46 Facts About United States Navy

1.

United States Navy is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.

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2.

The United States Navy played a major role in the American Civil War by blockading the Confederacy and seizing control of its rivers.

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3.

The United States Navy emerged from World War II as the most powerful navy in the world.

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4.

The modern United States Navy maintains a sizable global presence, deploying in strength in such areas as the Western Pacific, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean.

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5.

United States Navy is part of the Department of the Navy, alongside the United States Marine Corps, which is its coequal sister service.

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6.

The Department of the United States Navy is itself a military department of the Department of Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of Defense.

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7.

United States Navy was rooted in the colonial seafaring tradition, which produced a large community of sailors, captains, and shipbuilders.

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8.

Detractors countered that challenging the British Royal United States Navy, then the world's preeminent naval power, was a foolish undertaking.

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9.

The Continental United States Navy achieved mixed results; it was successful in a number of engagements and raided many British merchant vessels, but it lost twenty-four of its vessels and at one point was reduced to two in active service.

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10.

In 1972, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, authorized the United States Navy to celebrate its birthday on 13 October to honor the establishment of the Continental United States Navy in 1775.

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11.

United States was without a navy for nearly a decade, a state of affairs that exposed US maritime merchant ships to a series of attacks by the Barbary pirates.

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12.

From 1801 to 1805, in the First Barbary War, the US United States Navy defended US ships from the Barbary pirates, blockaded the Barbary ports and executed attacks against the Barbary' fleets.

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13.

US United States Navy saw substantial action in the War of 1812, where it was victorious in eleven single-ship duels with the Royal United States Navy.

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14.

The United States Navy conducted the US military's first large-scale amphibious joint operation by successfully landing 12,000 army troops with their equipment in one day at Veracruz, Mexico.

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15.

When larger guns were needed to bombard Veracruz, United States Navy volunteers landed large guns and manned them in the successful bombardment and capture of the city.

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16.

For two decades after the war the US United States Navy's fleet was neglected and became technologically obsolete.

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17.

The strength of the United States Navy grew under an ambitious ship building program associated with the Naval Act of 1916.

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18.

The US United States Navy participated in many significant battles, including the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, the Solomon Islands Campaign, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and the Battle of Okinawa.

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19.

The US United States Navy had followed in the footsteps of the navies of Great Britain and Germany which favored concentrated groups of battleships as their main offensive naval weapons.

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20.

Potential for armed conflict with the Soviet Union during the Cold War pushed the US United States Navy to continue its technological advancement by developing new weapons systems, ships, and aircraft.

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21.

The US United States Navy conducted various combat operations in the Persian Gulf against Iran in 1987 and 1988, most notably Operation Praying Mantis.

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22.

The United States Navy was extensively involved in Operation Urgent Fury, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Deliberate Force, Operation Allied Force, Operation Desert Fox and Operation Southern Watch.

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23.

US United States Navy continues to be a major support to US interests in the 21st century.

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24.

In 2007, the US United States Navy joined with the US Marine Corps and US Coast Guard to adopt a new maritime strategy called A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower that raises the notion of prevention of war to the same philosophical level as the conduct of war.

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25.

In 2010, Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, noted that demands on the United States Navy have grown as the fleet has shrunk and that in the face of declining budgets in the future, the US United States Navy must rely even more on international partnerships.

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26.

Historically, the United States Navy has had a unique relationship with the USMC, partly because they both specialize in seaborne operations.

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27.

United States Navy has over 400,000 personnel, approximately a quarter of whom are in ready reserve.

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28.

Uniforms of the US United States Navy have evolved gradually since the first uniform regulations for officers were issued in 1802 on the formation of the United States Navy Department.

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29.

US United States Navy uniforms were based on Royal United States Navy uniforms of the time and have tended to follow that template.

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30.

United States Navy officers serve either as a line officer or as a staff corps officer.

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31.

Insignia and badges of the United States Navy are military "badges" issued by the US Department of the Navy to naval service members who achieve certain qualifications and accomplishments while serving on both active and reserve duty in the United States Navy.

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32.

Size, complexity, and international presence of the United States Navy requires a large number of navy installations to support its operations.

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33.

Largest overseas base is the United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, which serves as the home port for the navy's largest forward-deployed fleet and is a significant base of operations in the Western Pacific.

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34.

US United States Navy was one of the first to install nuclear reactors aboard naval vessels; today, nuclear energy powers all active US aircraft carriers and submarines.

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35.

The US United States Navy previously operated nuclear-powered cruisers, but all have been decommissioned.

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36.

In March 2014, the United States Navy started counting self-deployable support ships such as minesweepers, surveillance craft, and tugs in the "battle fleet" to reach a count of 272 as of October 2016, and it includes ships that have been put in "shrink wrap".

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37.

United States Navy has a statutory requirement for a minimum of 11 aircraft carriers.

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38.

United States Navy serves as a tribute to the heritage of the Navy, and occasionally sails for commemorative events such as Independence Day and various victories during the War of 1812.

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39.

The United States Navy has approximately a dozen in active service, which are mainly used in the littoral regions of the Persian Gulf, but have been used for home port patrols and drug interdiction missions.

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40.

All current and planned US United States Navy submarines are nuclear-powered, as only nuclear propulsion allows for the combination of stealth and long duration, high-speed sustained underwater movement that makes modern nuclear submarines quite vital to a modern blue-water navy.

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41.

The US United States Navy operates three types: ballistic missile submarines, guided missile submarines, and attack submarines.

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42.

The primary missions of attack and guided missile submarines in the US United States Navy are peacetime engagement, surveillance and intelligence, special operations, precision strikes, and control of the seas.

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43.

United States Navy aircraft played a significant role in conflicts during the following Cold War years, with the F-4 Phantom II and the F-14 Tomcat becoming military icons of the era.

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44.

Nuclear weapons in the US United States Navy arsenal are deployed through ballistic missile submarines and aircraft.

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45.

Current naval jack of the United States is the Union Jack, a small blue flag emblazoned with the stars of the 50 states.

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46.

Some notable former members of the United States Navy include US Senators, Bob Kerrey, John McCain, and John Kerry, along with Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida, and Jesse Ventura, Governor of Minnesota.

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