Continental Navy

Continental Navy
Ensign of the Continental Navy
Active	1775–1785
Country	Thirteen Colonies (1775–1776) United States (1776–1785)
Branch	Navy
Engagements	American Revolutionary War
Commanders
Chairman of the Naval Committee (1775–1776)	John Adams
Commander-in-Chief (1775–1778)	Esek Hopkins
Notable commanders	John Paul Jones John Barry

The Continental Navy was the navy of the United Colonies and United States from 1775 to 1785. It was founded on October 13, 1775 by the Continental Congress to fight against British forces and their allies as part of the American Revolutionary War. Due to the efforts of several prominent patrons such as John Adams, the Continental Navy eventually developed into a substantial force, though it never replicated the successes of the Continental Army. In 1776, Commodore Esek Hopkins was appointed by Congress to command the navy.^[1]

Initially, the Continental Navy's ships consisted of purchased merchantmen, due to a lack of funds for constructing purpose-built warships. This resulted from American leaders focusing on the Continental Army, as they were aware that the Royal Navy's command of the sea meant no naval force they raised could hope to seriously challenge it. The primary missions of the Continental Navy, which eventually acquired a series of frigates and smaller warships, were to raid British shipping and colonies to acquire supplies for use by American troops along with defending US commerce.

The Continental Navy was unable to make a significant impact on the war's outcome, and many of its ships were lost to British naval attacks, accidents, or bad weather. However, it produced a corps of skilled naval officers who would go on to fight in the Quasi-War, Barbary Wars and War of 1812. American forces emerged victorious in the Revolutionary War in 1783, and two years later the Continental Navy was disbanded by Congress. On March 27, 1794, the United States Navy was officially established, inheriting many of the Continental Navy's traditions.^[2][3]