, where the Navy occupies over 36,000 acres (146 km²) of land, making it the largest naval base in the world. It is the homeport of the Atlantic Fleet and the location of
. The state of
, the primary training base for Navy and Marine pilots. The main U.S. Navy submarine base is located in
.
. An important port for the Pacific Fleet, it contains the
, the main training center for SEALs. The other major collection of naval bases on the west coast is in
. Among them,
is one of the newer bases in operation and the Navy states that it is its most modern facility. The naval presence in
, which hosts the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet and many of its subordinate commands.
, an island strategically located in the Western Pacific Ocean, maintains a sizable Navy presence. The westernmost U.S. territory, it contains a Naval Air Station and a natural deep water harbor capable of harboring even aircraft carriers in emergencies.
in the Caribbean formerly housed a navy facility, but it was shut down in 2004 shortly after the controversial closure of the live ordnance training area on nearby
.
, which serves as the homeport for the Navy's largest forward-deployed fleet and is a significant base of operations in the Western Pacific. European operations revolve around facilities in
as the homeport for the Sixth Fleet. In the Middle East, naval facilities are located almost exclusively in countries bordering the
serving as the headquarters of Fifth Fleet.
is the oldest overseas facility and has become known in recent years as the location of a
operatives.
Main article: United States Navy ships Ships Due to their ability to put most nations within striking distance of U.S. air power,
aircraft carriers are the cornerstones of the United States' forward deployment and deterrence strategy. protect friendly forces, conduct electronic warfare, assist in special operations, and carry out
search and rescue missions. In addition to their airborne capabilities, carriers are important as command platforms for large battle groups or multinational task forces.
A carrier is typically deployed along with a host of additional vessels, forming a
carrier strike group. The supporting ships, which usually include three or four
Aegis-equipped cruisers and destroyers, a frigate, and two attack submarines, are tasked with protecting the carrier from air, missile, sea, and undersea threats as well as providing additional strike capabilities themselves. Ready logistics support for the group is provided by a combined ammunition, oiler, and supply ship. Aircraft carriers beginning with
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) are named for living or deceased politicians important to the Navy or United States history. Previous aircraft carriers were generally named for battles and past famous fighting ships of the Navy.
Kitty Hawk class (1 in commission, 2 decommissioned)
Enterprise class (1 in commission)
Nimitz class (9 in commission, 1 under construction)
Gerald R. Ford-class (1 under construction, 2 planned)
Aircraft carriers Amphibious assault ships are the centerpieces of U.S. amphibious warfare and fulfill the same power projection role as aircraft carriers except that their striking force comprises land forces instead of aircraft. They deliver, command, coordinate, and fully support all elements of a 2200-strong
Marine Expeditionary Unit in an amphibious assault using air and amphibious vehicles. Resembling small aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships are capable of
V/STOL,
STOVL,
VTOL, tiltrotor, and rotary wing aircraft operations. They also contain a
welldeck to support the use of
Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) and other amphibious assault watercraft. Recently, amphibious assault ships have begun to be deployed as the core of an
expeditionary strike group, which usually consists of an additional amphibious transport dock and dock landing ship for amphibious warfare and an Aegis-equipped cruiser and destroyer, frigate, and attack submarine for group defense. Amphibious assault ships are typically named after World War II aircraft carriers, a name source carried over from the earliest assault ships which actually
were converted WWII carriers.
Amphibious transport docks are warships that embark, transport, and land Marines, supplies, and equipment in a supporting role during amphibious warfare missions. With a landing platform, amphibious transport docks also have the capability to serve as secondary aviation support for an expeditionary group. All amphibious transport docks can operate helicopters, LCACs, and other conventional amphibious vehicles while the newer
San Antonio class of ships has been explicitly designed to operate all three elements of the Marines' "mobility triad":
Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles (EFVs), the
V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, and the previously mentioned LCACs. Amphibious transport docks are named for cities, except for
USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19), named for
Mesa Verde National Park in
Colorado, and two of the three ships named in memory of the
September 11, 2001 attacks:
USS New York (LPD-21), for the state of
New York, and
USS Somerset (LPD-25) for
Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
The
dock landing ship is a medium amphibious transport that is designed specifically to support and operate
Landing Craft Air Cushions (LCACs), though it is able to operate other amphibious assault vehicles in the United States inventory as well. Dock landing ships are normally deployed as a component of an expeditionary strike group's amphibious assault contingent, operating as a secondary launch platform for LCACs. All dock landing ships are named after locations in the United States.
Tarawa class (3 in commission, 2 decommissioned)
Wasp class (7 in commission, 1 under construction)
Austin class (9 in commission, 2 decommissioned, 1 converted to an auxiliary command ship)
San Antonio class (2 in commission, 3 under construction, 4 more planned)
Whidbey Island class (8 in commission)
Harpers Ferry class (4 in commission)
Amphibious warfare vessels Cruisers are large surface combat vessels that conduct anti-air/anti-missile warfare, surface warfare, undersea warfare, and strike operations independently or as members of a larger task force. Modern guided missile cruisers were developed out of a need to counter the anti-ship missile threat facing the United States Navy As in the case of destroyers, frigates are named after naval heroes.
All U.S.
battleships have been decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. Designed to engage other capital ships in open sea warfare, battleships were the Navy's largest and most important vessels until the mid-20th century. The rise of aircraft carriers in World War II led to the declining importance of battleships and the Navy relegated them to the roles of fire support and escort. Following a long period of inactivity, the
Iowa class battleships were recommissioned in the 1980s to augment the Navy's size and were upgraded with Tomahawk cruise missile capability. They were decommissioned for the final time in the early 1990s due in part to their high maintenance costs and the Cold War's end. All battleships except
USS Kearsarge (BB-5) were named for states.
Ticonderoga class (22 in commission, 5 decommissioned)
Arleigh Burke class (50 in commission, 6 under construction, 7 more planned)
Oliver Hazard Perry class (30 in commission, 20 decommissioned)
Surface vessels Main article: Submarines in the United States Navy Submarines The U.S. Navy has operated a number of vessels important to both United States and world naval history.
USS Constitution, nicknamed "Old Ironsides", is the only surviving vessel of the original six frigates authorized by Congress when they re-established the United States Navy in 1794. It served with distinction in the War of 1812 and is currently docked in
Charlestown, Massachusetts, as the oldest commissioned warship
afloat.
USS Monitor and
CSS Virginia are together known for participating in the first engagement between two steam-powered
ironclads, known as the
Battle of Hampton Roads. USS
Monitor was the first ironclad built by the U.S. Navy and its design introduced the rotating gun turret to naval warfare. The first submarine built by the U.S. Navy was
USS Alligator, which sank in 1863 while being towed during a storm and never saw combat. The
H.L. Hunley, although technically never a part of the U.S. Navy, was the first submarine to sink a ship in a combat engagement by hitting the
USS Housatonic with a spar-mounted
torpedo in 1864; however, the
H.L. Hunley itself was lost during the operation. It was built by
Confederate inventor Horace L. Hunley, who lost his life while operating the ship during a trial run.
USS Nautilus (SSN-571), commissioned in 1954, was the first nuclear-powered warship in the world. It demonstrated its capabilities by traveling 62,562 miles, more than half of which was submerged, in two years before having to refuel while breaking the record for longest submerged voyage.
USS Long Beach (CGN-9) was the first nuclear-powered
surface warship in the world and signaled a new era of United States naval weaponry by being the first large ship in the Navy to have guided missiles as its main battery.
Historically significant vessels Main articles: List of US Naval aircraft and List of military aircraft of the United States (naval) Aircraft Main article: List of US Navy weapons Weapons systems The major players in U.S. Navy special operations are the
United States Navy SEALs and the
Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCCs, pronounced "swicks").
The SEALs derive their name from the environments in and from which they can operate:
Sea,
Air, and
Land. Their distinguishing specialty, however, is maritime operations — striking from and returning to the sea.
Special warfare Navy special operations fall under the jurisdiction of
Naval Special Warfare Command, the Navy branch of
United States Special Operations Command. Within Naval Special Warfare Command are seven operational entities: four
Special Warfare Groups, the
Special Warfare Development Group, the
Operational Support Group, and the
Special Warfare Center.
Although not under the jurisdiction of NSW Command, Navy
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Units often work closely with special operations teams. Trained to be combat-ready and highly mobile, EOD units are entrusted with nullifying hazardous ordnance in a number of different maritime environments.
The
Naval Special Warfare Center, located in Coronado, California, is the main training center for Navy special operations personnel including the
United States Navy SEALs's.
Naval special operations groups Coastal and harbor defense and protection of naval assets are placed under the jurisdiction of two Naval Coastal Warfare Groups: one for the Pacific Fleet and one for the Atlantic Fleet. Within these groups are
Mobile Security Squadrons and
Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons. MSSs deploy Mobile Security Detachments that provide force protection for high value naval targets in ports and harbors where U.S. shore infrastructure is limited or does not exist. Naval Coastal Warfare Squadrons provide surveillance and security in harbors, coasts, and inshore areas. They comprise
Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Units (MIUWUs) and
Inshore Boat Units (IBUs). MIUWUs are charged with security, observation, and communications support for commanders operating in an inshore/coast environment, including anchorages and harbors. In the same operating environment, IBUs manage water craft for security, interdiction and surveillance.
Naval culture Main article: List of United States Navy people
Enlisted sailors
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