10/13/2026
*Happy 251st Birthday to the U.S. Navy!*
⚓️HAPPY 251st BIRTHDAY to the greatest Navy in the world!!
⚓️Established in 1775, our U.S. Navy has protected the seas and fought battles in defense of freedom for 251 years. Today, we salute the sailors who have served and will serve on ships, submarines, and aircraft. It is an honor and privilege to serve in the Navy.
During the American Revolution, an October 13, 1775 resolution of the Continental Congress established what is now the United States Navy with “a swift sailing vessel, to carry ten carriage guns, and a proportionable number of swivels, with eighty men, be fitted, with all possible dispatch, for a cruise of three months….” After the American War of Independence, the U.S. Constitution empowered the new Congress “to provide and maintain a navy.” Acting on this authority, Congress established the Department of the Navy on 30 April 1798.
In 1972, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt authorized official recognition of 13 October as the birthday of the U.S. Navy. Since then, each CNO has encouraged a Navy-wide celebration of this occasion “to enhance a greater appreciation of our Navy heritage, and to provide a positive influence toward pride and professionalism in the naval service.”
TODAY, our U.S. Navy is the largest and most capable Navy in the world, with the highest combined battle fleet tonnage. The Navy also boasts the world’s largest aircraft carrier fleet, over 300,000 active personnel, and nearly 100,000 in the Ready Reserve.
THANK YOU, for safeguarding America since 1775.
🇺🇸 🇺🇲 🇺🇸🚢🌊
