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SI SaRRENISCS Latest airplane carrier U. 8S. 8. Ranger. responsibility resting upon every part of the whole nation, those nearest the point of attack being expected to throw themselves instantly into the defense. As our own Admiral Mahan has pointed out, no maritime nation has ever been successful in a war in which it lost command of the sea. This historical fact is well known to all students of military and naval science; it is well known to those who might be our enemies. The first point at which we must expect attack there- fore, if attack there is to be, is on our sea power, our shipping and our overseas communications. The mer- chant marine, being nearest to this point, except for the navy itself, car- ries jointly with the navy the re- sponsibility of being in the first line of defense. The same principle is repeatedly applied ashore. Citizens are sworn in as deputies to assist the police or the United States marshall to put down crime, or they are called out as state troops to suppress civil dis- order. The whole civil population is drafted into national military service to assist the professional army in every major war. In thus accepting service in the common defense these citizens are primarily defending themselves, as the merchant marine does in assistng the navy. To what extent the merchant ma- rine may be called upon as an auxili- ary to the navy in the national de- fense depends upon the character of the emergency, the plan of campaign, the theatre of hostile operations, and the capabilities or adequacy of each for its task. The call may be for ships or men, or both. If we were on the defensive in the Atlantic, Hail to the Navy! HE anniversary of the birth of Theodore Roosevelt, Oct. 27, will this year, as in former years, be observed afloat and ashore as Navy day. Admiral William H. Standley, U.S.N., chief of naval - operations, in a letter addressed to the naval service has declared that the general theme for Navy day will be, “The treaty navy, fully manned, backed by an ad- equate merchant marine’. That our national welfare is depend- ent on an adequate navy and merchant marine is clearly brought out in the accompany- ing article by Commander Court. Built by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Recently completed where bases are plentiful on our coast, comparatively little demand might be made upon the merchant marine; but if, on the other hand, we were compelled to defend our posses- sions in the Far East, thousands of miles away from any adequately forti- fied base, by far the greater part of all the tonnage of the merchant ma- rine would have to be actually in- corporated in the navy. Use of Merchant Ships In general, the further distant the theatre of operations is from our con- tinental naval bases, the vastly great- er are our problems of maintenance and supply, in the solution of which the merchant marine must bear the major burden. The more aggressive our adversary is, the more effectively must-.we concentrate every available combatant vessel and aircraft to drive home our counter attack—-which means that the merchant marine must be used to the fullest extent in order that every fighting ship may be al- MARINE REVIEW—October, 1934 Above—The U. S. SS... Wright, tender for air- craft of flying’ boat type At Left—One of’ the latest sub- marines, U.S. 8. Bonita. Built by’ the Portsmouth, navy yard 13