Happy Birthday to the US Navy
- Thread starter Nitt1300
- Start date
Served with pride, a sentiment shared by many others here on the board.
Proud of my fathers service and my brother in law via the is marine Corp.
That tomcat has big ears.
Interesting, trivia perhaps on the origins of the service branches. I decided to get the armed service flags for Veterans Day this year and looked up the origins of each branch to put them in order when on display.
Found these dates and had not even thought about it before but 3 armed services branches were considered officially formed before the US had declared its independence:
14 June 1775 United States Army as the Continental Army was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War
13 Oct 1775 United States Navy
10 Nov 1775 United States Marine Corps as the Continental Marines
4 Aug 1790 United States Coast Guard as the Revenue Marine
18 Sep 1947 United States Air Force
However, I found an Order of Precedence. Under current Department of Defense regulation, the various components of the Armed Forces have a set order of seniority. Examples of the use of this system include the display of service flags, placement of Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen in formation, etc.
This order puts the Marines ahead of the Navy as explained below :
United States Army
United States Marine Corps
United States Navy
United States Coast Guard (when part of the Navy)
United States Air Force
Note: While the U.S. Navy is 'older' than the Marine Corps, the Marine Corps takes precedence due to previous inconsistencies in the Navy's birth date. The Marine Corps has recognized its observed birth date on a more consistent basis. The Second Continental Congress is considered to have established the Navy on 13 October 1775 by authorizing the purchase of ships, but did not actually pass the "Rules for the Regulation of the Navy of the United Colonies" until 27 November 1775. The Marine Corps was established by act of said Congress on 10 November 1775. The Navy did not officially recognize 13 October 1775 as its birth date until 1972, when then-Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt authorized it to be observed as such.
ALL OF THE ABOVE IS FROM WIKIPEDIA, WHICH SEEMS TO BE ACCURATE MOST OF THE TIME.
Found these dates and had not even thought about it before but 3 armed services branches were considered officially formed before the US had declared its independence:
14 June 1775 United States Army as the Continental Army was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War
13 Oct 1775 United States Navy
10 Nov 1775 United States Marine Corps as the Continental Marines
4 Aug 1790 United States Coast Guard as the Revenue Marine
18 Sep 1947 United States Air Force
However, I found an Order of Precedence. Under current Department of Defense regulation, the various components of the Armed Forces have a set order of seniority. Examples of the use of this system include the display of service flags, placement of Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen in formation, etc.
This order puts the Marines ahead of the Navy as explained below :
United States Army
United States Marine Corps
United States Navy
United States Coast Guard (when part of the Navy)
United States Air Force
Note: While the U.S. Navy is 'older' than the Marine Corps, the Marine Corps takes precedence due to previous inconsistencies in the Navy's birth date. The Marine Corps has recognized its observed birth date on a more consistent basis. The Second Continental Congress is considered to have established the Navy on 13 October 1775 by authorizing the purchase of ships, but did not actually pass the "Rules for the Regulation of the Navy of the United Colonies" until 27 November 1775. The Marine Corps was established by act of said Congress on 10 November 1775. The Navy did not officially recognize 13 October 1775 as its birth date until 1972, when then-Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt authorized it to be observed as such.
ALL OF THE ABOVE IS FROM WIKIPEDIA, WHICH SEEMS TO BE ACCURATE MOST OF THE TIME.
87-91, USS Abraham Lincoln, VF-101 F-14 Squadron Avionics Tech.
When you're out in the middle of the ocean on a big gray ship and the wind starts howling, the waves begin to swell, and water comes over the bow and hits the bridge windows 600 feet aft and fifty feet up, you really start to appreciate the power of nature and just how damn insignificant you are. And then the 1MC calls for flight ops. "For those in peril on the sea." Damn right.
Rick, that saying is so correct - I was on an attack submarine in the 80's - on the way to the Med, we went up to periscope depth to catch the latest satellite and I looked through the glass. Nothing and I mean NOTHING but you and water everywhere you look. You just don't realize how big the ocean actually is, plus how far down the bottom was below us. If we would've ever had a significant incident, I doubt they would have ever reached us in time. A couple of the Russian submarines had fires back then, and they never stood a chance.
It was a wild ride on a 400 foot destroyer when the seas got past 25'. Good times.
Here's a great sea story from a guy who was on one of the old WWII flat bottom LST's on a 30 day transit at about 10 knots (max speed) from San Diego to Da Nang during the Southeast Asian War Games (1964-75). Those old LST's bounced like corks on the ocean in even the mildest seas. Well, a huge storm came up in MIDPAC, his ship is rocking and rolling, and my friend got sick as hell. So he goes to the fantail and promptly throws up. Not only were the LST's flat-bottomed, the fantail/stern was pretty much flat. So there is a hell of an updraft from the water line to the fantail. So he pukes, the updraft catches it and throws his vomit back in his face and all over his uni. So he pukes again and the same process is repeated until his stomach is empty. Crackers for mid-rats!!
Two brothers were friends of mine, both Navy lifers. The older one joined and went to a carrier and was on two or three westpac cruises. Saw the world. Had all these stories. The younger brother thought this was a good idea so he joined and I think the only time he left US soil was when he and some buddies drove to Tijuana, Mexico from San Diego. I think later in his career he also got to see Connecticut.
"I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy.'"
John F Kennedy 1 Aug 1963
Destroyerman 1969-1989
John F Kennedy 1 Aug 1963
Destroyerman 1969-1989
The US submarine force had the highest fatality rate of all US forces in WWII. Some 22,000 men served in the submarine force and about 3,600 died in combat - about 16% of all who served in subs. This was the highest fatality rate of all US forces. Most were never recovered. They and their boats are on eternal patrol.
The Bowfin memorial and museum at Pearl Harbor is sobering.
http://www.bowfin.org/outdoor-exhibits
The Bowfin memorial and museum at Pearl Harbor is sobering.
http://www.bowfin.org/outdoor-exhibits
Thank Jesus I never got seasick. I'm not crazy about heights, but never got sick.
President Kennedy did a hell of a job on PT-109. They did their mission going after the Tokyo Express, and as a young Lieutenant Junior Grade he took care of his men to the very best of his ability - he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. JFK is a great example for young officers.
The german uboat force had a casualty rate of over 70% during WWII, second only to the kamikaze.
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