Intrepidity from the Start:
The U.S. Navy
From an interdiction aboard a fishing schooner to the daring Doolittle Raid, America's Navy has been forged by its dauntless courage and intrepid spirit
From an interdiction aboard a fishing schooner to the daring Doolittle Raid, America's Navy has been forged by its dauntless courage and intrepid spirit
The Continental Navy: Defending our Shores and Taking the Fight Abroad
What began as just two vessels in the early days of the Revolutionary War would eventually mature into the greatest fighting force to ever sail the seas. On October 13, 1775, the Continental Navy was formed by an act of the Second Continental Congress, at the urging of Commander in Chief General George Washington. This first organized, American naval force was thereby officially armed by the Alfred and soon thereafter by the Columbus. Yet prior to the formal establishment of the Continental Navy, General Washington (at the insistence of two of his officers) had already begun commissioning officers to retrofit fishing vessels for armed interdiction of vessels meant to resupply the British. By September 7, 1775, Captain Nicholson Broughton had made the first American military interdiction of a vessel—under the authority of the Continental Army, aboard the Hannah. In November 5, 1775, Esek Hopkins was named the first Commander in Chief of America's first fleet.
For more on the historic origins of the U.S. Navy, see:
Article on the reconstitution of the U.S. Navy following the ratification of the U.S. Constitution:
The Medal of Honor: Submariner Recipients from WWII
The following episode from the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast details the undeniable heroism of the seven MOH Recipients from World War II.
The USS Barb: A Legacy of Dauntless Action
The following historical overview from the Drachinifel YouTube channel (a partner of the U.S. Naval Institute) covers the major accomplishments of the crew of the USS Barb from World War II, made famous by their well-known shore raid on a Japanese train.
The Doolittle Raid
The following episode from the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast details (via archival footage) the unprecedented first strike back at the Japanese mainland on April 18, 1942, following the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
The Doolittle Raiders: In Their Own Words