39 Facts About US Navy

1.

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

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2.

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

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3.

The 21st century United States US 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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4.

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

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5.

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

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6.

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

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7.

The Continental US 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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8.

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

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9.

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

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10.

The Navy conducted the U S 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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11.

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

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12.

The U S Navy established itself as a player in United States foreign policy through the actions of Commodore Matthew Perry in Japan, which resulted in the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854.

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13.

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

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14.

The U S 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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15.

At its peak, the U S Navy was operating 6, 768 ships on V-J Day in August 1945.

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16.

The U S 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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17.

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

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18.

US Navy was a major participant in the Vietnam War, blockaded Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and, through the use of ballistic missile submarines, became an important aspect of the United States' nuclear strategic deterrence policy.

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19.

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

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20.

The US 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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21.

In 2007, the U S Navy joined with the U S Marine Corps and U S 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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22.

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

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23.

In early 2008, the US Navy reactivated the United States Fourth Fleet to control operations in the area controlled by Southern Command, which consists of US assets in and around Central and South America.

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24.

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

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25.

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

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26.

Insignia and badges of the United States Navy are military "badges" issued by the U S 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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27.

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

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28.

Names of commissioned ships of the U S Navy are prefixed with the letters "USS", designating "United States Ship".

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29.

The U S Navy previously operated nuclear-powered cruisers, but all have been decommissioned.

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30.

In March 2014, the US 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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31.

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

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32.

US Navy's 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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33.

The US 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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34.

All current and planned U S 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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35.

The U S Navy operates three types: ballistic missile submarines, guided missile submarines, and attack submarines.

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36.

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

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37.

US 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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38.

Nuclear weapons in the U S Navy arsenal are deployed through ballistic missile submarines and aircraft.

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39.

Some notable former members of the Navy include U S 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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