Today marks the 248th year since the Continental Congress established a Naval Force to fight the British. The debate over challenging the Royal Navy was a fierce one, but George Washington ended the debate when he commissioned the USS Hannah to raid British merchant shipping.
On 13 October 1775 the Continental Navy authorized the purchase of two small, armed merchant vessels.
It follows then as certain as that night succeeds the day, that without a decisive naval force we can do nothing definitive, and with it, everything honorable and glorious.
George Washington 15 November 1781, to Marquis de Lafayette
Following the Revolutionary War, the fledgling country couldn’t afford a navy and the last vessel of the Continental navy, Alliance, was sold. The country would be without a navy until 1797, when the USS Constitution, Constellation, and United States were commissioned.
The Navy currently has 251 warships in commission. The newest, just commissioned 7 October, is the Burke class destroyer, DDG 125, the USS Jack H, Lucas. The ship is named for is named for Pfc. Jack Lucas, who served in the U.S. Marines during World War II, earning the Medal of Honor for his heroism at Iwo Jima, when he was just 17 years old. Lucas was the youngest Marine and youngest serviceman in World War II to be awarded the United States’ highest military decoration for valor.
