October 13, 1775: The Birth of the United States Navy

October 13, 1775, 250 years ago: Meeting in Philadelphia, at what will later be called Independence Hall, the Second Continental Congress approves a resolution to establish the Continental Navy, to provide for the common defense of the coasts of the 13 colonies that are, at the time, together known as British America. This is considered the birthdate of the United States Navy.

On April 30, 1798, Congress passed a law creating the Department of the Navy, to oversee the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.

The United States Naval Academy was founded on October 10, 1845, on the Severn River in Annapolis, Maryland. The school is frequently called "Annapolis," although, for sports purposes, it's called "Navy." The teams are officially known as the Midshipmen. The school trains officers for both the Navy and the Marines.

Civil War era uniforms

The U.S. Navy has had many great moments, including, but by no means limited to, the following:

* War of the American Revolution, 1775-1783: The Raid of Nassau and the Battle of Whitehaven.

* War of 1812, 1812-1815: The Battles of Lake Erie, Plattsburgh and Hampden.

* Mexican-American War, 1846-1848: The Siege of Veracruz.

* American Civil War, 1861-1865: The Battles of Port Royal, Hampton Roads, Forts Jackson and St. Philip, Memphis and Mobile Bay.

* Spanish-American War, 1898: The Battle of Manila Bay. There were no major naval battles in World War I, 1917 and 1918, involving American troops.

* World War II, 1941-1945: The amphibious invasions of North Africa, Italy and France, and the accompanying liberations thereof; the Battles of Midway and the Coral Sea; and the "island-hopping" campaign in the Pacific, including the Battles of Guadalcanal, Saipan, Tarawa, the Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

* Korean War, 1950-1953: The amphibious landing at Incheon, saving the country, before the war dragged into a nearly three-year stalemate.

Naval operations were not nearly as important in later American wars, although it was Navy SEALs who found and killed Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011.

Of the 45 men who have served as President, 6 have served in the Navy: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush in World War II; and Jimmy Carter, so far the lone Annapolis graduate to become President, in the Korean War. In addition, both Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

During World War II, the Navy would have, arguably, the 3 greatest catchers in baseball history: Mickey Cochrane, Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra. (I had thought Johnny Bench served in the Army Reserve during Vietnam, but this appears not to have been the case.)

The WWII Navy would also have Phil Rizzuto, Pee Wee Reese and, through the Marine Corps which is officially part of the Navy, Ted Williams, Jerry Coleman, and broadcasters Jack Brickhouse and Ernie Harwell. The Army would have Hank Greenberg, Warren Spahn, Jackie Robinson, and, through the Army Air Corps, forerunner of the U.S. Air Force, Joe DiMaggio.

On December 24 and 25, 2000, Fox Sports would broadcast their NFL studio show live on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman, giving those sailors on board one heck of a Christmas present. On November 11, 2011, Veterans Day, "The Carrier Classic" was held on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson, with President Barack Obama in attendance, with the University of North Carolina defeating Michigan State University, 67-55, before an official attendance of 8,111, all of them sailors and dignitaries.

As of October 13, 2025, the Navy has (I'm rounding off) about 345,000 active duty personnel, 57,000 reserve personnel, 210,000 civilian employees, 300 deployable ships, and 2,600 aircraft.