5 Things You Don’t Know: U.S. Navy

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• published: 13 Oct 2015
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Newly hosted by Benari Poulten, a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. In this episode, we look at some cool facts related to the U.S. Navy. America’s Navy has a long, proud tradition that stretches back more than 230 years to the days of the Revolutionary War. This is Five Things You Don’t Know About the US Navy. Fact One: While everyone knows Neil Armstrong’s role in the 1969 moon landing, his service to our nation actually began with a stint in the US Navy. In August 1947, Armstrong enlisted in the US Naval Reserve. He reported for active duty in February 1949. He then went on to fly 78 missions as a naval aviator during the Korean War – many of which were as an armed reconnaissance pilot. In fact, on September 3rd, 1952, while flying a Grumman F9F Panther, Armstrong was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Although he was able to fly the plane back to friendly territory, it was so severely damaged that he was forced to eject. After completing his tour of duty in Korea, Armstrong opted to stay in the US Naval Reserves for another 8 years, finally resigning in 1960. So, the first man to set foot on the moon was actually a US Navy veteran. Fact Two: Although the “Silent Service” represented less than 2% of all naval personnel during World War II, they accounted for the highest casualty percentage of all armed forces. Throughout the course of the war, 52 US Navy submarines were lost, taking with them more than 3,500 officers and enlisted men. Those losses average out to approximately 22% of all submariners being killed in action. Fact Three: Today the 21-gun Salute is fired in honor of the President, ex-President and President-elect of the United States, as well as to honor a national flag or the chief of state or sovereign of a foreign nation. The tradition of the salute, however, actually dates back to the time of wooden warships. When approaching a port, the ship would fire all of its cannons out to sea as a means of showing it was disarmed and therefore not a threat. Fact Four: While the US Navy recognizes its birthday as October 13th, 1775, it does not take an official stance on its birthplace. As a matter of fact, no less than six American towns and cities actually lay claim to the title. Included on the list is Machias, Maine, who claims the distinction because that’s where a small sloop armed with American woodsmen seized a Royal Navy schooner on June the 12th 1775. Beverly, Massachusetts and Marblehead, Massachusetts, have a competing claim that centers around the fact that in September 1775 General George Washington ordered the schooner Hannah fitted out as the first armed sea vessel of the American Revolution. Because the Hannah was outfitted in Beverly, but the captain and crew hailed from Marblehead, both towns claim to be the ship’s homeport, and therefore the Navy’s birthplace. In addition to these three, Providence, Rhode Island also claims the title because their residents were the first to propose a resolution to build and equip an American fleet in October 1775. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, claims to be the birthplace because that’s where the Continental Congress met on October 13th, when it voted to establish the Continental Navy and resolved to build two armed vessels. And finally, Whitehall, New York, claims the distinction because that’s where the first ships were actually built in the summer of 1776. Fact Five: The current US Navy leads the world in terms of size, strength and global reach. However, in comparison to its peak strength during World War II, today’s Navy is downright tiny. Remarkably, between 1941 and 1945 alone, the US Navy added nearly 6,000 ships to its total strength. This included an impressive 27 aircraft carriers, 77 escort carriers and more than 360 destroyers. Including the battleships, cruisers, destroyer escorts, transports and countless other vessels, this amounted to a peak strength of more than 6,700 operational ships during the war.