October 13, 2015 marks the 240th birthday of the U.S. Navy, the world’s most powerful naval force! “With thousands of ships and aircraft serving worldwide,” Military.com says “the U.S. Navy is a force to be reckoned with.”
With a shy beginning, the U.S. Navy was officially born on October 13, 1775 in the midst of the American Revolution. On this day, “the Continental Congress, established a small naval force, hoping that a small navy would be able to offset the uncontested exercise of British sea power.”
Political and economic struggle took a toll on the early Continental navy. “Two years after the end of the war, the money-poor Congress sold off the last ship of the Continental navy, the frigate Alliance.”
The U.S. Navy has grown tremendously from its modest beginnings as a small fleet of ships planning tactical raids on British suppliers. In fact, during the navy’s earlier years, these ships would sail “independently or in pairs hunting British commerce ships and transports like prey, avoiding whenever possible fights with Royal Navy men-of-war.”
During the 1790’s, Europe eased “many mercantile commercial restrictions” and America’s trade and shipping industries boomed. With the rising demand in U.S. ships came the increased possibility for attacks by European authorities and pirates. Therefore, the U.S. Congress felt that a strong naval presence was needed and called for “the construction of a half-dozen frigates” in March of 1794. After the humble rise and fall of the first Continental navy, growth and prosperity soon allowed for a rebirth and the U.S. had a navy once again.
Now the world’s strongest naval force, TSSi wishes to happily celebrate the U.S. Navy's 240 years of dedicated service and maritime security to the United States of America!
Photos by Official U.S. Navy Page via Flickr, Edited by TSSi
