Professional Documents
Culture Documents
during the American Revolutionary War and was essentially disbanded as a separat
e entity shortly thereafter. It played a major role in the American Civil War by
blockading the Confederacy and seizing control of its rivers. It played the cen
tral role in the World War II defeat of Japan. The 21st century U.S. Navy mainta
ins a sizable global presence, deploying in such areas as East Asia, the Mediter
ranean, 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 pe
acetime, 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 hea
ded 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 Def
ense. The Chief of Naval Operations is a four-star admiral and the senior naval
officer of the Department of the Navy.[9] However, the CNO may not be the highes
t ranking naval officer in the armed forces if the Chairman or the Vice Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are Navy officers, who by law, outrank the CNO.
Contents
1 Mission
2 History
2.1 Origins
2.2 From reestablishment to the Civil War
2.3 20th century
2.3.1 World War I and interwar years
2.3.2 World War II
2.3.3 Cold War
2.4 21st century
3 Organization
3.1 Operating forces
3.2 Shore establishments
3.3 Relationships with other service branches
3.3.1 United States Marine Corps
3.3.2 United States Coast Guard
4 Personnel
5 Bases
5.1 Eastern United States
5.2 Western United States and Hawaii
5.3 United States territories
5.4 Foreign countries
6 Equipment
6.1 Ships
6.1.1 Aircraft carriers
6.1.2 Amphibious warfare vessels
6.1.3 Surface vessels
6.1.4 Submarines
6.2 Aircraft
6.3 Weapons
7 Naval jack
8 Notable sailors
9 See also
10 References
10.1 Notes
10.2 Sources
11 External links
Mission
The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval f
Congress passed the Naval Act of 1794 which established a permanent standing nav
y. The Naval Act ordered the construction and manning of six frigates and, by Oc
tober of 1797;[17] three years later, the first three were welcomed into service
: USS United States, USS Constellation, and USS Constitution. In 1798 99 the Navy
was involved in an undeclared Quasi-War with France.
President Thomas Jefferson and his Republican party opposed a strong navy, argui
ng that small gunboats in the major harbors were all that the nation needed to d
efend itself. They proved useless in wartime.[19]
The U.S. Navy saw substantial action in the War of 1812, where it was victorious
in eleven single-ship duels with the Royal Navy. The navy drove all significant
British forces off Lake Erie and Lake Champlain and prevented them from becomin
g British controlled zones of conflict. The result was a major defeat for the Br
itish invasion of New York state, and the defeat of the military threat from the
Indian allies of the British. Despite this, the U.S. Navy was unable to prevent
the British from blockading American ports and landing troops on American soil.
[20] After the war, the U.S. Navy again focused its attention on protecting Amer
ican shipping assets, sending squadrons to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Sou
th America, Africa, and the Pacific.[17] From 1819 to the outbreak of the Civil
War the Africa Squadron operated to suppress the slave trade, seizing 36 slave s
hips, although its contribution was smaller than that of the much larger British
Royal Navy.
USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812
During the Mexican-American War the U.S. Navy contributed by instituting blockad
es of Mexican ports, capturing or burning the Mexican fleet in the Gulf of Calif
ornia and capturing all major cities in Baja California peninsula later returned.
In 1846 1848 the navy successfully used the Pacific Squadron under Commodore (Rear
Admiral) Robert Stockton and its marines and blue-jackets to facilitate the cap
ture of California with large scale land operations coordinated with the local m
ilitia organized in the California Battalion. The navy conducted the U.S. milita
ry's first large-scale amphibious joint operation by successfully landing 12,000
army troops with their equipment in one day at Veracruz, Mexico. When larger gu
ns were needed to bombard Veracruz, navy volunteers landed large navy guns and m
anned them in the successful bombardment and capture of the city. This successfu
l landing and capture of Veracruz opened the way for the capture of Mexico City
and the end of the war.[20] The United States Navy established itself as a playe
r in American foreign policy through the actions of Commodore Matthew Perry in J
apan, which resulted in the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854.
Naval power played a significant role during the American Civil War, where the U
nion had a distinct advantage over the Confederacy on the seas.[20] A Union bloc
kade on all major ports shut down exports and the coastal trade, but blockade ru
nners (mostly owned and operated by British companies) provided a thin lifeline.
The brown-water Navy's control of the river systems made internal travel diffic
ult for Confederates and easy for the Union. The war saw ironclad warships in co
mbat for the first time at the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862, which pitted USS
Monitor against CSS Virginia.[21] For two decades after the war, however, the U
.S. Navy's fleet was neglected and became technologically obsolete.
20th century
The Great White Fleet demonstrates U.S. naval power in 1907; it was proof that t
he U.S. Navy had blue-water capability.
Our ships are our natural bulwarks.
Woodrow Wilson[15]
A modernization program beginning in the 1880s with the first steel hulled warsh
ips stimulated the American steel industry and "the new steel navy" was born.[22
] This rapid expansion of the U.S. Navy and its easy victory over the Spanish Na
vy in 1898 brought a new respect for American technical quality. Rapid building
of at first pre-dreadnoughts, then dreadnoughts brought the U.S. in line with th
e navies of countries such as Britain and Germany. In 1907, most of the Navy's b
attleships, with several support vessels, dubbed the Great White Fleet, were sho
wcased in a 14-month circumnavigation of the world. Ordered by President Theodor
e Roosevelt, it was a mission designed to demonstrate the Navy's capability to e
xtend to the global theater.[17] By 1911, the U.S. had begun building the superdreadnoughts at a pace to eventually become competitive with Britain.[23]
Columbia, personification of the United States, wearing a warship bearing the wo
rds "World Power" as her "Easter bonnet" on the cover of Puck, 6 April 1901.
World War I and interwar years
The navy saw little action during World War I. It concentrated on mine laying op
erations against German U-Boats. Hesitation by the senior command meant that nav
al forces were not contributed until late 1917. Battleship Division Nine was dis
patched to Britain and served as the Sixth Battle Squadron of the British Grand
Fleet. Its presence allowed the British to decommission some older ships and reu
se the crews on smaller vessels. Destroyers and U.S. Naval Air Force units contr
ibuted to the anti-submarine operations. The strength of the United States Navy
grew under an ambitious ship building program associated with the Naval Act of 1
916.
Naval construction, especially of battleships was limited by the Washington Nava
l Conference of 1921 22. The aircraft carriers USS Saratoga (CV-3) and USS Lexingt
on (CV-2) were built on the hulls of partially built battle cruisers that had be
en canceled by the treaty. The New Deal used Public Works Administration funds t
o build warships, such as USS Yorktown (CV-5) and USS Enterprise (CV-6). By 1936
, with the completion of USS Wasp (CV-7), the U.S. Navy possessed a carrier flee
t of 165,000 tonnes displacement, although this figure was nominally recorded as
135,000 tonnes to comply with treaty limitations. President Franklin Roosevelt,
the number two official in the Navy Department during World War I, appreciated
the Navy and gave it strong support. In return, senior leaders were eager for in
novation and experimented with new technologies, such as magnetic torpedoes, and
developed a strategy called War Plan Orange for victory in the Pacific in a hyp
othetical war with Japan.[24]
World War II
Main article: United States Navy in World War II
The battleship USS Idaho shells Okinawa on April 1, 1945
The U.S. Navy grew into a formidable force in the years prior to World War II, w
ith battleship production being restarted in 1937, commencing with USS North Car
olina (BB-55). Though ultimately unsuccessful, Japan attempted to neutralize thi
s strategic threat with the 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Following Amer
ican entry into the war, the U.S. Navy grew tremendously as the United States wa
s faced with a two-front war on the seas. It achieved notable acclaim in the Pac
ific Theater, where it was instrumental to the Allies' successful "island hoppin
g" campaign.[18] The U.S. Navy participated in many significant battles, includi
ng the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, the Solomon Islands Campai
gn, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and the Battle o
f Okinawa. By 1943, the navy's size was larger than the combined fleets of all t
he other combatant nations in World War II.[25] By war's end in 1945, the United
States Navy had added hundreds of new ships, including 18 aircraft carriers and
8 battleships, and had over 70% of the world's total numbers and total tonnage
of naval vessels of 1,000 tons or greater.[26][27] At its peak, the U.S. Navy wa
s operating 6,768 ships on V-J Day in August 1945.[28]
Doctrine had significantly shifted by the end of the war. The United States Navy
had followed in the footsteps of the navies of Great Britain and Germany which
favored concentrated groups of battleships as their main offensive naval weapons
.[29] The development of the aircraft carrier and its devastating utilization by
the Japanese against the U.S. at Pearl Harbor, however, shifted U.S. thinking.
The Pearl Harbor attack destroyed or took out of action a significant number of
U.S. Navy battleships. This placed much of the burden of retaliating against the
Japanese on the small number of aircraft carriers.[30]
Cold War
The potential for armed conflict with the Soviet Union during the Cold War pushe
d the U.S. Navy to continue its technological advancement by developing new weap
ons systems, ships, and aircraft. United States naval strategy changed to that o
f forward deployment in support of U.S. allies with an emphasis on carrier battl
e groups.[31]
The navy was a major participant in the Vietnam War, blockaded Cuba during the C
uban Missile Crisis, and, through the use of ballistic missile submarines, becam
e an important aspect of the United States' nuclear strategic deterrence policy.
The United States Navy conducted various combat operations in the Persian Gulf
against Iran in 1987 and 1988, most notably Operation Praying Mantis. The Navy w
as extensively involved in Operation Urgent Fury, Operation Desert Shield, Opera
tion Desert Storm, Operation Deliberate Force, Operation Allied Force, Operation
Desert Fox and Operation Southern Watch.
The U.S. Navy has also been involved in search and rescue/search and salvage ope
rations, sometimes in conjunction with vessels of other countries as well as wit
h U.S. Coast Guard ships. Two examples are the 1966 Palomares B-52 crash inciden
t and search for the nuclear bombs, and Task Force 71 of the Seventh Fleet opera
tion in search for Korean Air Lines Flight 007 shot down by the Soviets on 1 Sep
tember 1983.
21st century
Six modern amphibious assault ships of the U.S. Navy in formation in April 2003
When a crisis confronts the nation, the first question often asked by policy
makers is: 'What naval forces are available and how fast can they be on station?
'
Admiral Carlisle A. H. Trost[32]
The United States Navy continues to be a major support to U.S. interests in the
21st century. Since the end of the Cold War, it has shifted its focus from prepa
rations for large-scale war with the Soviet Union to special operations and stri
ke missions in regional conflicts.[33] The navy participated in Operation Enduri
ng Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and is a major participant in the ongoing W
ar on Terror, largely in this capacity. Development continues on new ships and w
eapons, including the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier and the Littoral com
bat ship. Because of its size, weapons technology, and ability to project force
far from U.S. shores, the current U.S. Navy remains a potent asset for the Unite
d States.
The USS America Amphibious assault ship, launched in 2012.
In 2007, the U.S. Navy joined with the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard to
adopt a new maritime strategy called A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Se
apower that raises the notion of prevention of war to the same philosophical lev
el as the conduct of war. The strategy was presented by the Chief of Naval Opera
tions, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and Commandant of the Coast Guard at
the International Sea Power Symposium in Newport, R.I. on 17 October 2007.[34] T
he strategy recognized the economic links of the global system and how any disru
ption due to regional crises man made or natural can adversely impact the U.S. econo
my and quality of life. This new strategy charts a course for the Navy, Coast Gu
ard, and Marine Corps to work collectively with each other and international par
tners to prevent these crises from occurring or reacting quickly should one occu
r to prevent negative impacts on the United States.
During the George W. Bush administration, the fleet dropped to a total number of
ships that was smaller than at any time since 1917.[35]
In 2010, Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gary Roughead, noted that demands on
the Navy have grown as the fleet has shrunk and that in the face of declining b
udgets in the future, the U.S. Navy must rely even more on international partner
ships.[36]
In its 2013 budget request, the navy focused on retaining all eleven big deck ca
rriers, at the expense of cutting numbers of smaller ships and delaying the SSBN
replacement.[37] By the next year the USN found itself unable to maintain eleve
n aircraft carriers in the face of the expiration of budget relief offered by th
e Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 and CNO Jonathan Greenert said that a ten ship c
arrier fleet would not be able to sustainably support military requirements.[38]
First sea lord George Zambellas said that the USN had switched from "outcome-le
d to resource-led" planning.[39]
The US Navy currently has a three-step plan to boost the fleets' firepower: in t
he near-term, develop the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile to create a surface-launc
hed, over-the-horizon cruise missile with greater coverage than the 75 mi (121 k
m)-ranged Harpoon anti-ship missile to have the capability that was lost with th
e retirement of the Tomahawk Anti-Ship Missile; in the mid-term, replace defensi
ve missile systems with laser weapon systems; and in the long-term, equip ships
with electromagnetic railguns for over-the-horizon bombardment. Lasers like the
Laser Weapon System in testing are currently for defense of ships and would allo
w missile compartments to be freed up for offensive system, while the laser coul
d run as long as the ship has power. They may only be relegated to short-range d
efensive work, as they cannot fire over the horizon or out of line-of-sight. Rai
lguns will be offensive and fire projectiles at Mach 7 out to 125 mi (201 km). T
hey will serve as a complement to cruise missiles, as they have less range, comp
onents wear out fast, and currently only Zumwalt-class destroyers can generate e
nough electrical power for desired performance.[40]
Organization
Main article: Structure of the United States Navy
Simplified flowchart of U.S. Navy command structure
The Navy falls under the administration of the Department of the Navy, under civ
ilian leadership of the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). The most senior naval of
ficer is the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), a four-star admiral who is immedia
tely under and reports to the Secretary of the Navy. At the same time, the Chief
of Naval Operations is one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is the second-hi
ghest deliberatory body of the armed forces after the United States National Sec
urity Council, although it only plays an advisory role to the President and does
not nominally form part of the chain of command. The Secretary of the Navy and
Chief of Naval Operations are responsible for organizing, recruiting, training,
and equipping the Navy so that it is ready for operation under the command of th
e unified combat command commanders.
Operating forces
Main article: List of units of the United States Navy
There are nine components in the operating forces of the U.S. Navy: the United S
tates Fleet Forces Command (formerly United States Atlantic Fleet), United State
s Pacific Fleet, United States Naval Forces Central Command, United States Naval
Forces Europe, Naval Network Warfare Command, Navy Reserve, United States Naval
Special Warfare Command, Operational Test and Evaluation Force, and Military Se
alift Command. Fleet Forces Command controls a number of unique capabilities, in
cluding Military Sealift Command, Naval Expeditionary Combat Command, and Navy C
yber Forces.
The United States Navy has six active numbered fleets
th Fleet and Tenth Fleets are each led by a three-star vice admiral, and the Fou
rth Fleet is led by a rear admiral. These six fleets are further grouped under F
leet Forces Command (the former Atlantic Fleet), Pacific Fleet, Naval Forces Eur
ope-Africa, and Naval Forces Central Command, whose commander also doubles as Co
mmander Fifth Fleet; the first three commands being led by four-star admirals. T
he United States First Fleet existed after the Second World War from 1947, but i
t was redesignated the Third Fleet in early 1973. In early 2008, the navy reacti
vated the United States Fourth Fleet to control operations in the area controlle
d by Southern Command, which consists of US assets in and around Central and Sou
th America.[41]
Shore establishments
USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) docks at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, Japan.
Shore establishments exist to support the mission of the fleet through the use o
f facilities on land. Among the commands of the shore establishment, as of April
2011, are the Naval Education and Training Command, the Naval Meteorology and O
ceanography Command, the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, the Naval Faci
lities Engineering Command, the Naval Supply Systems Command, the Naval Air Syst
ems Command, the Naval Sea Systems Command, the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery,
the Bureau of Naval Personnel, the United States Naval Academy, the Naval Safety
Center, the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, and the United States Naval Ob
servatory.[42] Official Navy websites list the Office of the Chief of Naval Oper
ations and the chief of naval operations as part of the shore establishment, but
these two entities effectively sit superior to the other organizations, playing
a coordinating role.
Relationships with other service branches
United States Marine Corps
A Marine F/A-18 from VMFA-451 prepares to launch from USS Coral Sea (CV-43)
Main article: United States Marine Corps
In 1834, the United States Marine Corps came under the Department of the Navy.[4
3] Historically, the Navy has had a unique relationship with the USMC, partly be
cause they both specialize in seaborne operations. Together the Navy and Marine
Corps form the Department of the Navy and report to the secretary of the navy. H
owever, the Marine Corps is a distinct, separate service branch[44] with its own
the Commandant of the Marine Corps, a four-star general
uniformed service chief
.
The Marine Corps depends on the Navy for medical support (dentists, doctors, nur
ses, medical technicians known as corpsmen) and religious support (chaplains). T
hus Navy officers and enlisted sailors fulfill these roles. When attached to Mar
ine Corps units deployed to an operational environment they generally wear marin
e camouflage uniforms, but otherwise they wear Navy dress uniforms unless they o
pt to conform to Marine Corps grooming standards.
In the operational environment, as an expeditionary force specializing in amphib
ious operations, Marines often embark on Navy ships to conduct operations from b
eyond territorial waters. Marine units deploying as part of a Marine Air-Ground
Task Force (MAGTF) operate under the command of the existing Marine chain of com
mand. Although Marine units routinely operate from amphibious assault ships, the
relationship has evolved over the years much as the Commander of the Carrier Ai
r Group/Wing (CAG) does not work for the carrier commanding officer, but coordin
ates with the ship's CO and staff. Some Marine aviation squadrons, usually fixed
-wing assigned to carrier air wings train and operate alongside Navy squadrons;
they fly similar missions and often fly sorties together under the cognizance of
the CAG. Aviation is where the Navy and Marines share the most common ground, s
ince aircrews are guided in their use of aircraft by standard procedures outline
d in series of publications known as NATOPS manuals.
United States Coast Guard
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter prepares to land on the flight deck of the amphibi
tation Pensacola; home of the Naval Education and Training Command, the Naval Ai
r Technical Training Center that provides specialty training for enlisted aviati
on personnel and is the primary flight training base for Navy and Marine Corps N
aval Flight Officers and enlisted Naval Aircrewmen. There is also Naval Support
Activity in Panama City Beach, Florida which is home to the Navy Diving and Salv
age Training Center.
The main U.S. Navy submarine bases on the east coast are located in Groton, Conn
ecticut and Kings Bay, Georgia. There is a naval shipyard in Portsmouth, New Ham
pshire, which repairs naval submarines.[46] Naval Station Great Lakes, north of
Chicago, Illinois is the home of the Navy's boot camp for enlisted sailors.
Western United States and Hawaii
Underwater Demolition Team members using the casting technique from a speeding b
oat.
Combat Camera Underwater Photo Team
A US Navy diver during underwater photograph
y training off the coast of Guantanamo Bay.
The navy's largest complex is China Lake, California, which covers 1.1 million a
cres (4,500 km2) of land, or approximately 1/3 of the United States Navy's total
land holdings.[46]
Naval Base San Diego, California, is the main homeport of the Pacific Fleet (alt
hough its headquarters is located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii). NAS North Island is
located on the north side of Coronado, and is home to Headquarters for Naval Air
Forces and Naval Air Force Pacific, the bulk of the Pacific Fleet's helicopter
squadrons, and part of the West Coast aircraft carrier fleet. Naval Amphibious B
ase Coronado is located on the southern end of the Coronado Island and is home t
o the navy's west coast SEAL teams and special boat units. Naval Amphibious Base
Coronado is also home to the Naval Special Warfare Center, the primary training
center for SEALs.
The other major collection of naval bases on the west coast is in Puget Sound, W
ashington. Among them, Naval Station Everett is one of the newer bases and the n
avy states that it is its most modern facility.[47]
NAS Fallon, Nevada serves as the primary training ground for navy strike aircrew
s, and is home to the Naval Strike Air Warfare Center. Master Jet Bases are also
located at NAS Lemoore, California and NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, while th
e carrier-based airborne early warning aircraft community and major air test act
ivities are located at NAS Point Mugu, California. The naval presence in Hawaii
is centered on Pearl Harbor Naval Base, which hosts the headquarters of the Paci
fic Fleet and many of its subordinate commands.[46]
United States territories
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) pier side in Apra Harbor, Guam.
Guam, an island strategically located in the Western Pacific Ocean, maintains a
sizable U.S. Navy presence, including Naval Base Guam. The westernmost U.S. terr
itory, it contains a natural deep water harbor capable of harboring aircraft car
riers in emergencies.[48] Its naval air station was deactivated[49] in 1995 and
its flight activities transferred to nearby Andersen Air Force Base.
Puerto Rico in the Caribbean formerly housed Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, whic
h was shut down in 2004 shortly after the controversial closure of the live ordn
ance training area on nearby Vieques Island.[46]
Foreign countries
The largest overseas base is in Yokosuka, Japan,[50] which serves as the home po
rt for the navy's largest forward-deployed fleet and is a significant base of op
erations in the Western Pacific.
The navy had established a minimum requirement for 11 aircraft carriers, but dro
pped to 10 when Enterprise was retired in December 2012, before Gerald R. Ford e
nters service.[59]
A carrier is typically deployed along with a host of additional vessels, forming
a carrier strike group. The supporting ships, which usually include three or fo
ur Aegis-equipped cruisers and destroyers, a frigate, and two attack submarines,
are tasked with protecting the carrier from air, missile, sea, and undersea thr
eats as well as providing additional strike capabilities themselves. Ready logis
tics support for the group is provided by a combined ammunition, oiler, and supp
ly ship.
Nimitz class
10 in commission
Gerald R. Ford class
2 under construction, 10 planned
Amphibious warfare vessels
Amphibious assault ships are the centerpieces of US amphibious warfare and fulfi
ll the same power projection role as aircraft carriers except that their strikin
g force centers on land forces instead of aircraft. They deliver, command, coord
inate, and fully support all elements of a 2,200-strong Marine Expeditionary Uni
t in an amphibious assault using both air and amphibious vehicles. Resembling sm
all aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships are capable of V/STOL, STOVL, VT
OL, tiltrotor, and rotary wing aircraft operations. They also contain a well dec
k to support the use of Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) and other amphibious as
sault watercraft. Recently, amphibious assault ships have begun to be deployed a
s the core of an expeditionary strike group, which usually consists of an additi
onal amphibious transport dock and dock landing ship for amphibious warfare and
an Aegis-equipped cruiser and destroyer, frigate, and attack submarine for group
defense. Amphibious assault ships are typically named after World War II aircra
ft carriers.
Tarawa class 1 in commission
Wasp class 8 in commission
America class
1 in commission, 1 under construction, 9 more planned[60]
Amphibious transport docks are warships that embark, transport, and land Marines
, supplies, and equipment in a supporting role during amphibious warfare mission
s. With a landing platform, amphibious transport docks also have the capability
to serve as secondary aviation support for an expeditionary group. All amphibiou
s transport docks can operate helicopters, LCACs, and other conventional amphibi
ous vehicles while the newer San Antonio class of ships has been explicitly desi
gned to operate all three elements of the Marines' "mobility triad": Expeditiona
ry Fighting Vehicles (EFVs), the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, and LCACs. Amph
ibious transport docks are named for cities, except for USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19),
named for Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, and three San Antonio class shi
ps named in memory of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Austin class 1 in commission for Laser weapon testbed
San Antonio class
9 in commission, 2 under construction
The dock landing ship is a medium amphibious transport that is designed specific
ally to support and operate LCACs, though it is able to operate other amphibious
assault vehicles in the United States inventory as well. Dock landing ships are
normally deployed as a component of an expeditionary strike group's amphibious
assault contingent, operating as a secondary launch platform for LCACs. All dock
landing ships are named after locations in the United States.
Whidbey Island class
8 in commission
4 in commission
Surface vessels
Cruisers are large surface combat vessels that conduct anti-air/anti-missile war
fare, surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and strike operations independent
ly or as members of a larger task force. Modern guided missile cruisers were dev
eloped out of a need to counter the anti-ship missile threat facing the United S
tates Navy. This led to the development of the AN/SPY-1 phased array radar and t
he Standard missile with the Aegis combat system coordinating the two. Ticondero
ga-class cruisers were the first to be equipped with Aegis and were put to use p
rimarily as anti-air and anti-missile defense in a battle force protection role.
Later developments of vertical launch systems and the Tomahawk missile gave cru
isers additional long-range land and sea strike capability, making them capable
of both offensive and defensive battle operations. All cruisers since CG-47 have
been named for famous battles with USS Thomas S. Gates (CG-51) as the only exce
ption. Previously, cruisers were either named for cities (until CG-12), former i
mportant navy figures (CG-15 to CG-35), or states (CGN-36 to CGN-41).
Ticonderoga class
22 in commission
1]
Zumwalt class
Modern U.S. frigates mainly perform anti-submarine warfare for carrier strike gr
oups and amphibious expeditionary groups and provide armed escort for supply con
voys and merchant shipping. They are designed to protect friendly ships against
hostile submarines in low to medium threat environments, using torpedoes and LAM
PS helicopters. Independently, frigates are able to conduct counterdrug missions
and other maritime interception operations. The U.S. Navy expects to retire and
replace its current class of frigates by 2020 as the Littoral Combat Ships are
introduced into operation.[62] As in the case of destroyers, frigates are named
after naval heroes.
Oliver Hazard Perry class
9 in commission
Littoral Combat Ships are split between two designs and are expected to 32 ships
when the program is complete.
Freedom class 2 in commission, 2 under construction, 12 more planned
Independence class 2 in commission, 2 under construction, 12 more planned
In addition, USS Constitution, commissioned in 1797 and one of the original six
frigates of the United States Navy, remains in commission at the Charlestown Nav
y Yard in Boston. She serves as a tribute to the heritage of the Navy, and occas
ionally sails for commemorative events such as Independence Day and various vict
ories during the War of 1812. Constitution is currently the oldest commissioned
warship afloat. HMS Victory is older, and in commission, but is in permanent dry
dock.
Submarines
Main article: Submarines in the United States Navy
All current and planned U.S. Navy submarines are nuclear-powered, as only nuclea
r propulsion allows for the combination of stealth and long duration, high-speed
sustained underwater movement that makes modern nuclear submarines so vital to
a modern blue-water navy. The U.S. Navy operates three types: ballistic missile
submarines, guided missile submarines, and attack submarines. U.S. Navy (nuclear
) ballistic missile submarines carry the stealthiest leg of the U.S. strategic t
riad (the other legs are the land-based U.S. strategic missile force and the air
-based U.S. strategic bomber force). These submarines have only one mission: to
carry and, if called upon, to launch the Trident nuclear missile. The primary mi
ssions of attack and guided missile submarines in the U.S. Navy are peacetime en
gagement, surveillance and intelligence, special operations, precision strikes,
and control of the seas.[63] To these, attack submarines also add the battlegrou
p operations mission. Attack and guided missile submarines have several tactical
missions, including sinking ships and other subs, launching cruise missiles, ga
thering intelligence, and assisting in special operations.
As with other classes of naval vessels, most U.S. submarines (or "boats") are na
med according to specific conventions. The boats of the current U.S. ballistic m
issile submarine class, Ohio-class, are named after U.S. states. As the four cur
rent U.S. guided missile submarines are converted Ohio-class boats, they have re
tained their U.S. state names. The members of the oldest currently-commissioned
attack submarine class, the Los Angeles class, are typically named for cities. T
he follow-on Seawolf-class' three submarines -- Seawolf, Connecticut and Jimmy C
arter -- share no consistent naming scheme. With the current Virginia-class clas
s attack submarines, the U.S. Navy has extended the Ohio class' state-based nami
ng scheme to these submarines. Attack submarines prior to the Los Angeles class
were named for denizens of the deep, while pre-Ohio-class ballistic missile subm
arines were named for famous Americans and foreigners with notable connections t
o the United States.
Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines
14 in commission
Ohio-class guided missile submarines 4 in commission
Los Angeles-class attack submarines
41 in commission
Seawolf-class attack submarines 3 in commission
Virginia-class attack submarines 11 in commission, 7 under construction, at
least 30 more planned (Block I-VII)
Aircraft
Four Navy F/A-18F Super Hornets.
Main articles: List of United States naval aircraft and List of military aircraf
t of the United States (naval)
See also: List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons
Carrier-based aircraft are able to strike air, sea, and land targets far from a
carrier strike group while protecting friendly forces from enemy aircraft, ships
, and submarines. In peacetime, aircraft's ability to project the threat of sust
ained attack from a mobile platform on the seas gives United States leaders sign
ificant diplomatic and crisis-management options. Aircraft additionally provide
logistics support to maintain the navy's readiness and, through helicopters, sup
ply platforms with which to conduct search and rescue, special operations, antisubmarine warfare (ASW), and anti-surface warfare (ASuW).
The U.S. Navy began to research the use of aircraft at sea in the 1910s, with Li
eutenant Theodore G. "Spuds" Ellyson becoming the first naval aviator on 28 Janu
ary 1911, and commissioned its first aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV-1), in 19
22.[64] United States naval aviation fully came of age in World War II, when it
became clear following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea,
and the Battle of Midway that aircraft carriers and the planes that they carried
had replaced the battleship as the greatest weapon on the seas. Leading navy ai
rcraft in World War II included the Grumman F4F Wildcat, the Grumman F6F Hellcat
, the Chance Vought F4U Corsair, the Douglas SBD Dauntless, and the Grumman TBF
Avenger. Navy aircraft also played a significant role in conflicts during the fo
llowing Cold War years, with the F-4 Phantom II and the F-14 Tomcat becoming mil
itary icons of the era. The navy's current primary fighter and attack airplanes
are the multi-mission F/A-18C/D Hornet and its newer cousin, the F/A-18E/F Super
Hornet. The F-35 Lightning II is presently under development and was scheduled
to replace the C and D versions of the Hornet beginning in 2012.[65] Initial ope
rational capability of the F-35C is now expected to be February 2019.[66] The Na
vy is also looking to eventually replace its F/A-18E/F Super Hornets with the F/
A-XX program.
The Aircraft Investment Plan sees naval aviation growing from 30 percent of curr
ent aviation forces to half of all procurement funding over the next three decad
es.[67]
Weapons
Main article: List of United States Navy weapons
Current U.S. Navy shipboard weapons systems are almost entirely focused on missi
les, both as a weapon and as a threat. In an offensive role, missiles are intend
ed to strike targets at long distances with accuracy and precision. Because they
are unmanned weapons, missiles allow for attacks on heavily defended targets wi
thout risk to human pilots. Land strikes are the domain of the BGM-109 Tomahawk,
which was first deployed in the 1980s and is continually being updated to incre
ase its capabilities. For anti-ship strikes, the navy's dedicated missile is the
Harpoon Missile. To defend against enemy missile attack, the navy operates a nu
mber of systems that are all coordinated by the Aegis combat system. Medium-long
range defense is provided by the Standard Missile 2, which has been deployed si
nce the 1980s. The Standard missile doubles as the primary shipboard anti-aircra
ft weapon and is undergoing development for use in theater ballistic missile def
ense. Short range defense against missiles is provided by the Phalanx CIWS and t
he more recently developed RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile. In addition to m
issiles, the navy employs Mark 46 and Mark 50 torpedoes and various types of nav
al mines.
Aviation Ordnancemen loading GBU-12 bombs.
Naval fixed-wing aircraft employ much of the same weapons as the United States A
ir Force for both air-to-air and air-to-surface combat. Air engagements are hand
led by the heat-seeking Sidewinder and the radar guided AMRAAM missiles along wi
th the M61 Vulcan cannon for close range dogfighting. For surface strikes, navy
aircraft utilize a combination of missiles, smart bombs, and dumb bombs. On the
list of available missiles are the Maverick, SLAM-ER and JSOW. Smart bombs inclu
de the GPS-guided JDAM and the laser-guided Paveway series. Unguided munitions s
uch as dumb bombs and cluster bombs make up the rest of the weapons deployed by
fixed-wing aircraft.
Rotary aircraft weapons are focused on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and light to
medium surface engagements. To combat submarines, helicopters use Mark 46 and M
ark 50 torpedoes. Against small watercraft, they utilize Hellfire and Penguin ai
r to surface missiles. Helicopters also employ various types of mounted anti-per
sonnel machine guns, including the M60, M240, GAU-16/A, and GAU-17/A.
Nuclear weapons in the U.S. Navy arsenal are deployed through ballistic missile
submarines and aircraft. The Ohio-class submarine carries the latest iteration o
f the Trident missile, a three stage, submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM
) with MIRV capability; the current Trident II (D5) version is expected to be in
service past 2020.[68] The navy's other nuclear weapon is the air-deployed B61
nuclear bomb. The B61 is a thermonuclear device that can be dropped by strike ai
rcraft such as the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet at high speed from a large ran
ge of altitudes. It can be released through free-fall or parachute and can be se
t to detonate in the air or on the ground.
Naval jack
U.S. Naval Jack
FIAV historical.svg FIAV 000001.svg Former U.S. Naval Jack
The current naval jack of the United States is the First Navy Jack, traditionall
y regarded as having been used during the American Revolutionary War. On 31 May
2002, Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England directed all U.S. naval ships to f
ly the First Navy Jack for the duration of the "War on Terror". Many ships chose
to shift colors later that year on the first anniversary of the September 11, 2
001 attacks. The previous naval jack was a blue field with 50 white stars, ident
ical to the canton of the ensign (the flag of the United States) both in appeara
nce and size, and continues to remain in use with vessels of the U.S. Coast Guar
d and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A jack of similar design
was used in 1794, though with 13 stars arranged in a 3 2 3 2 3 pattern. When a ship is m
oored or anchored, the jack is flown from the bow of the ship while the ensign i
s flown from the stern. When underway, the ensign is raised on the mainmast. The
First Naval Jack, however, has always been flown on the oldest ship in the acti
ve American fleet, currently USS Nimitz (CVN 68).
Notable sailors
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 a
nd first flag officer of the United States Navy),[69] Edward Preble, James Lawre
nce (whose last words "don't give up the ship" are memorialized in Bancroft Hall
at the United States Naval Academy), Stephen Decatur, Jr., David Farragut, Davi
d Dixon Porter, Oliver Hazard Perry, Commodore Matthew Perry (whose Black Ships
forced the opening of Japan), George Dewey (the only person in the history of th
e United States to have attained the rank of Admiral of the Navy), and the offic
ers who attained the rank of Fleet Admiral during World War II: William D. Leahy
, Ernest J. King, Chester W. Nimitz, and William F. Halsey, Jr..
The first American president who served in the navy was John F. Kennedy (who com
manded the famous PT-109). Others included Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ger
ald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush. Both Theodore Roosevelt and Frank
lin D. Roosevelt were the assistant secretary of the navy prior to their preside
ncies. Many members of Congress served in the navy, notably U.S. Senators Bob Ke
rrey, John McCain, and John Kerry. Other notable former members of the U.S. Navy
include astronauts, entertainers, authors and professional athletes.
See also
Portal icon
Military of the United States portal
Portal icon
United States Navy portal
Modern United States Navy carrier air operations
References
Notes
"Navy Birthday Information 13 October 1775". Naval History & Heritage Comman
d. United States Navy. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
"Precedence of the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps". Naval History & Heritage
Command. United States Navy. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
"Status of the Navy". Navy.mil. U.S. Navy. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 31 Oct
ober 2014.
"Navy Traditions and Customs". Naval History & Heritage Command. United Stat
es Navy. Retrieved 24 January 2009.
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1775 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies
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Uniformed services of the United States
United States Navy
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