US Navy Quiz

The United States Navy was officially formed on October 13, 1775. Its formation took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the passing of a resolution by the Second Continental Congress. This was during the American Revolutionary War and the navy was known as the Continental Navy.

True! And by a long way. In fact, the U.S Navy not only has more personnel and ships than other navies around the world, it has more aircraft than many air forces belonging to other countries.

3,700? Yes, 3,700. That is simply incredible, don't you think? That's more than most air forces in the world. Well, the U.S. Navy learned during World War II about the power of the aircraft carrier and they still adhere to that today.

Japan knew that war with the United States was inevitable. So they decided on a preemptive strike to disable the U.S. Pacific fleet. Although this attack did cause considerable damage, no carriers were destroyed as they were not in dock at the time.

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Two different raids took place with not only the fleet targeted but airfields around Hawaii as well. The attacks code name was "Tora, Tora, Tora". Tora is Japanese for Tiger.

Well, it is 330,000 or thereabouts, in fact. The Navy can also call on over 100,000 reserves and employs over 200,000 civilians. Those are some impressive figures you would have to agree.

In 1942, the U.S. Navy set up its own construction unit. This is called the United States Naval Construction Forces or NCF for short. And their nickname? The Seabees.

The SEALS can trace their roots back to World War II. They weren't called SEALs but then but Scouts and Raiders. The SEALs as we know them today were first formed in 1962.

Two SEAL teams were formed in 1962, with most of the members coming from the special underwater demolition unit. Today, SEALs are one of the most highly trained soldiers in the world. Only 1% of the Navy total personnel go on to become seals.

At the Battle of Midway, the U.S. Navy struck the Imperial Japanese Navy a massive blow. Firstly, it was the first defeat it had ever tasted during World War II. Secondly, four Japanese carriers, all of which had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, were sunk.

John F. Kennedy did indeed serve with the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1941 to 1945. Kennedy served among others on PT boat 109. It was rammed by the Japanese destroyer, Amagiri. Kennedy and some of his crew survived on an island and a coconut shell from there was always on his desk in the White House.

Named after the submarine of Captain Nemo from the Jules Verne story, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," the Nautilus went operational on September 30, 1954. It remained in service until 1980.

In August 1958, the USS Nautilus submerged in the Barrow Sea Valley and traveled underwater to the magnetic North Pole. Once she reached the North Pole, the Nautilus moved onto Greenland, staying submerged for 96 hours in total.

That's right. Everyone who is a submariner on one of the many submarines in the U.S. Fleet is a volunteer as in they choose to be a submariner. Just think about it. They can be underwater for days, they operate in a confined space ... it takes a special person to be able to handle that. They are also thoroughly tested beforehand to make sure they will be able to cope with the life of a submariner.

Every ship in the U.S. Navy fleet has the prefix U.S.S. before its name. This is to identify them as a ship of the U.S. Navy and it stands for United States Ship. In the United Kingdom for example, ships have the prefix H.M.S. which stands for Her Majesty's Ship.

The Top Gun school was formed in 1969 after it was determined that U.S. Navy kill ratios against enemy aircraft over Vietnam were not good enough. With more effective training, this ratio was increased from 3.7:1 to 13:1. The program is known as the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program.

George Bush Sr. was in the U.S. Navy. In fact he was a pilot. Bush was shot down in 1944 and spent half a day in a inflatable raft until he was rescued by the submarine USS Finback.

With over 300,000 permanent members of the U.S. Navy, 100,000 reserves and over 200,000 civilians, having officers is crucial to keep everything ticking like clockwork. That's why the Navy has 54,713 officers!

This swept-wing fighter was first introduced in 1974 and flew operationally until 2006. Around 712 were built during this period. These aircraft received excellent Hollywood publicity thanks to the movie Topgun.

Yes, the official song of the U.S. Naval Academy is "Anchor's Aweigh". This was first written in 1906 by Lt. Charles Zimmerman. He was the Musical Director of the Naval Academy at the time.

U.S. Navy aircraft carriers are massive. For example, the Nimitz class is over 1000 feet in length. And thanks to nuclear power, they can run for 20 years without the need to refuel. These massive ships can still travel at around 35 knots (40 mph).

Yes, it is. With over 3,400 aircraft, the U.S. Navy has some serious strikepower. Only the U.S. Air Force has more aircraft (over 5,000). It even beats the Russian Air Force, which has just over 3,000 aircraft.

It was on the recommendation of George Washington that the Continental Congress formed the Continental Navy in the late 1700s. His objective was simple. Washington thought that if the British supply lines from England could be disrupted, the war could be won.

The early ships in the Continental Navy were refitted fishing boats in most cases. The first was the Hannah. It didn't achieve much, however and ran aground a month later!

Yes, the Continental Navy was able to disrupt British supply lines. It's not all about sinking other combat ships sometimes. All-in-all, the Continental Navy captured 55 British ships in two years.

The Blue Angels are the flight demonstration team of the U.S. Navy. They were founded just after World War II in 1946. Their display team currently consists of six McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets.

Yes, it was pirates that saw the return of the Continental Navy. Why? Well with British warships no longer protecting trade ships, they were sitting ducks. In 1794, Congress revived the Navy. One of the first warships built for it was the USS Constitution.

The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a carrier based multi-role combat jet primarily used off U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. It first entered service in 1983 and serves with both the Navy and Marine Corps.

Yeah, its the USS Zumwalt. That's a strange name for sure, but this ship is incredible. It is a little expensive and cost $4.4 billion. It is named after the former chief of naval operations, Elmo R. “Bud’’ Zumwalt Jr.

That's a pretty awesome motto, don't you think. In Latin it reads a "Non sibi sed patriae." The official motto of the navy is "Always Courageous".

A formidable fighter, the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is not part of the U.S. Navy air force. It is one of the main combat aircraft for the United States air force and was introduced in 1976.

SEAL Team 6 was formed in 1980. This team was tasked with the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan, which ultimately led to his death.

Yes, the Navy mascot is called Bill the Goat. He was first named mascot in the early 1900s. And today, Bill the Goat is still seen at Navy College football games.

The signing of the Japanese surrender took place on the USS Missouri. It took place on Sept. 2, 1945. The surrender was signed by Japanese foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu.

Yes, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service does exist. It has offices in 140 locations worldwide. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service was established way back in World War I.