Carl M. Vinson is known as the father of America's two ocean navy. During his lifetime he vigorously supported the Navy and through his position as a member of the House of Representatives he fought for a modernized submarine fleet.

Born in 1883 near the village of Milledgeville, Georgia he had a land-locked childhood with an unquenchable interest in ships and the sea. He pursued a degree in law and became a judge in Baldwin County, then when US House Representative Bacon died Thomas Hardwicke took his place in Washington. This left Hardwicke's position open for appointment and Carl Vinson thus became a US Representative at age 31.

Vinson served in the House for 26 consecutive terms and chaired many influential committees including the House Naval Affairs Committee beginning in 1923. He was able to be close to his lifelong interest in ships and the Navy.

The Geneva Naval Conference of 1927 limited the types and numbers of American naval vessels as it did for the other signatory nations. Again, on April 22, 1930 America, Britain Japan, France and Italy signed an agreement to limit the signatory nations' navies. This treaty was ratified by the Senate over the objections of Vinson who distrusted the other nations to live up to the terms of the agreement. The 1922 5-5-3; Britain, America and Japan limit on battleships had been modified in 1930 to allow Britain and America to have 10 battleships each. No limit on submarines was included in the treaty which had the effect of diverting funds from capital ships to submarine construction.

Vinson was opposed to the treaty, but during the Hoover years had little chance of building the Navy's strength. The complexion of Congress changed in 1933 at the election of Franklin Roosevelt. Vinson met with Roosevelt, who had been Assistant Secretary of the Navy and both agreed that two actions needed to be taken: America should replace its aging ships with modern ones while staying within the limits of the Naval Treaty, then when the treaty expired in 1936 Congress should allocate funds to build a strong navy capable of defending America on two oceans.

In 1934 Congress passed the Vinson-Trammell Act which set into motion the strengthening of the Navy while still staying within the limits of the treaty. This included allocating substantial funds for building new, modern aircraft, aircraft carriers and submarines. Since America was in the midst of the Great Depression the measure had little resistance in Congress. From this the submarine building program and the development of the Fleet Type submarine quickened its pace.

In 1938 Vinson again met with Roosevelt. Vinson then steered the House Naval Affairs Committee to recommend an acceleration of ship building including additional submarines and overseas bases. Congress authorized spending $326,216,000 in Navy expansion. In particular, the submarine base at Pearl Harbor and submarine facilities at Midway were authorized.

In January of 1939 Vinson teamed with Senator Walsh of Massachusetts, chairman of the Senate Naval Affairs Committee to direct the Navy to develop Naval Aviation facilities at Kaneohe, Midway, Wake and Pearl Harbor. In 1940 the two men again made a joint effort to strengthen the Navy. They introduced the Vinson-Walsh Act which put into motion an explosion of ship building. The submarine facilities at Portsmouth and Groton went into high gear while shipyards at Manitowok, Mare Island, and Philadelphia were awarded additional submarine building contracts. Of most importance was the concept of a permanent Navy large enough to simultaneously combat enemies in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

In 1964 President Johnson awarded Vinson the Medal of Freedom for his leadership in building a strong United States Navy. The aircraft carrier Carl M. Vinson was launched in 1981.