March 1915 – At a Crossroad in the Development of U.S. Navy Submarines

A little under fifteen years from the day the US Navy purchased their first submarine, the future of the small craft was still not settled. In 1915, the United States faced a number of challenges as it observed the growing war in Europe. The conflagration of large-scale war was being brought home to America in the newspaper of the day. This war was being thrust on many nations because of long standing agreements and treaties. Once it began, it grew rapidly like a wildfire.

The United States had long neglected their navy and army despite Teddy Roosevelt’s attempts to make his country a global force. The sailing of the Great White Fleet was a distant memory by 1915, and the fleet was a hollow shell of its former greatness. Woodrow Wilson was president, and his Secretary of the Navy was Josephus Daniels. Daniels was a former newspaper editor who saw the navy as a vast social experiment. He instituted many reforms including abolishing liquor on board navy ships and stations and educational reforms for both the academy and the population of enlisted men.

But as progressive as he was in human resource related issues, he was heavily influenced by the admirals who still clung to the notion that we needed bigger ships with heavier armor and bigger guns. The battleship mentality was one shared by most of the leading navies of the world, and the plan for building these behemoths was the leaderships answer to preparing for any potential role in the growing war.

An opposing voice

Josephus Daniels

The NAVY was a publication published in Washington DC from 1908-1916. My suspicion was that it was a voice for many people who were concerned about the weakness of the US Navy in a world that was growing increasingly hostile. When Daniels was named as Secretary of the Navy, the publication openly opposed many of his activities and decisions.

Daniels supported native Southerner Woodrow Wilson in the 1912 presidential election. After Wilson’s victory, he was appointed as Secretary of the Navy. Secretary Daniels held the post from 1913 to 1921, throughout the Wilson administration, overseeing the Navy during World War I. Franklin D. Roosevelt, a future US president, served as his Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

Daniels was a very complicated man in many ways. He would institute many reforms in technology once the war began and America became part of it. But in the leadup, he was reticent to seek modern day solutions at the expense of the big ships. This was unfortunate since it meant that aircraft and submarine development were hampered.

The following article was printed in March of 1915. The submarine had already proven itself to be an enormous influence in the sea war. The vaunted British fleet was hobbled by some crushing blows caused by submarines. No one in their wildest imagination could have projected that the fleet would have to literally hide from the enemy as commerce and military units alike were sent to the bottom of the ocean.

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