Navy Day 2023 (US): Date, History, Significance, and Facts

This word comes from a trick pirates used to get ships that weren't paying attention to come close to their ship by saying they had business chances.

Navy Day 2023: Even though Navy Day on October 27 is “unofficial” at headquarters, it is still important to Navy fans, who celebrate it with great enthusiasm every year. Two weeks after the United States Navy’s official birthday on October 13, which is also Navy Day, the holiday shows up on the calendar. While two days in October honor the men and women of the U.S. Navy, the month is really important for people who work in the naval warfare branch of the U.S. military.

Navy Day 2023: HISTORY

In 1922, the Navy League of the United States, a private non-profit group, held the first Navy Day to honor the men and women who serve our country. At the time, many people thought that October 27 was the birthdate of the United States Navy. This was because on that date in 1775, a document was given to the Continent Congress that backed buying a fleet of merchant ships to make an American colonial navy. October 27 is also the birthday of President Theodore Roosevelt, who was a strong supporter of the Navy and supported Navy Day. On that day, he was born.

Between 1922 and 1949, Navy Day was always marked with a lot of fanfare. Every year, the U.S. Navy took part by sending ships to different U.S. ports where parties were held for the public. It was a very big and memorable party in 1945 when President Harry S. Truman came to New York Harbor to look over the fleet.

In 1949, when Louis A. Johnson was first Secretary of Defense, he announced that Armed Forces Day would take the place of Navy Day starting the next year. This was the last official Navy Day. Johnson made the third Saturday of May Armed Forces Day, a time to honor all six classic branches of the U.S. military: the Air Force, the Army, the Coast Guard, the Marine Corps, the Navy, and now the Space Force. Johnson’s order did not apply to the Navy League because it was a civilian organization. They kept planning events for the original Navy Day on October 27. Both people and Navy members came to these events.

In 1970, naval historians did a study that showed the real start date of the United States Navy was October 13, 1775. Because of this, the Navy’s birthday was changed from October 27 to October 13 that year. Navy Day has been a tradition in the Navy for more than 25 years, so many people still enjoy it on October 27 even though the official date has changed.

FIVE NAUTICAL WORDS THAT LANDLUBBERS USE

Above the Board

This word comes from a trick pirates used to get ships that weren’t paying attention to come close to their ship by saying they had business chances. The pirate captain and some of his crew would pretend to be honest merchants, while the rest of the crew hid below the boards behind the bulwark. They were waiting for the cue to sneak up on their targets and take their ship. Someone who is truthful and honest today is called “above board.”

Mayday!

The word “May Day” comes from the French phrase “m’aidez,” which means “help me.” “Mayday” was first used in 1923, but it became the official international voice radio distress signal for ships and people in real danger at sea and in the air in 1948.

Hunky-Dory

These days, we say “hunky-dori” when everything is fine. This word comes from a street in Yokohama, Japan, called “Honki-Dori” that sailors liked. The people who lived on Honki-Dori street catered to sailors’ sexual needs. In the end, the name of the street came to mean “pleasurable” or “satisfactory.”

Cup of Joe

In the Navy, “a cup of Joe” means coffee. When Josephus Daniels became Secretary of the Navy in 1913, he made a lot of changes. For example, he got rid of the ship officers’ wine mess, which meant that coffee became the greatest drink on Navy ships. A coffee drink is now called “a cup of Joe.”

Scuttlebutt

Scuttlebutt is a nautical language for talk or stories. Scuttlebutt is the name of the area around the water cask, which was like a drinking fountain on wooden ships and where rumours would often start while on a journey. What was said in the scuttlebutt became known as “scuttlebutt.”

Cranky Co-Workers Day 2023: Date, History, Significance, Facts about Emotions

WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT NAVY DAY

One more chance to say “thank you”

Navy Day is your chance to say thank you or do something nice for our soldiers or their families that you missed on the Navy’s official birthday two weeks ago.

An excuse to get tattooed

Sailors have been getting tattoos for hundreds of years, ever since Captain James Cook’s tour of the Pacific islands made Polynesia body art known to sailors. At first, Navy tattoos were used to remember important fights and included military symbols and, of course, the names of lovers. Navy Day is the best time to get inked if you’ve been waiting for a reason. However, only if you get a national tattoo in the style of those early sailors.

To remind us that freedom is not free

These days, we take a lot for granted. When there are wars or threats from enemies, they rarely reach our country’s land or shores. When we go to bed at night and turn off the lights, we feel safe. On Navy Day, we are reminded to be grateful for the men and women who serve in all of America’s military forces and answer the call of duty to protect and serve our country on land, at sea, and in the air.