Page 216 - The interest of America in sea power, present and future

Preparedness for Naval War. 197

ponents, and to the simplicity of their organi-
zation and functions, is to be found the best
sphere for naval volunteers ; the duties could
be learned with comparative ease, and the
whole system is susceptible of rapid develop-
ment. Be it remembered, however, that it is
essentially defensive, only incidentally offen-
sive, in character.
Such are the main elements of coast defence
— guns, lines of torpedoes, torpedo-boats. Of
these none can be extemporized, with the
possible exception of the last, and that would
be only a makeshift. To go into details
would exceed the limits of an article, — re-
quire a brief treatise. Suffice it to say, without
the first two, coast cities are open to bombard-
ment ; without the last, they can be blockaded
freely, unless relieved by the sea-going navy.
Bombardment and blockade are recognized
modes of warfare, subject only to reasonable
notification,— a concession rather to humanity
and equity than to strict law. Bombardment
and blockade directed against great national
centres, in the close and complicated net-
work of national and commercial interests
as they exist in modern times, strike not