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Jun 3, 2016 · It can be easy to lose sight of the importance of the U.S. Navy patrolling waters around the world. However, from historical, economic, and security perspectives a strong, globally positioned Navy remains crucial to American prosperity and leadership.
- Overview
- The Navy in the Revolutionary era
United States Navy (USN), major branch of the United States armed forces charged with the defense of the country at sea, the seaborne support of the other U.S. military services, and the maintenance of security on the seas wherever the interests of the United States extend.
The earliest sea battles of the American Revolution took place after the Battle of Lexington, when 9 of the 13 colonies armed small vessels for the protection of local waterborne commerce. When George Washington took command of the Continental Army in July 1775, he found his troops without ammunition and arranged for a ship of the Rhode Island navy to sail to Bermuda for powder. Soon afterward Washington fitted out seven small vessels, part of a rudimentary navy that was gradually forming, and manned them with seagoing troops in order to interfere with British supply ships. Commodore John Manly directed this force and commanded the most successful of the vessels, capturing in one British ship a quantity of munitions equivalent to the manufacturing capacity of the colonies for about 18 months.
Significant, too, during these embryonic years of a national maritime force, was naval officer John Barry, who won significant victories at sea during the revolution. Because he had trained so many young officers who later became celebrated in the nation’s history, he was often called the “Father of the Navy.”
On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress voted to fit out ships, and the Marine Committee, later appointed, sent the first Continental squadron to sea, under the command of Esek Hopkins, for the purpose of capturing munitions. In fact, Congress had declared all British vessels subject to capture and even authorized privateering. In the aggregate, this new Continental Navy comprised about 60 ships and made an impressive showing. John Paul Jones had spectacular successes in British home waters. In addition to cruising against enemy merchantmen and British blockaders, the Continental vessels were required to make many voyages carrying diplomatic representatives and essential cargo. Arrangements for the administration of the Continental vessels were not efficient, and the shortage of money imposed severe handicaps. Privateering offered much better financial inducements and made recruiting for naval vessels difficult. Together, the Continental Navy and the privateers touched the pocketbook nerve of British merchants, and each one of the many petitions to the king importuning for an end to the war stressed the severe losses which the English mercantile community was suffering.
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By All Military Meanings Necessary: Vocab Quiz
The Royal Navy enabled the British army to force the surrender of Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; and Wilmington, North Carolina. It ravaged the coast of Connecticut and burned Norfolk, Virginia, and Falmouth, Maine, and other coastal towns while enabling the British army to strike at will along the seaboard. By 1778 Washington realized that he needed the help of a superior French fleet to enable him to inflict a truly decisive defeat on the British. Thereafter he constantly urged Benjamin Franklin—who was in Paris representing American government—on the need for French ships rather than French troops. In the Battle of the Chesapeake (Battle of Virginia Capes), on September 5, 1781, a powerful British fleet was defeated by the French armada commanded by François-Joseph-Paul, comte de Grasse. The presence of the French fleet prevented the Royal Navy from rescuing the British from the Yorktown Peninsula, and Washington forced the surrender of the British army under Lord Cornwallis on October 19, 1781.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jun 12, 2024 · The U.S. Navy plays a central role in projecting American military power globally and responding to international crises. The United States maintains major naval bases in more than ten...
The United States Navy played a major role in the American Civil War by blockading the Confederacy and seizing control of its rivers. It played the central role in the World War II defeat of Imperial Japan. The United States Navy emerged from World War II as the most powerful navy in the world.
Mission Statement. The United States is a maritime nation, and the U.S. Navy protects America at sea. Alongside our allies and partners, we defend freedom, preserve economic prosperity, and keep...
Apr 26, 2024 · For many years, from the 1970s until after the Cold War, the U.S. Navy sought a “high-low” mix of surface combatants, in which there were both very capable combatants that were assessed as able to perform specific warfare missions effectively and a large number of smaller ships.
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The Navy maintains, trains and equips combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining the freedom of the seas. U.S. Navy personnel expertly operate...
