United States Navy

The United States Navy is part of the U..S. Armed Forces (the military of the United States). It is the largest navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of its active battle fleet alone exceeding the next 13 navies combined, including 11 U.S. allies or partner nations. It has the highest combined battle fleet tonnage and the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven in service, two new carriers under construction, and five other carriers planned. With 336,978 personnel on active duty and 101,583 in the Ready Reserve, the U.S. Navy is the third-largest U.S. military service branch in terms of personnel. It has 290 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 operational aircraft, as of June 2019. History The Continental Navy was started in 1775 to fight in the American Revolutionary War. Congress disbanded it and sold the ships in 1785. It was started again as the Department of the Navy on April 30, 1798. The Department of the Navy needed places to make ships, which are called shipyards, in various port cities. Where slaves were available, it paid slaveowners to rent their slaves. Shipyards with slaves included those of Washington, D.C.; Norfolk, Virginia; and Pensacola, Florida. Sailors Today, the U.S. Navy has over 300,000 sailors and officers, and almost another 100,000 workers who are not official sailors. Strength The U.S. Navy has about 300 warships, ships designed for fighting. The largest warships are aircraft carriers, which have large and flat decks that act as small airports for planes carrying weapons. The U.S. Navy has more of aircraft carriers than any other navy in the world and a large number of planes in naval aviation. Aircraft carriers are often protected by smaller ships, called cruisers or destroyers. Ranks Related pages United States Coast Guard United States Marines References