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.