During the Depression, the San Diego Naval Base used money from the federal Public Works Administration to expand the Pacific Fleet to 48 warships, 400 naval aircraft, 55,000 sailors and 3,000 officers. The goal was to demonstrate U.S. sea power and show Japan and the rest of world that the country was interested in and ready to defend the Pacific. Today the U.S. Navy has over 400,000 active personnel (nearly one-fifth women), 490 ships, 41 aircraft carriers, nearly 4,000 aircraft, and 135 bases in the U.S. and abroad. Read more San Diego and Navy history in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
