The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest navy in the world, with a battle fleet tonnage that is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S. Navy also has the world's largest carrier fleet, with 11 in service, one under construction (two planned), and one in reserve. The service has 318,406 personnel on active duty and 108,718 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 288 ships in active service and more than 3,700 aircraft.
The Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was essentially disbanded as a separate entity shortly thereafter. The United States Constitution provided the legal basis for a military force by giving Congress the power "to provide and maintain a navy".
Depredations against U.S. shipping by Barbary Coast pirates in the Mediterranean Sea spurred Congress to employ this power by passing the Naval Act of 1794 ordering the construction and manning of six frigates. These ships were used to end most pirate activity off the Barbary Coast. In the 20th century, American blue-water navy capability was demonstrated by the 1907–1909 world tour of the Great White Fleet.
The 21st century United States Navy maintains a sizable global presence, deploying in such areas as East Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. It is a blue-water navy with the ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world, engage in forward areas during peacetime, and rapidly respond to regional crises, making it an active player in U.S. foreign and defense policy.
The Navy is administratively managed by the Department of the Navy, which is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Navy. The Department of the Navy is itself a division of the Department of Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of Defense. The Chief of Naval Operations is currently held by Admiral Jonathan Greenert. This position is traditionally the highest ranking naval officer (O-10 on the pay chart), but the current highest ranking naval officer is the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral James Winnefeld.
Read more about United States Navy: Mission, Organization, Bases, Equipment, Naval Jack, Notable Sailors
Other articles related to "united states navy, united states, navy, united":
... Main article List of United States Navy people Many past and present United States historical figures have served in the Navy ... Notable officers include John Paul Jones, John Barry (Continental Navy officer and first flag officer of the United States Navy), James Lawrence (whose last words "don't ... A number of presidents served in the Navy before or early in their political careers, including John F ...
... Kaiserin Augusta Protected cruiser For Kaiserliche Marine 30 January United Kingdom Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company Leamouth Grafton Edgar-class cruiser For Royal Navy 2 ...
... list of ships launched in 1923 Country Builder Location Ship Class Notes 15 January United Kingdom Harland Wolff Ltd Belfast Mooltan Ocean liner For Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation ... Quincy, Massachusetts S-46 S-class submarine For United States Navy 12 September Norway Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted Trondheim Nordnorge Cargo liner For ...
23 January – A United States Navy Beechcraft T-34C Turbo-Mentor, an upgraded version of the T-34 Mentor, crash-landed in Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans. 26 January – A Nigerian Navy AgustaWestland AW109E helicopter crashed in south Nigeria. 3 February – A Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter of the United States Army crashed in Germany about 1800 hrs ...
... Creighton Abrams (1914–1974), United States Army General who commanded U.S ... Baker (1946–2009), United States Air Force Brigadier General ... killed at Iwo Jima, received the Medal of Honor and posthumously the Navy Cross for bravery ...
Famous quotes containing the words united states, navy, united and/or states:
“The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem.”
—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)
“Give me the eye to see a navy in an acorn. What is there of the divine in a load of bricks? What of the divine in a barber’s shop or a privy? Much, all.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I do not look upon these United States as a finished product. We are still in the making.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1954)
“With steady eye on the real issue, let us reinaugurate the good old “central ideas” of the Republic. We can do it. The human heart is with us—God is with us. We shall again be able not to declare, that “all States as States, are equal,” nor yet that “all citizens as citizens are equal,” but to renew the broader, better declaration, including both these and much more, that “all men are created equal.””
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)