When defining a derived class, why is the base class marked "public?"
<blockquote>
  <p><strong>Possible Duplicate:</strong><br>
  <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/860339/difference-between-private-public-and-protected-inheritance-in-c">Difference between private, public and protected inheritance in C++</a>  </p>
</blockquote>



<p>One of the examples in my lecture notes is</p>

<pre><code>class TransportShip : public GameUnit {
    int capacity;

    public:
         ...
}
</code></pre>

<p>Why do we need the "public" modifier before the name of the base class?  What would it mean if it wasn't there?</p>
