Navy Birthday
Navy Birthday:
The people of the United States of America celebrate the 13th of October as the US Navy Birthday. The United States Navy is presently the largest, most potent navy globally, including more than 340,000 personnel on duty and over 71,000 in the Navy Reserve.
| Year | Date | Day | Where |
| 2023 | 13th October | Friday | United States |
| 2023 | 13th October | Sunday | United States |
| 2025 | 13th October | Monday | United States |
Twitter Hashtags:
#NavyBirthday
Related: Other National Days Celebrated on October 13th:
National Yorkshire Pudding Day
Why Navy Birthday?
The initial reason for celebrating this day is to give tribute to the Navy personnel who deliberately stay on duty to secure US citizens’ lives. Honoring the men and women who are currently enlisted shows our appreciation for what they do for us.
It is also a day to remember the past days and honor that navy personnel who lost their lives in the war. It is also vital to remember the Navy’s history and honor the men and women who have given their service and lives for our country.
Featuring a massive flight deck equipped with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, the Gerald R. Ford Class can carry more than 75 aircraft and accommodate 4,539 personnel. It’s the world’s biggest aircraft carrier.
With only two ships and a crew of eighty men, the Continental Navy was born on October 13, 1775. The Continental Congress’s decision set the Continental Navy to carry arms to the British army, not to defend against it. However, these two ships and crew represent the birth of the United States Navy.
Throughout the Revolutionary War, their importance grew. Today, the United States maintains 40 naval bases across the country, including the world’s largest Naval Station, Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia.
Below the sea, submarines became a part of the Navy during World War II. While experiments began in the late 1800s and during the Civil War, they did not become a large part of the Navy inventory until World War II. At that point, subs became necessary for surveillance and rescue, even though they were also armed.
With the advent of the airplane, the Navy became vital stations for the Airforce as well. As a result, the Navy modified ships into floating landing strips. Today, joint Naval and Air Bases such as Pearl Harbor-Hickam provide the country with sea and air defense fleets.
How can we observe Navy Birthday?
The Continental Congress established the Continental Navy at the beginning of the American Revolution. Its primary purpose was to disrupt British supply ships. On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress purchased two armed vessels to attack British ships and prevent them from reaching soldiers in the colonies. Congress passed a resolution creating a committee to oversee the purchase and manage the small, but growing, fleet. After the US won its independence in 1783, the Continental Navy was disbanded, and its remaining ships were sold. Its officers and sailors returned to civilian life. Before long, the young country began facing threats from pirates and others wishing to disrupt its seaborne commerce. To defend its interests, Congress moved to reestablish a naval fleet. President George Washington signed the Naval Act of 1794, creating a permanent standing US Navy. The Department of War ran the Navy until Congress established the Navy’s Department in 1798.
In 1819, Congress gave the duty and responsibility of naming ships to the Secretary of the Navy. It’s not as easy as just picking a name. There’s a long list of rules and regulations that everyone must follow. According to Naval History and Heritage Command, all first-class battleships, those armed with 40 guns or more, must be named for the states and not for any city, place, or person until the names of states have been exhausted, according to Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). The Navy, however, no longer has any battleships in its ship inventory. Fortunately, the secretary can rely on others for help. Each year, NHCC compiles a list of possible names. The recommendations are based on research and suggestions from military personnel and the public. It’s a huge honor for a ship to be named after a person. The tribute is usually reserved for naval leaders and national figures who are considered heroes of war or made extraordinary peace achievements. The Navy’s newest ship, the latest model of a destroyer, is the USS Zumwalt, named after that admiral that designated its birthday.
While the Navy’s special ops forces are adept at navigating seas, they aren’t named for the animal they share a name with. SEAL stands for Sea, Air, and Land — all the places the elite force carries out missions. According to the Navy, approximately 1000 candidates attempt the rigorous training program to become part of the SEALS, yet only 200 to 250 complete the course.
It’s an actual law enforcement agency. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is the civilian federal law enforcement agency that investigates crimes, prevents terrorism, and protects secrets for the Navy and Marine Corps. According to NCIS, the service consists of about 2,000 personnel and operates in 191 locations in more than 41 countries. Special agents deploy aboard Navy vessels and conduct security assessments ahead of US Navy ships docking in foreign ports. While its activities aren’t always as dramatic as the TV show presents them, NCIS solves and prevents crimes “ashore, afloat, and in cyberspace.”
According to the US Navy, it is boasting more than 330,000 active-duty personnel and an additional 100,000 ready reserve. The Navy hosts an impressive fleet of 290 battle force ships. Its fleet consists of aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, cruisers, littoral combat ships, destroyers, and submarines. The Navy describes its submarines as “one of the most lethal weapons in the nation’s arsenal” and says they navigate the world’s seas unseen carrying out secret missions.
Interesting facts on Navy Birthday:
The Continental Navy was formed on October 13th, 1775 – roughly six months after the Revolutionary War – and was disbanded after the war in 1785. Our country went without a navy for nine years. However, this lack of defense made us an easy target for pirates. Under the Naval Act of 1794, our country’s navy was resurrected and re-named the U.S. Navy.
With 323,000 active and 109,000 personnel, the U.S. Navy is the world’s largest workforce. Our navy also maintains an impressive fleet, with 288 battle force ships, ten aircraft carriers, nine amphibious assault ships, 22 cruisers, 62 destroyers, 17 frigates, 72 submarines, and 3,700 aircraft.
John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. Every president from 1961 to 1993, save for Ronald Reagan, was a Navy veteran!
The U.S. Navy operates in nearly every significant body of water worldwide: the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Horn of Africa. Additionally, the U.S. Navy also deploys ships to Europe, Japan, and the Persian Gulf.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the United States Department of the Navy’s primary law enforcement agency. This team of naval investigators comprises 1,200 Special Agents, 900 civilian professionals, and over 200 military members who operate from 140 locations worldwide to prevent terrorism, protect secrets, and reduce crime.
Navy SEALS are members of a Naval Special Warfare unit rigorously trained for unconventional warfare in any setting: on land, in the air, or at sea. As such, “SEAL” stands for “Sea, Air, and Land.” Despite accounting for less than 1% of all U.S. Navy personnel, Navy SEALS are so highly-trained that their efforts make a huge strategic impact – so much so that most of their training and operations are highly secretive.
The Seabees are members of the United States Naval Construction Forces (NCF). Founded in 1942, the Seabees play a significant role for the U.S. military, building military bases and paving much-needed roadway and airstrips in combat zones. During WWII, the Navy recruited skilled civilians working in construction trades to help with construction efforts. Because of this focus on skill and experience, Seabees’ average age during World War II was 37 – much older than the military’s average member.
The rivalry between the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, is one of the biggest – and oldest – football rivalries. The teams have been going head to head since 1890! As of 2015, the U.S. Navy leads the series 60–49–7.
The U.S. Navy’s “Future Sailor Kits” are created and supplied by our team here at custom! The kits include a drawstring bag, performance t-shirt, ball cap, water bottle, and a pen. In addition to creating and shipping thousands of these kits each month, supply is proud to supply the U.S. Navy with a wide range of office and paper supplies covering their everyday operational needs.
History of Navy Birthday:
On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the first American naval force. Thus began the long and prestigious heritage of the United States Navy. Between 1922 and 1972, the Navy celebrated its birthday on October 27th, the date of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth. The Navy League of the United States designated the date due to Roosevelt’s foresight and vision in elevating the U.S. Navy into a premier force.
The change to October 13th was seen as more relevant data in line with the first official action legislating a navy. Since 1972, the Navy has officially recognized October 13th as the official date of its birth. Here is a small historical timeline of the #NavyBirthday
- In the year 1794, dated 27th March, the United States Navy was declared as permanent. The US Congress passed the Naval Act of 1794 — establishing a permanent standing navy.
- In the year 1800, the US Navy commissioned and pressed three ships into service. These were the USS Constitution, the USS United States, and the USS Constellation.
- On 7th December 1941, Japanese forces sent 353 aircraft to launch a surprise attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. That led directly to America’s involvement in World War II.
- On 30th September 1954, the Navy deployed the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine — the USS Nautilus.
Apart from that, the first use of submarines: While the Navy’s first commissioned designs for a submarine was through handover in 1875, it wasn’t until 1898 that the first Holland submarine-launched successfully. The first use of modern battleships: While America had battleships before the 1908 South Carolina class dreadnought, which started with the USS Michigan and was based on British ships, these were the first in the new era of battleships First use of Naval aircraft: In 1911, the U.S. Navy bought its first airplane, the Curtiss A-1 Triad.
Sometimes people mess up with Navy Day and #NavyBirthday. But, there are some differences between these two days.
October is a significant month for the United States Navy, which is honored and recognized in two different ways on two separate days: Navy Birthday and Navy Day. If you’re not a current or former member of the Navy, you may wonder when each occurs – and more importantly, how they differ. During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress received word that a British fleet was on its way. Congress authorized the creation of the Continental Navy on Oct. 13, 1775, initially outfitting and sending two armed ships to find munitions ships supporting the British Army in America. Throughout the war, the Continental Navy grew to more than 50 boats, including 20 warships. This creation of the precursor to the current U.S. Navy is celebrated every year on Oct. 13.
The Navy Birthday celebration is primarily an internal recognition of today’s active forces and reservists, along with retirees, focusing on our Navy’s origins and impressive history, along with its heritage of professionalism and pride. Navy Day, observed on Oct. 27, honors the Navy in a different context. In 1922, They chose the date to coincide with President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday. That’s because Roosevelt personally drove the Navy’s evolution to become the premier fighting force we know today, spending time as the Navy’s Assistant Secretary and pushing them to pursue naval aviation. Thanks to his interest in this fighting force, our Navy has become one of the world’s largest and most powerful.
