When is Navy Birthday?
October 13th is the United States Navy Birthday.
What is Navy Birthday?
The navy boasts some impressive weaponry. Nimitz class aircraft carriers, Ticonderoga cruisers, and a host of submarines help make the U.S. a formidable world power. It’s the sailors who make these behemoths work though, and the U.S. Navy Birthday celebrates the sacrifices and heroism of the U.S. military’s naval branch.
President Theodore Roosevelt worked hard to develop our Navy into an elite power on the seas, and for years his birthday (October 27th) was also the day for celebrating the Navy’s birthday. That date is now called Navy Day, and the Navy Birthday celebration changed in 1972 to commemorate the act of Congress that created the first U.S. Navy on October 13, 1775.
Parades, speeches, formal dinners, and a birthday cake celebrate the Navy’s establishment every year. On the U.S. Navy Birthday, we honor these sailors and other personnel who protect American interests against piracy and foreign threats.
Fun facts about Navy Birthday!
All of the Navy’s submariners volunteer for the position. (After all, space is pretty cramped down there in the deep blue sea, and privacy on a sub is nil.)
Between active and reserve personnel, there were over 400,000 people serving in the Navy in 2018. A quarter of that number was in the reserves.
The Navy had about 430 ships in 2017.
The longest aircraft carrier ever built was the U.S.S. Enterprise. It was deactivated in 2012, but it stretched 1,122 feet.
Congress dismantled the Continental Navy after the revolutionary war, but problems with Barbary pirates led to the institution of a permanent standing U.S. Navy in 1794.
How to celebrate Navy Birthday:
Send thank you letters or emails to any current or veteran Navy sailors you know.
Donate to organizations that support Navy families while their sailors are out at sea.
Sing out the Navy Anthem, “Anchors Aweigh.”
What’s the hashtag for Navy Birthday?
Use #HappyBirthdayNavy and #NavyBirthday on social media to honor the Navy.