days of peace, a few vessels, but not enough seriously to affect
their relative strength. Both also drew upon their own merchant
marines. Spain added 18 medium-sized vessels to her navy; the
United States added in all 123, most of which were small and used
for scouting purposes. The largest and most efficient of these
additional American ships were the subsidized St. Paul, St.
Louis, New York, and Paris of the American line, of which the
last two, renamed the Harvard and Yale, proved to be of great
service. It was characteristic of American conditions that 28
were private yachts, of which the Mayflower was the most notable.
To man these new ships, the personnel of the American Navy was
increased from 13,750 to 24,123, of whom a large number were men
who had received some training in the naval reserves of the
various States.

The first duty of the navy was to protect the American coast. In
1885 the War Department had planned and Congress had sanctioned a
system of coast defense. Up to 1898, however, only one quarter of
the sum considered necessary had been appropriated. Mines and
torpedoes were laid at the entrances to American harbors as soon
as war broke out, but there was a lack of highpower guns. Rumors
of a projected raid by the fast Spanish armored cruisers kept the
coast cities in a state of high excitement, and many sought, by
petition and political pressure, to compel the Navy Department to
detach vessels for their defense. The Naval War Board, however,
had to remember that it must protect not only the coast but
commerce also, and that the United States was at war not to
defend herself but to attack. Cuba was the objective; and Cuba
must be cut off from Spain by blockade, and the seas must be made
safe for the passage of the American Army. If the navy were to