National Museum of the U.S. Navy

Convoys and Shipbuilding

Immediately following the Declaration of War, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels ordered the fleet to mobilize.   The U.S. Navy, however, was unprepared for action.   Every associated function in regard to naval warfare had to be planned before placed into execution, such as the planning of overseas bases (construction and placement) and the ability to transport troops (employing millions in a matter of months). 

Image: LC-USZC4-10786:  "On the Job for Victory"  Artwork by Lie Jonas, 1918.  Courtesy of the Library of Congress.