For the America250-linked U.S. Navy anniversary, the Continental Navy was established on October 13, 1775.
On that date, the Second Continental Congress authorized the purchase of two vessels to be armed for a cruise against British merchant ships. This resolution created the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War, more than eight months before the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
The Continental Navy was the naval force of the United Colonies and later the United States from 1775 to 1785. It operated alongside privately owned ships known as privateers, which also attacked British commerce. The navy’s best-known officers included Esek Hopkins and John Paul Jones.
A common mix-up is the distinction between the Continental Navy and the permanent United States Navy. Congress authorized a standing U.S. Navy through the Naval Act of 1794, after the Revolutionary War force had been disbanded. The modern Navy nevertheless recognizes October 13, 1775, as its official establishment date and celebrates its birthday on that day.