History of the United States Navy

US Navy History

The First U.S. Navy

.....The United States is a nation with a long maritime heritage. Once Americans broke their political ties with Great Britain, the Atlantic became a new frontier that offered the opportunity for expansion -- and potential avenues for a foreign invader.

Father of the Navy

.....There are several candidates for the title "father of the Navy," including George Washington, Continental Navy officers Esek Hopkins, John Barry and John Paul Jones, ,as well as civilians John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, Joseph Hewes and Silas Deane. Many men in numerous locations played prominent roles in the founding of our national Navy. And so, the Navy recognizes no one individual as "father" to the exclusion of others.

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

.....Meeting in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress adopted the original legislation out of which the Continental Navy grew. Within a few days of that vote, Congress established a Naval Committee, which directed the purchasing, outfitting, manning and operations of the first ships of the new Navy, and regulations to govern the Navy's conduct and internal administration.

The Birthplace of the Navy

.....At least half a dozen places claim the title "birthplace of the Navy." Machias, ME, points to the seizing of the Royal Navy schooner Margaretta by a small sloop armed with woodsmen on 12 June 1775. Whitehall, NY, proudly affirms the army's fleet on Lake Champlain under Benedict Arnold as our first navy. Beverly and Marblehead, MA, manned the small fleet of schooners employed by George Washington in 1775. Providence, RI, was the site of the first call for the establishment of a navy.

.....But perhaps the best claim for birthplace of the Navy belongs to Philadelphia, PA. It was here that the Continental Congress passed the first national naval legislation, and Philadelphia was the port where the purchase and outfitting of the first four vessels of the Continental Navy took place.

The Revolutionary War

.....During the war, the Navy's squadrons and cruisers seized enemy supplies and carried correspondence and diplomats to Europe, returning with needed munitions. They took nearly two hundred British vessels as prizes, some off the British Isles themselves, contributing to the demoralization of the enemy.

.....A notable triumph during the war was the capture by Captain John Paul Jones' Ranger of the British sloop of war Drake in April, 1778. Jones gained international notoriety for his operations against the British in the North Sea and his raids against the coast of Great Britain itself!

War of 1812

.....The U.S. Navy won several courageous victories in ship-to-ship actions; the most memorable of which was that by Captain Isaac Hull in USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") over HMS Guerriere. Despite the powerful Royal Navy's close blockade of the American coast, a number of U.S. warships were able to slip through the blockaders to take their toll of enemy naval and merchant ships.

Civil War 1861-1865

.....The Union Navy blockaded some three thousand miles of Confederate coast from Virginia to Texas in a mammoth effort to cut off supplies, destroy the Southern economy and discourage foreign intervention. Although Confederate forces fought valiantly throughout the war, control of the sea by the Union Navy isolated the South and gave Northern military forces the added dimension of mobility which sea power provides.

.....Admiral David G. Farragut was the first American to be promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy. His promotion was a reward for the successful capture of New Orleans, but he is best remembered for his aggressiveness at Mobile Bay, where he supposedly said, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead."

World War I 1917-1918

.....After American entry, the outcome hinged upon a steady flow of troops and supplies across the ocean to the battlefields of France. A vast convoy system of merchant ships, destroyers and cruiseres went into operation and dramatically reduced ship losses. Naval aircraft, flying from European bases, aided in the antisubmarine effort. Large U.S. Navy minelayers laid some 60,000 mines in the great North Sea mine barrier designed to deny German submarines access to the open sea. In the final analysis, control of the sea approaches to Europe made victory possible.

World War II -- Asian-Pacific Theater 1941-1945

.....As the Japanese drove south to seize territory in the Phillipines, Southeast Asia and Indonesia, the few United States and Allied warships available offered valiant resistance against overwhelming odds. The decisive Battle of Midway provided the turning point in the war. In the amphibious assault and defense of Guadalcanal, at sea and ashore, the advance of Japan into the South Pacific was halted. Step-by-step amphibious operations were launched from the South Pacific arena and westward through the mid-Pacific by Admiral Nimitz, and northward from the Southwest Pacific by joint forces under General MacArthur.

.....Admiral Nimitz was advanced to the position of Fleet Admiral in 1944. Nimitz's accomplished planning of strategy and willingness to employ bold tactics were largely responsible for the successes of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific theater during the war. He served as Chief of Naval Operations from December 1945 to December 1947, when he retired.

World War II -- European Campaigns

.....The Battle of the Atlantic saw the life-and-death struggle against the German submarine offensive to choke off the sea passage between the U.S. and Europe. Had the U-boats succedded in halting the waterborne movement of men and materials, Nazi Germany would have emerged victorious.

.....D-Day, the most massive amphibious operation in history, was 6 June 1944. Preceded by naval bombardment, the clearing of obstacles and mines, the Allied Expeditionary Force embarked in thousands of ships and craft at British staging areas, crossed the channel and stormed ashore in Normandy, France.

Cold War with the Soviet Union 1945-1990

.....At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union adopted an aggressive expansionist foreign policy. Determined to extend its influence, it dropped an "iron curtain" across Eastern Europe.

.....During this period, the Navy enforced the United States government's foreign policy of containing the Soviet threat. The Navy continued its traditional role as the nation's seaborne, first line of defense in preventing an attack on the U.S. and its allies.

The Korean Conflict 1950-1953

.....Initially, during the Korean Conflict, the Seventh Fleet entered the Formosa Strait to secure it from potential use as an invasion route into Taiwan or into mainland China. Because of limited range, Air Force jets stationed in Japan could not attack targets in Korea. The bulk of this attack was carried by carrier-based naval aircraft.

.....In addition to carrying out the daring amphibious landing at Inchon that nearly turned the side of the Korean Conflict, the Navy provided shore bombardment; carrier strikes against bridges, supply depots and transportation; close air support for ground troops; amphibious landings and evacuations and logistical support for the Army. These actions proved that the Navy's mission had become even more valuable in the post-World War II era.

The Vietnam War 1959-1973

.....The U.S. Navy's contribution to the effort to defend the Republic of Vietnam was of heroic proportions. Some two million U.S. naval personnel served their country in Southeast Asia. As expected, the Navy fulfilled its traditional role as protector and securer of the sea. Naval aviators played a key role in the massive bombing runs over the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

.....Navy personnel also played less traditional roles. SEAL (Sea, Air, Land) Teams conducted operations against Viet Cong guerillas. Waterways throughout Vietnam used as supply lines for the Viet Cong were patrolled and interdicted. Various naval units were combined to combat infiltration from Cambodia, control vital Delta waterways and bring the fight to the enemy in his backyard.

Persian Gulf War (Desert Shield and Desert Storm) 1990-1991

.....In response to the invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi ground forces on 2 August 1990, the U.S. Navy provided the largest, fastest strategic sealift in history. Over 240 ships carried more than 9.15 million tons of equipment and supplies to the forces of the Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations. More than 90% of materiel to support the campaign and the majority of medical assets in the early months were provided by the Navy.

.....The U.S. Navy interdicted Iraqi seaborne trade, cut enemy resupply lines and ultimately dampened the enemy's will to fight by severely disrupting Iraq's economic health.

.....Thanks to the Navy's unchallenged control of the sea lanes, the forces of Saddam Hussein were defeated a mere seven months after the invasion of Kuwait.

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US Navy DEP Success Accelerator, pg 10-15

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