United States Navy

The United States Navy (USN), also known as the U.S. Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. Founded in the late 18th century, it is the largest navy in the world, larger than the next several biggest navies combined.

Quotes

A

America is a maritime nation: its security, resilience, and economic prosperity are fundamentally linked to the world’s oceans. Our naval forces serve to deter and defeat adversaries, strengthen alliances, deny enemies sanctuary, and project global influence. The amphibious and expeditionary components of our naval force allow us to operate with assurance in the world’s littoral areas. The Marine Corps and the Navy are prepared to arrive swiftly from the sea and project influence and power when needed. Operating from the sea, we impose significantly less political burden on our partners and allies, while providing options to our nation’s leaders. We remain committed to the mission of assuring access for our nation’s forces and its partners. Forward deployed naval forces enable our nation to rapidly respond to crises throughout the world. The ability to engage with partnered nations, through highly trained and self-sustaining forces, maximizes America’s effectiveness as a military power.
- James Amos, The Posture of the United States Marine Corps (2014)

B

May thy service united ne'er sever, but hold to the colors so true! The Army and Navy forever! Three cheers for the red, white, and blue!
- Thomas á Becket, Sr., "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean" (1843)

Stout hearts, my laddies! If the row comes, REMEMBER THE MAINE, and show the world how American sailors can fight.
- Clifford K. Berryman, caption under cartoon, The Washington Post (3 April 1898), p. 1. On February 15, 1898, the warship Maine blew up in the harbor at Havana, Cuba. Edward T. Folliard, correspondent and historian of The Washington Post, said of Berryman's cartoon: "Thus was born the slogan and battle cry of the Spanish-American War". The Washington Post (September 24, 1972), Potomac magazine, special section, "The Washington Post, 1972", p. 8.

For in this modern world, the instruments of warfare are not solely for waging war. Far more importantly, they are the means for controlling peace. Naval officers must therefore understand not only how to fight a war, but how to use the tremendous power which they operate to sustain a world of liberty and justice, without unleashing the powerful instruments of destruction and chaos that they have at their command.
- Arleigh Burke, change of command address at Annapolis (1 August 1961)
- As quoted in Arleigh Burke, Speeches, Box 1, Operational Archives Branch: Naval Historical Center

C

Hurrah! Hurrah! For ev'ry Yankee Tar!
- George M. Cohan, "You're a Grand Old Flag" (1906)

F

The United States Navy controls all of the oceans of the world... [A]ny seagoing vessel—commercial or military, from the Persian Gulf to the South China Sea to the Caribbean—could be monitored by the United States Navy, who could choose to watch it, stop it, or sink it.
- George Friedman, The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century (2009), pp. 17–44, Doubleday

G

You navy fellows have no business on shore anyway, and can keep your stores on board your vessels; I shall take that store-house for myself.
- Henry Honychurch Gorringe, as quoted in Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), by David Dixon Porter, p. 255

I am here by order of my commanding officer, to protect naval property, and prevent any person in the navy from being arrested while performing his duty.
- Henry Honychurch Gorringe, as quoted in Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), by David Dixon Porter, p. 256

Under our Republic we support an army less than that of any European power of any standing and a navy less than that of either of at least five of them.
- Ulysses S. Grant, second inaugural address (1873)

We should have a good navy, and our sea-coast defences should be put in the finest possible condition. Neither of these cost much when it is considered where the money goes, and what we get in return. Money expended in a fine navy not only adds to our security and tends to prevent war in the future, but is very material aid to our commerce with foreign nations in the meantime.
- Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant (1885), emphasis added

H

Anchors Aweigh, my boys! Anchors Aweigh! Farewell... Sail on to victory and sink their bones to Davy Jones', hurray!
- John Hagan, "Anchors Aweigh" (1997)

J

A navy is essentially and necessarily aristocratic. True as may be the political principles for which we are now contending they can never be practically applied or even admitted on board ship, out of port, or off soundings. This may seem a hardship, but it is nevertheless the simplest of truths. Whilst the ships sent forth by the Congress may and must fight for the principles of human rights and republican freedom, the ships themselves must be ruled and commanded at sea under a system of absolute despotism.
- John Paul Jones, letter to the Naval Committee of Congress (14 September 1775)

[W]ithout a Respectable Navy, Alas America!
- John Paul Jones, letter to Robert Morris (17 October 1776)
- As quoted in Naval Documents of the American Revolution (1972), edited by William James Morgan, vol. 6, Washington, D.C.: Naval History Division, p. 1,303

I wish to have no Connection with any Ship that does not Sail fast for I intend to go in harm's way.
- John Paul Jones, letter to le Ray de Chaumont (16 November 1778)
- As quoted in John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography (1959), by Samuel Eliot Morison, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, p. 182

K

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, remarks in Bancroft Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy (1 August 1963)
- As quoted in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President, January 1 to November 22, 1963 (1964), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, p. 620

L

What constitutes the bulwark of our own liberty and independence? It is not our frowning battlements, our bristling sea coasts, the guns of our war steamers, or the strength our gallant and disciplined army? These are not our reliance against a resumption of tyranny in our fair land. All of those may be turned against our liberties, without making us weaker or stronger for the struggle. Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors. Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage and you are preparing your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises.
- Abraham Lincoln's speech at Edwardsville, Illinois (11 September 1858); quoted in Lincoln, Abraham; Mario Matthew Cuomo, Harold Holzer, G. S. Boritt, Lincoln on Democracy (Fordham University Press, September 1, 2004), 128. ISBN 978-0823223459.
  - Variant of the above quote: What constitutes the bulwark of our own liberty and independence? It is not our frowning battlements, our bristling sea coasts, our army and our navy. These are not our reliance against tyranny. All of those may be turned against us without making us weaker for the struggle. Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in us. Our defense is in the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism at your own doors. Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage and you prepare your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of others, you have lost the genius of your own independence and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises among you.
    - Fragment of Speech at Edwardsville, Illinois, 13 September 1858; quoted in Lincoln, Abraham; The Writings of Abraham Lincoln V05) pp. 6-7

It is worthy of note that while in this the Government's hour of trial large numbers of those in the Army and Navy who have been favored with the offices have resigned and proved false to the hand which had pampered them, not one common soldier or common sailor is known to have deserted his flag. Great honor is due to those officers who remained true despite the example of their treacherous associates; but the greatest honor and most important fact of all is the unanimous firmness of the common soldiers and common sailors. To the last man, so far as known, they have successfully resisted the traitorous efforts of those whose commands but an hour before they obeyed as absolute law. This is the patriotic instinct of plain people. They understand without an argument that the destroying the Government which was made by Washington means no good to them.
- Abraham Lincoln, July 4th message to Congress (4 July 1861)

There was an old woman in Illinois who missed some of her chickens, and couldn't imagine what had become of them. Some one suggested that they had been carried off by a skunk ; so she told her husband he must sit up that night and shoot the 'critter.' The old man sat up all night, and next morning came in with two pet rabbits. 'Thar,' said he, 'your chickens are all safe; thar's two of them skunks I killed!' 'Them ain't skunks,' said the old woman; them's my pet rabbits ; you allers was a fool!' 'Well, then,' returned the old man, 'if them ain't skunks I don't know a skunk when I sees it.' Now, Mister Secretary, the navy has been hunting pet rabbits long enough; suppose you send them after skunks.
- Abraham Lincoln, as quoted in Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), by David Dixon Porter, p. 63

If the navy hasn't broken the back-bone of the Rebellion I think it has come pretty near doing it.
- Abraham Lincoln, as quoted in Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), by David Dixon Porter, p. 120

Can't the navy do something at this particular moment to make history?
- Abraham Lincoln, as quoted in Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), by David Dixon Porter, p. 293

M

Listen, pal. I spent 22 years in the Navy. My father was in the Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy. We in the military service tend to move a lot. We have to live in all parts of the country, all parts of the world. I wish I could have had the luxury, like you, of growing up and living and spending my entire life in a nice place like the First District of Arizona, but I was doing other things. As a matter of fact, when I think about it now, the place I lived longest in my life was Hanoi.
- John McCain, as quoted in American Odyssey, by Timberg, pp. 143–44

N

We are the United States Navy, our Nation's sea power - ready guardians of peace, victorious in war.
We are professional sailors and civilians - a diverse and agile force exemplifying the highest standards of service to our Nation, at home and abroad, at sea and ashore.
Integrity is the foundation of our conduct; respect for others is fundamental to our character; decisive leadership is crucial to our success.
We are a team, disciplined and well-prepared, committed to mission accomplishment. We do not waver in our dedication and accountability to our shipmates and families.
We are patriots, forged by the Navy's core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. In times of war and peace, our actions reflect our proud heritage and tradition.
We defend our Nation and prevail in the face of adversity with strength, determination, and dignity.
We are the United States Navy.
- The Navy Ethos (November 2008)

The mission of the United States Navy is to protect and defend the right of the United States and our allies to move freely on the oceans and to protect our country against her enemies.
- New Recruits Handbook

O

[D]espite vast technological changes, the character of the Navy as a service, in contrast to the Army, has also changed very little. While the 'citizen soldier' envisioned by the Founders has virtually disappeared from the Army of today, today's sailor, both officer and enlisted, has much in common with his predecessor who manned the Navy of the Constitution, technical expertise of course excepted. Although service reforms beginning in the latter decades of the nineteenth century created a powerful Navy, the foundation of this Navy was laid by the likes of Hamilton, Benjamin Stoddert, the first Secretary of the Navy, and other Federalists who recognized the shortcomings of a navy limited to coastal defense alone.
- Mackubin Owens, "Navy Clause", The Heritage Guide to the Constitution

P

I think every man should be obliged to take that oath, for I have seen more treason in the last ten days than I ever supposed could exist in the United States Navy.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), pp. 34– 35

As to the navy, it is said the several commanding officers grounded on the beef-bones thrown overboard from their flag-ships, but this I do not believe.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), p. 38

I was much disappointed at seeing those who had once belonged to the United States Navy excelled in matters of honor and propriety by the officers of another corps.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), p. 56

[W]e may hope to overtake them when the people of this country demand a navy commensurate with our national importance, and when the exigencies of politics can no longer prevent proper measures being taken for the defense of the nation, which should at all times be in a position to protect its citizens at home and abroad.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), p. 63

The people fairly went wild; they set fire to the cotton along the levees, and seemed determined that nothing valuable should fall into our hands. They did not apparently remember that, so far, our navy had respected private rights and protected those made homeless by the actions of wild mobs.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), p. 66

There was a time not long ago when Vicksburg could have been easily captured, but it is now a second Gibraltar, and the navy alone could do nothing toward capturing it.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), p. 122

Great complaints were made by both sides as to whose fault it was that there was a failure, but I told the navy I didn't want to hear anything about it.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), p. 144

Regulations of the Navy provide that medical officers shall exercise no military authority.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), pp. 202– 203

I never encouraged officers to discuss politics at all, and, as a rule, officers of the navy were exempt from political bias, and considered that it was their duty to heartily support the Government in any measures which might be taken to preserve the Union. This was my view of the subject, and I tried to impress it upon others, and succeeded in excluding politics from the mess-table.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), p. 204

[T]he navy must be an adjunct to the army, yet the officers and men of the navy should always have full credit for the service they perform.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), p. 212

[T]he navy performed its part of the operations... 'Good wine needs no bush' is an old and good saying, and I think that the navy had very little cause to exculpate itself on any occasion when it co-operated with the army, and never entertained a difference of opinion when it came in contact with regular officers.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), p. 214

[T]here could not by any possibility be any mis-understanding between the army and navy, their duties being so distinct from each other, and the only chance of their clashing would be through the stupid blunder of an irresponsible officer.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), pp. 256–257

The army and navy had plenty of bad powder and worthless vessels in fact, material for half a dozen powder-boats if necessary. I don't know whether the general claimed the powder-boat as an original idea, but there is nothing new under the sun, and such a means of attack has been employed before... The navy and the powder-boat would be all-sufficient, and I rather liked the notion, as the expedition would be entirely a naval affair.
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), p. 269

Such was the discipline of the navy at that time, and such the anxiety to conform to the law of Congress against spirituous liquors, that no officer or man in the service would take a drink out of a bottle unless it was marked 'Medicine.'
- David Dixon Porter, Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), p. 324

R

Hello American sailor; hello freedom man.
- Ronald Reagan, farewell address

The United States Navy will be ready to conduct prompt and sustained combat incident to operations at sea. Our Navy will protect America from attack and preserve America’s strategic influence in key regions of the world. U.S. naval forces and operations – from the sea floor to space, from deep water to the littorals, and in the information domain – will deter aggression and enable peaceful resolution of crises on terms acceptable to the United States and our allies and partners. If deterrence fails, the Navy will conduct decisive combat operations to defeat any enemy...
For 240 years, the U.S. Navy has been a cornerstone of American security and prosperity. To continue to meet this obligation, we must adapt to the emerging security environment. The initiatives laid out in this Design represent initial steps along a future course to achieve the aims articulated in the revised Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower (CS-21R) in this new environment. It’s a tremendously complex challenge. As we get underway, we must first understand our history - how we got to where we are. Moving forward, we’ll respect that we won’t get it all right, and so we’ll monitor and assess ourselves and our surroundings as we go. We’ll learn and adapt, always getting better, striving to the limits of performance. This cannot be a “top-down” effort; everybody must contribute...
On the eve of the 20th century, the United States emerged from the Civil War and laid the foundation to become a global power, but its course to continued prosperity was unclear. Navy Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan helped to chart that course, arguing that American growth required access to overseas markets, which in turn required a preeminent navy to protect that access. America became a nation with global interests, and the seas were the path to new frontiers. The essence of Mahan’s vision still pertains: America’s interests lie beyond our own shores. What was true in the late 19th century holds true today – America’s success depends on our creativity, our entrepreneurism, and our access and relationships abroad...
America's success is even more reliant on the U.S. Navy.
- John M. Richardson, A Design For Maintaining Maritime Superiority

The United States Navy is a high-performing combat team that strives to be its best, in both competence and character, every day. We push ourselves and our Shipmates to perform at the highest levels of operational and warfighting proficiency, and we demonstrate our Core Values of Honor, Courage and Commitment in everything we do.
- John M. Richardson, NAVADMIN 066/17 (March 2017)

The Navy will forever stand against intolerance and hatred. For those on our team, we want our Navy to be the safest possible place--a team as strong and tough as we can be, saving violence only for our enemies.
- John M. Richardson, Facebook statement (August 2017)

A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.
- Theodore Roosevelt, second annual message to Congress (2 December 1902)

[T]he United States Navy is an infinitely more potent factor for peace than all the peace societies of every kind and sort.
- Theodore Roosevelt, as quoted in Power And Responsibility The Life And Times Of Theodore Roosevelt (1961), by William Henry Harbaugh, New York: Farrar, Straus And Cudahy, p. 293

T

When a crisis confronts the nation, the first question often asked by policymakers is: "What naval forces are available and how fast can they be on station?"
- Carlisle Trost, as quoted in "U.S. Navy in Desert Storm/Desert Shield" (1998), Naval History & Heritage Command

U

The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.
- United States Navy, Mission Statement

The U.S. Navy is an elite force of highly trained professionals dedicated to protecting our freedom and ensuring a secure future for America. For more than 200 years, Navy men and women have stood tall for the principles that make America the greatest nation on earth. In the Navy, these unchanging principles - Honor, Courage, and Commitment - are known as Core Values. To know, understand, and faithfully live by them is the duty of all members of the U.S. Navy.
- U.S. Navy Recruit Start Guide (2015)

W

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, letter to Marquis de Lafayette (15 November 1781), as quoted in The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources 1745-1799 (1937), vol. 23, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, p. 341

Would to Heaven we had a navy able to reform those enemies to mankind, or crush them into non-existence.
- George Washington, letter to Marquis de Lafayette (15 August 1786)

[O]n October 13, 1775 what is now known as the “Global Force for Good” was established in Philadelphia, the United States Navy. I remember back a few years ago after speaking in Burlington, Vermont and having to continue to Syracuse for another speaking engagement, we ferried across Lake Champlain. It was there on October 11, 1776 our young navy fought a battle against the British on that very lake. Of course, after the end of the Revolutionary War, our U.S. Navy was decommissioned. Then, in March 1794, the U.S. Navy was restored, forever, by the order to construct six frigates to be deployed against the Barbary Pirates of North Africa…our first expeditionary combat deployment, occurring during the tenure of President Thomas Jefferson.
- Allen West, "In the midst of terrible news this week, there’s one bright spot..." (4 October 2017), Allen B. West

In the navy, you can sail the seven seas!
In the navy, you can put your mind at ease!
Come on now, people, make a stand! In the navy, in the navy.
Can't you see, we need a hand?
In the navy! Come on, protect the motherland. In the navy!
- Victor Willis, "In The Navy" (17 January 1979), written by Jacques Morali and Victor Willis, Go West (1979), Casablanca Records. Performed by the The Village People

External links

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