The United States Navy is 250 years old today!
On 13 October 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the purchase of two vessels to be armed for a cruise against British merchantmen; this resolution created the Continental Navy and is considered the establishment of the U.S. Navy. It was active in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, the ongoing War on Terror, and many other conflicts.
The U.S. Navy is the world’s most powerful navy with the largest displacement (4.5 million tons). It has the world’s largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven in service, one undergoing trials, two new carriers under construction, and two additional carriers ordered.
The U.S. Navy has approximately 336,000 personnel on active duty, 101,000 in the Ready Reserve, and 210,000 civilian personnel. It has approximately 300 deployable combat vessels (include 68 attack and ballistic missile submarines) and about 4,000 operational aircraft.
Six presidents have served in the U.S. Navy: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush.