U.S. Navy celebrates its 247th birthday
United States of America (KRDO) -- Today, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, marks the 247th birthday of the United States Navy.
On Oct. 13, 1775, a 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 despatch, 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.
According to the Navy, 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.”
The Navy's official site said the central theme of this year is, On Watch - 24/7 for 247 Years," which highlights the Navy's enduring ability to remain fully ready to respond to and effectively deter emergent threats.
For more information on the U.S. Navy and its history, visit https://www.history.navy.mil/.
