In 1883 the US Navy was directed to transition from a wooden ship navy to a iron/steel ship navy. The rest of the world's navies were doing the same thing. In 1890 USN Capt. Mahan published a book...
Since the world was covered mostly by water, only a strong navy would enable a nation to "project" it's military might (armies) across the globe.
If a nation didn't have a strong navy, they could...
Mahan's views were shaped by the eighteenth century naval wars between France and Britain, where British naval superiority eventually defeated France, consistently preventing invasion and blockade A...