Skip to main content
USNI Logo USNI Logo USNI Logo
Donate
  • Cart
  • Join or Log In
  • Search

Main navigation

  • About Us
  • Membership
  • Books & Press
  • USNI News
  • Proceedings
  • Naval History
  • Archives
  • Events
  • Donate
USNI Logo USNI Logo USNI Logo
Donate
  • Cart
  • Join or Log In
  • Search

Main navigation (Sticky)

  • About Us
  • Membership
  • Books & Press
  • USNI News
  • Proceedings
  • Naval History
  • Archives
  • Events
  • Donate

Sub Menu

  • Essay Contests
    • About Essay Contests
    • CNO Naval History - Professional Historian
    • CNO Naval History - Rising Historian
    • Coast Guard
    • Naval Intelligence
  • Current Issue
  • The Proceedings Podcast
  • U.S. Naval Institute Blog
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Contact Proceedings
    • Media Inquiries
  • All Issues
Library of Congress (B. Clinedinst)
When retired Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan debated the merits of big battleships with Lieutenant Commander William Sims in the pages of Proceedings, among the readers was President Theodore Roosevelt, here at his desk ca. 1907. Then as now, the Navy needs both senior members' experience and junior personnel's innovations.
Library of Congress (B. Clinedinst)

Sub Menu

  • Essay Contests
    • About Essay Contests
    • CNO Naval History - Professional Historian
    • CNO Naval History - Rising Historian
    • Coast Guard
    • Naval Intelligence
  • Current Issue
  • The Proceedings Podcast
  • U.S. Naval Institute Blog
  • Submission Guidelines
  • Contact Proceedings
    • Media Inquiries
  • All Issues

Now Hear This - ‘If We Are to Remain a World Power’

By Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Armstrong, U.S. Navy
May 2013
Proceedings
Article
View Issue
Comments

When the latest issue of Proceedings arrived in June 1906, Naval Institute members and the American people heard from a renowned global expert, a retired naval officer whose pen had been quiet for some months. His name was Alfred Thayer Mahan. His article, “Reflections, Historic and Other, Suggested by the Battle of the Japan Sea,” derived from the recent Russo-Japanese naval war lessons for U.S. fleet design and battleship construction. Just a few years away from Great Britain’s launch of HMS Dreadnought, which would revolutionize ship design by bringing speed together with an all-big-gun main battery, Mahan advocated for smaller and more numerous ships with mixed batteries of different calibers. As the leading naval expert, Mahan’s articles were voraciously read worldwide, and his analysis matched well with the “Big Navy” party line.

The U.S. Naval Institute, then as today, was a members’ organization. It didn’t exist for the sake of itself, but to share ideas and debate the future of the Sea Services. A naval arms race was developing in Europe; after the U.S.

Member-Only Content

Join the U.S. Naval Institute to gain access to this article and other articles published in Proceedings since 1874. Members receive this valuable benefit and so much more.

Become a Member Today

If you are already a Member, please log in to gain access, and thank you for your Membership.

Quicklinks

Footer menu

  • About the Naval Institute
  • Books & Press
  • Naval History Magazine
  • USNI News
  • Proceedings
  • Oral Histories
  • Events
  • Naval Institute Foundation
  • Photos & Historical Prints
  • Naval Institute Archives

Receive the Newsletter

Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations.

Sign Up Now
Example NewsletterPrivacy Policy
USNI Logo White
Copyright © 2021 U.S. Naval Institute Privacy PolicyTerms of UseContact UsAdvertise With UsFAQContent LicenseMedia Inquiries
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
Powered by Unleashed Technologies