What is Navy Day? History of America's Celebration of Forces at Sea

United States Armed Forces: Brief History of the 6 Military Branches

The United States military consists of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. Here’s a quick look at each service branch and its creation.

Sunday is Navy Day, a day to celebrate the armed forces who defend our freedom and ‘keep our seas open and free’.

Navy Day has been recognized for more than 100 years, since the United States Navy League established it in 1922. It is not considered a federal holiday.

What is the history of Navy Day?

Navy Day was established on October 27, 1922. by the United States Navy League, according to the Department of Defense. It was not a national holiday, but President Warren Harding paid special attention to the commemoration.

FILE: The USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) Wasp-class amphibious assault ship is pictured at the seaport of Klaipeda, Lithuania, on August 22, 2022. (Photo by PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP via Getty Images)

“From our earliest national beginnings, the Navy has always been and deservedly an object of special pride to the American people,” Harding wrote to Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby. “A record is indeed one that arouses such feelings, and I am very confident that such a commemoration as planned will be a timely reminder.”

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The Navy League designated October 27 as Navy Day for two reasons: It is the birthday of Theodore Roosevelt, who was assistant secretary of the Navy before becoming president and was known as one of the Navy’s most influential strategists.

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October 27 was also the anniversary of a 1775 report issued by a special committee of the Continental Congress that advocated the purchase of merchant ships as the basis for a U.S. Navy.

Armed Forces Day replaced Navy Day in 1949, but Navy Day is still often celebrated on military bases and in local communities to recognize sailors who serve and have served.

Facts about the US Navy

As of September 11, 2024, the U.S. Navy has 330,696 active duty members, including 55,416 officers and 270,861 enlisted men.
Its mission is to “defend freedom, preserve economic prosperity, and keep the seas open and free.”
The Navy has 297 deployable ships, of which 77 are in service in September.
With approximately 4,000 aircraft, the Navy is the second largest aviation force in the world (the US Air Force is the largest).

Recent Naval Battles

Houthis continue to wreak havoc in the Red Sea

LiveNOW’s Austin Westfall discusses the Houthis’ impact on the global supply chain with maritime expert Sal Mercogliano and national security analyst Hal Kempfer. (October 4, 2024)

In July the The Navy was engaged in its ‘most sustained battle’ since World War II, protecting both private ships and U.S. allies in a vital Red Sea corridor leading to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen used drones and missiles to attack ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain in what they said was a campaign to support Hamas, though they often targeted ships with no apparent ties to Israel or its supporters, causing shipping on an important route for world trade.

In a notable attack on January 9, US ships and aircraft downed eighteen Houthi drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and a ballistic missile.

During the nearly nine-month deployment, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike groupwhich includes three other warships, has flown more than 13,800 flights, according to Stars and Stripes, for a total of approximately 31,500 flight hours.