Navy Birthday Observance
All students, staff, and faculty are invited to the 249th Birthday celebration of the U.S. Navy!
Visit the Veteran's Welcome Center to join us in observing the Navy’s Birthday with snacks and conversations.
Tuesday, October 15, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. in T.2230
Background Information:
An October 13, 1775 resolution of the Continental Congress established what is now the United States Navy with “a swift sailing vessel, to carry ten carriage guns, and a propor-tionable number of swivels, with eighty men, be fitted, with all possible dispatch, for a cruise of three months….” After the American War of Independence, the U.S. Constitution empowered the new Congress “to provide and maintain a navy.” Acting on this authority, Congress established the Department of the Navy on 30 April 1798.
In 1972, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt authorized official recognition of 13 October as the birthday of the U.S. Navy. Since then, each CNO has encouraged a Navy-wide celebration of this occasion “to enhance a greater appreciation of our Navy heritage, and to provide a positive influence toward pride and professionalism in the naval service.”
Fun Facts:
With approximately 340,000 personnel on Active Duty and 55,000 in the Reserves, the United States Navy is the third largest of the United States military service branches in terms of personnel. It has 285 deployable combat vessels and more than 2,600 operational aircraft as of June 2022.