Happy Birthday to United States Navy!!

October 13 marks the 242nd birthday of the U.S. Navy. Happy…Happy Birthday!

The history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the “Old Navy”, a small but valued force of sailing ships that was also distinguished for modernization in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the “New Navy”, the consequence of an innovation effort that began in the 1880s and made it the largest in the world by the 1920s. On 13 October 1775, the Continental Congress approved the purchase of two vessels to be armed for a cruise against British merchant ships; this resolution created the Continental Navy and is considered the first establishment of the U.S. Navy. The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.

Here are a few interesting facts about the Navy:

• The Navy’s first commissioned designs for a submarine were handed over in 1875, it wasn’t until 1898 that the first Holland submarine-launched successfully.
•  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.
  In 1911, the U.S. Navy bought its first airplane, the Curtiss A-1 Triad.
• The first flight from the deck of a U.S. Navy cruiser in 1910 led to the 1927 Lexington-class aircraft carriers, the first operational aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy.
• Announced in 1992, the Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat was originally meant for lifeboats in the 1960s, but the Navy now uses them for SEALs due to their lightweight, high speed, all-weather specifications.

So, in honor of The United States Navy, make sure you thank one! I am sure they will truly appreciate it. And to make the conversation even more enlightening, throw one of the interesting facts above at them. GO NAVY!