Posted on 11/12/2010 8:42:36 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
After over a century of squabbling, the U.S. Army, under pressure from the Department of Defense, is surrendering the last of its fleet to the U.S. Navy. The army still has 119 ships, manned by 2,300 soldiers and civilians. While six of them are large amphibious landing ships, most are tugboats and barges for work in or near ports. The army isn't new to owning its own transports. Back during World War II, the U.S. Army actually had a larger fleet (but only 1,225 seagoing ships), than the U.S. Navy, but one that was almost entirely support vessels. The navy had a larger tonnage of ships, about 12 million tons, compared to about 7 million for the army. Moreover, the navy had 6,228 seagoing ships, about half of them warships. The rest were support ships.
(Excerpt) Read more at strategypage.com ...
Let’s hope the Air Force does not try to take the Marine and Navy Cargo planes again.
Obviously historical accuracy was not a concern for that DVD cover.
ping
Tell me it ain’t so!
It might save a few bucks now (I don’t see how) but what about operational efficiency? This will leave the Army completely dependant on the Navy and Air Force for transport.
Like they did to the Army in the late 60’s. At least they left the helicopters alone – reluctantly.
Some of the Army ships and boats.
http://www.itsjustalife.com/armyships.html
If you watch any recent film that is set in the past--"Pearl Harbor," "Brave Heart," you name it--you will quickly find that historical accuracy is not a strong suit in Hollywood.
Navy family ping
20 bucks says most of them end up in some kind of lay up because the Navy doesn’t really want them. The article doesn’t talk about personnel. Will the Army people switch branches in a Green to Blue program? (don’t know if they still have it but the Navy had a Blue to Green program when I retired a few years ago.)
The Army had some nice looking medium size landing craft at Little Creek when I was there. Smaller than a LST but much larger than a LCM. I don’t remember the designation. When I was in Japan they had the high speed transport based that was based on an Australian ferry design making runs between Okinawa, Korea and mainland Japan.
I remember when masses of Navy people were transferred to the Army back in the late 60’s and 70’s. It halted our career progression. For some strange reason Department of the Army thought a Navy 1st Class who walked around holding a coffee cup would make a good officer and skipper a ship or boat.
I suppose the Army people will be reclassified into other fields or denied reenlistment. It won’t be the first time.
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