US Navy 250th Anniversary Patch
United States Navy, 250th Anniversary Commemoration
On 13 October 1775, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution establishing what would ultimately become the United States Navy—authorizing "a swift sailing vessel, to carry ten carriage guns, and a proportionable number of swivels, with eighty men, be fitted, with all possible despatch, for a cruise of three months." From that single resolution, born of revolutionary necessity less than six months after the battles of Lexington and Concord, grew the mightiest maritime fighting force in the history of the world. In 1972, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt authorized official recognition of 13 October as the Navy's birthday.
The 250th anniversary, commemorated on 13 October 2025, was celebrated with the historic "Homecoming 250" events in Philadelphia and along the Delaware River—the very waterways where the Navy and Marine Corps launched their earliest ships and missions. The celebrations included an unprecedented Parade of Ships representing every major era of American naval history, official ceremonies at Independence Hall featuring addresses from the Secretary of the Navy, performances by the U.S. Navy Band and Navy Ceremonial Guard, demonstrations by the Blue Angels, and a spectacular fireworks display over the Delaware River.
Across 250 years, the United States Navy has grown from a handful of converted merchant vessels into a fleet of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, submarines, guided-missile destroyers, and amphibious assault ships that maintains freedom of navigation across every ocean on Earth. Today's Navy comprises approximately 3,800 sea-based and shore-based aircraft performing missions from strike warfare to anti-submarine operations to humanitarian assistance, manned by hundreds of thousands of active-duty and reserve Sailors who live by the words "Non sibi sed patriae"—Not for self, but for country.
Perfect For: Active-duty and veteran U.S. Navy Sailors, Navy Reserve personnel, naval aviation community members, Navy family members, military history enthusiasts, and anyone who honors America's 250-year maritime heritage.
Non sibi sed patriae—250 years of answering the nation's call from the Delaware River to every ocean on Earth, securing the seas for freedom and commerce.
