These victories, alongside those won by the other armed forces of the United States, culminated in the long-sought objective of their young nation. The Battle of Flamborough Head was the origin of that most famous quote by John Paul Jones, the father of our Navy, “I have not yet begun to fight!” This embodied very essence of the American spirit in courageously confronting such an overwhelming foe. Often outmanned and outgunned, it was through a fair measure of wit and grit on the part of various heroic figures such as John Paul Jones, John Barry, and others, that the Continental Navy would achieve a number of notable victories over their British adversaries. Over the next eight years, the Continental Navy of the newly formed United States of America would grow to a total of 55 ships, and a maximum of 31 ships at one time. It was an organization borne from legislation which sought to outfit, arm, and crew two vessels for the purposes of protecting the trade and seaside settlements of the American colonies from the threat of one of the greatest naval powers of the world at that time, the Britain’s Royal Navy. 10 days later, at the behest of Washington in a letter, the Continental Congress voted to form the first true iteration of an American Navy, in the form of the Continental Navy. 3, 1775, General George Washington took command of three schooners off the coast of Massachusetts to intercept British munitions supply vessels. Just as life was uncertain in ages past, so too was our Navy in a precarious position in its early existence. As the 247th birthday of the United States Navy approaches, it prompts us to look back on the history of this decorated and historic force so as to better appreciate the values and legacy we inherit, and to better understand the evolution of the Navy from that of a vulnerable fledgling power, to being the preeminent maritime fighting force on the world stage. Just as this is true for people, so too does it hold true for the founding of an institution like the Navy. In olden times it was a recognition of survival in an otherwise short and uncertain life, and in our more modern age it is a means by which we delineate and track our passage through the different stages of our lives, and celebrate each new coming of age. A birthday carries many different meanings in various cultures, and has had many different contexts over different times in history.
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