ons. No matter in which light we regard a distant
naval base, it is clear that position, resources, and strength
must be the principal factors; but as soon as we concentrate our
attention on the operations that may be based upon it, we come to
realize how strong a factor position, that is strategic position,
is. The base itself is an inert collection of inert materials;
these materials can be useful to the operations of a fleet that
bases on it; but if the fleet is operating in the Pacific, a base
in the Atlantic is not immediately valuable to it, no matter what
strength and resources the base may have.

The functions of a home base are therefore those that the name
"home" implies; to start the fleet out on its mission, to receive
it on its return, and to offer rest, refuge, and succor in times
of accident and distress.

The functions of a distant base concern more nearly the operations of
a prolonged campaign. A distant base is more difficult to construct as
a rule; largely because the fact of its distance renders engineering
operations difficult and because the very excellence of its position
as an outpost makes it vulnerable to direct attack and often to
a concentration of attacks coming from different directions.

If naval operations are to be conducted at considerable distance
from home, say in the Caribbean Sea, distant bases are necessary,
since without them, the fleet will operate under a serious handicap.
Under some conditions, a fleet operating in the Caribbean without
a base there, against an enemy that had established a satisfactory
base, might have its normal fighting efficiency reduced 50 per cent,
or even more. A fleet is not a motionless fort, whose strength
lies only in its ability to fire guns and withstand punishment; a
fleet is a very live personality, whose ability to fight well--like
a pugilist's--depends largely on its ability to move quickly and
accurately, and to think quickly and accurately. The best pugilists
are not usually the strongest men, though physical strength is
an important factor; the best pugilists are men who are quick as
well as strong, who see an advantage or a danger quickly, and whose
eyes, nerves, and muscles act together swiftly and harmoniously. A
modern fleet, filled with high-grade machinery of all kinds, manned
by highly trained men to operate it, and commanded by officers fit
to be intrusted with such responsibilities, is a highly developed
and sensitive organism--a