“A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Today is the birthday of the United States Navy. We celebrate two hundred and fifty-one years. I watched as President Trump spoke at Sparrows Point in Baltimore Maryland. Tradepoint Atlantic, formerly Bethlehem Steel, is being developed into what is being described as the world’s largest shipyard.

I remember having cake and ice cream while on deployment to celebrate. The bakers on ship did bake and decorate a very large birthday cake! The captain spoke a few words. No presents were given though, just a small celebration.

It’s interesting to note why we have a navy in the first place. Those first ships were “privateers” and their mission was to attack, to obstruct, and generally stop British ships from trading in the colonies. Yes, it could be said, and indeed they were called pirates, by the British. It’s a thin line between privateer and pirate!

After having gained our independence our “Navy” was disbanded. The privateers went back to conducting trade as usual. Soon however problems began to develop. Other pirates started attacking our commercial shipping, mostly on the barbary coast. It was those pesky Muslims! So, the Marines were sent to Tripoli to deal with that situation, the government ordered the construction of six Frigates, that was in 1794.

Admiral Zumwalt chose Oct 13 as the birthday of the Navy. He chose that date because of George Washington. It was in October that two armed ships (privateers) were dispatched to attack British shipping. They were to attack commercial shipping, not the British war fleet. Still, that is considered, at least by Zumwalt, to be the birth of the Navy.

Over the last 251 years the Navy has grown, shrank, been neglected and been built back up. The ships have changed, the technology changing along the way. Do we still need a Navy? Yes: good old Teddy Roosevelt knew that and stated it perfectly; indeed we do. Currently the push appears to be focused on building submarines, those things are a worry to our enemies.

The Great white fleet was sent by Teddy Roosevelt. Sixteen battleships were contained in that group and circumnavigated the globe. It was a deployment of 15 months! No one was complaining, no protesting, no mommies were upset by that. It was a show of sheer power! Very effective by any measure.

This was during a time when most major nations were participating in these shows of power and ostensibly, good will. The ships were painted white, peacetime colors, and the bow was decorated. Remember Teddy Roosevelt was a proponent of the “big stick” theory of diplomacy. Sixteen battleships, with numerous escorts and support ships, is quite a big stick!

Well, that’s a brief overview of the Navy. I’m proud to have served in that Navy from 1971 until 1993. I made numerous deployments. I have sailed the seven seas and meet Davy Jones himself while crossing the equator. I sailed north of the Arctic circle and weathered a hurricane in the North Atlantic Ocean. I felt like a pirate at times! Mostly while on liberty in a foreign land. To all my shipmates I say, fair winds and a following sea.

The great white fleet leaving Hampton Roads Virginia. It must have been quite the impressive sight to see on the horizon.