Navy Day is celebrated in the United States on October 27th and provides us with an opportunity to express our gratitude and thanks to those who have served, those who are currently serving in the US Navy and the families of servicemen and women.
Here's a brief history of the US Navy
A Matter Of Trade Protection And Defense
On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution creating the Continental Navy. It was disbanded at the Revolutionary War's end, and replaced with the Naval Act of 1794 under John Adams. This created our first standing navy, originally made up of just six frigates. No longer under British protection, the colonies had to defend their merchant ships from the Barbary nations and the French.
After the War of 1812, the U.S. Navy spent decades fighting pirates and slave trade. In 1861, the US Navy fought the Confederate Navy in the Civil War, successfully blockading them from supply. Congress voted in 1882 to enhance US defense, and over the next decade the fleet would go from a collection of mostly wooden sailing ships to compete with the world's strongest navies. The US Navy won key battles during the Spanish-American War, and drew comparisons to the formidable British.
During the '20s and '30s, shipbuilding was an integral part of the US defense effort, and by 1946 the Navy employed over 1,600 warships. Following the Cold War, the Soviet navy was in ruins due to lack of funding, and the US focused on stronger arsenals and less building. Many of the ships used in World War 2 were obsolete, and advances in ballistic missiles and submarine technology had altered the mindsets of defense planners.
The US Navy, as seen in the following examples, has been vital to the continued existence of the United States.
