The United States Navy’s official birthday is October 13.

Key fact

  • The Navy marks its founding on October 13, 1775, the date the Continental Congress authorized the creation of a naval force during the American Revolution.

A bit of background

  • The date recognizes the establishment of the Continental Navy, which evolved into today’s U.S. Navy.
  • The Navy formally fixed October 13 as its birthday in 1972 to honor that original founding resolution.

Why it matters today

  • Every year, October 13 is used to celebrate Navy heritage and to honor sailors past and present with ceremonies, messages from leadership, and local events.
  • In recent years, these birthdays have been numbered (for example, the 249th in 2024 and the 250th in 2025), highlighting more than two centuries of continuous naval service.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.