09/12/2022
On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress voted to create the Continental Navy. At the end of the Revolutionary War, it was disbanded. However, in 1794, the Naval Act was passed and was signed into law by President George Washington. This act authorized the construction of six frigates, which were the first ships of what eventually became the modern US Navy.
From the years 1794 through 1798, naval affairs were the responsibility of the Department of War. The US Navy fought in the Quasi-War, the Barbary Wars, and the War of 1812. They were then at peace until the Mexican-American war in 1846 as well as fighting piracy and the slave trade.
The Naval Academy was founded in 1845 in Annapolis, MD. Then the Civil War began and the US Navy fought the Confederate States Navy. After the Civil War, most of the ships were laid up until they would be needed in the future.
The Navy then went on to fight in the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II, during which they fought in many historical battles. Beyond World War II, they were there for the Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam War, the first Persian Gulf War, and on to more modern times. Today, the US Navy is the world’s undisputed Naval Superpower.
The Navy Reserve was officially established in 1915 in preparation for World War I. In 1916, the US Naval Reserve Force was founded and in 2005, it was redesignated as the US Navy Reserve. The Navy Reserve has been called up since World War I and is still being called in today’s world.
