and/or the National Anthem.
The United States Navy performs the same ceremonies, called “Morning Colors” and “Evening Colors,” at 0800 and sunset each day. When Colors is played aboard Navy and Marine Corps bases, those outdoors must stop to render proper courtesies by saluting if in uniform or, if out of uniform, by standing at attention, until “Carry On” is sounded. Marines and sailors driving on base during this time are expected to stop their vehicles and stand at attention until the ceremony is over.
Define the following term: National Flag
A National Flag is a flag that symbolizes a country. The flag is flown by the government,
Define the following term: Ensign
An ensign is a distinguishing flag of a ship or a military unit; or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office.
Define the following term: Merchant Ensign
The Merchant Ensign is the national flag flown by civil ships to denote nationality. Countries may have a national flag for most purposes on land, a distinct civil ensign for non-military ships, and a naval ensign for the navy; sometimes two or all of these flags are identical.
Define the following term: Fly
the act of which the flag is displayed from the flag pole. In regards to the flag itself it can also refer to the half or edge of a flag farthest away from the flagpole. This term also sometimes refers to the horizontal length of a flag.
Define the following term: Hoist
Is the act or function of raising a flag, as on a rope. In regards to the flag itself it can refer to the half or edge of a flag nearest to the flagpole. This term also sometimes refers to the vertical width of a flag.
Define the following term: Union Jack
The jack of the United States is a maritime flag representing United States nationality flown on the jack staff in the bow of its vessels. The jack is flown on the bow (front) of a ship and the ensign is flown on the stern (rear) of a ship when anchored or moored. Once underway, the ensign is flown from the main mast. The primary jack design until September 11, 2002 was the blue canton with stars (the “union”) from the U.S. national ensign. The blue, starred jack is referred to as the Union Jack, but should not be confused with the British Union Jack. Like the ensign, the number of stars on the jack has increased with each state admitted into the union. Rules for flying the jack are similar to the national ensign. Since September 11, 2002, the Navy has instead flown the First Navy Jack, a flag bearing 13 red and white stripes, a rattlesnake and the motto “DONT TREAD ON ME”, coming from the first jacks supposedly used by the Navy during the Revolutionary War. It is flown from the jack staff from 08:00 to sunset while Navy ships are moored or at anchor. It is required to be the same size as the union of the ensign being flown from the stern of the ship. It is also flown from the yardarm during a general court-martial or court of inquiry. During times when the ensign is at half mast, the jack is also at half mast. The jack is hoisted smartly and lowered ceremoniously in the same manner as the ensign; however the jack is not dipped when the ensign is dipped.
Discuss the importance of the following events/conflicts as they relate to Naval History: Voyage of the Great White Fleet
In pre-World War I days, the Navy carried out its role as a diplomatic arm of the government. On December 16, 1907, the Great White Fleet left Hampton Roads, Virginia, for a round-the-world cruise to show the flag. The exercise demonstrated the strength of the U.S. Navy
Discuss the importance of the following events/conflicts as they relate to Naval History: Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor (called the Hawaii Operation or Operation Z by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, and the Battle of Pearl Harbor by some Americans) was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941. The next day the United States declared war on Japan resulting in their entry into World War II. The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from influencing the war that the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia, against Britain and the Netherlands, as well as the U.S. in the Philippines. The base was attacked by Japanese aircraft launched from six aircraft carriers. Four U.S. Navy battleships were sunk (two of which were raised and returned to service later in the war) and all of the four other battleships present were damaged. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,402 personnel were killed and 1,282 were wounded. The power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building were not attacked. Japanese losses were light, with 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured. The attack was a major engagement of World War II and came as a profound shock to the American people. Domestic support for isolationism, which had been strong, disappeared. Germany’s ill-considered declaration of war on the U.S., which was not required by any treaty commitment, moved the U.S. from clandestine support of Britain into active alliance and full participation in the European Theater. Despite numerous historical precedents for unannounced military action, the lack of any formal warning by Japan, particularly while negotiations were still apparently ongoing, led to President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaiming December 7 “a date which will live in infamy”.
Discuss the importance of the following events/conflicts as they relate to Naval History: Battle of Coral Sea
7-8 May 1942: Thanks to the breaking of the Japanese Navy code, the U.S. was alerted to a large Japanese force moving to the Coral Sea to seize Port Moresby on the southwest coast of New Guinea. It was to be the first step of a planned invasion of Australia. The Japanese operation centered around three aircraft carriers and dozens of troop transports, but the Americans met them with two carriers of their own. On May 7, the Japanese planes sank two minor ships, while U.S. planes sank an isolated enemy carrier. The next day, both sides launched all their planes against the other. The aircraft passed each other unseen in the clouds, in the world’s first carrier verses carrier battle. One Japanese carrier was damaged. The U.S. carrier Lexington was sunk, and the carrier Yorktown was damaged. After this action, both sides withdrew. Although a tactical victory, Coral Sea was a strategic set-back for the Japanese who never again threatened Australia.
