July 1919 Proceedings-—“No two vessels handle alike,” Commander C.C. Slayton, U.S. Navy, wrote in “Notes on Handling Destroyers.” “It need not be assumed that a destroyer captain must analyze forces at work while he is maneuvering or have any ‘rule of thumb’ methods. If he has gained some degree of expertness by practice, he will develop a sixth sense, handle the ship by the feel of it. In handling a destroyer, it is best to take station where you can see the water close to the side. You can judge your speed better than by watching the beach or another ship.”
July 1969 Proceedings—In “NATO’s Northern Flank,” Desmond Wettern wrote, “The presence during Polar Express of the NATO Standing Force, Atlantic, including U.S., British, Dutch, German, and Norwegian ships and that of ACE Mobile Force, as well as U.S. British, Canadian, and Belgian aircraft, should at least underline for the Kremlin the problem of conducting aggression against Norway without involving other NATO powers at the outset. But, since the NATO ground and air forces cannot be based on Norwegian soil in peacetime, the Standing Force ships are a shield of no mean significance.”
July 1994 Proceedings—In “The Right Ship,” Commander Alan G. Maiorano, U.S. Navy, wrote, “A debate over the direction and nature of surface combatant shipbuilding is in progress within the Department of Defense and Congress. At the heart of the debate is the Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) missile destroyer—the only major surface combatant under construction in our shipyards today. The Navy’s comprehensive 1992 ‘Destroyer Variant Study’ recommended continued production of Arleigh Burke destroyers equipped with the Aegis Combat System, modified to embark helicopters, as the warship needed to meet the threat today and into the 21st century.”
