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Did You Know? — The Untold Story of America’s First Naval Preparations · Voices Of Life

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  Welcome to Voices of Life, where history, faith,
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  and the American story come together. Today's
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  Did You Know? episode takes us back to the summer
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  of 1775, a moment when the future of a young
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  nation was still uncertain, and the greatest
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  naval power in the world controlled every American
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  harbor. Before the United States had a navy,
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  before Congress authorized a single warship,
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  patriots were already preparing for a struggle
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  that would reach far beyond the shoreline. This
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  is the untold story of how America began thinking
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  like a maritime nation, months before the Continental
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  Navy was officially born. And guiding us through
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  this powerful chapter of our history is your
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  host, Pastor David, a voice committed to preserving
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  the legacy, courage, and faith that shaped the
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  earliest days of the American Revolution. Settle
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  in. Because the story of how America began to
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  rule the sea starts long before October 13th,
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  1775. It begins in the quiet, but determined
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  actions of patriots who understood that liberty
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  would one day need sails, ships, and sailors.
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  Welcome to Voices of Life, a ministry of the
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  Church for Life. I'm Pastor David. Today's Did
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  You Know episode takes us back to summer of 1775,
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  a moment when America was not yet a nation, not
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  yet a maritime power, and not yet ready to challenge
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  the greatest navy on earth. But the preparations
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  had already begun. Long before Congress officially
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  created the Continental Navy on October 13, 1775,
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  Patriots were quietly laying the foundations
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  for America's future at sea. And July 31st sits
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  right in the middle of that forgotten story.
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  By July of 1775, the revolution was underway.
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  The battles of Lexington and Concord had already
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  been fought. The Continental Congress had created
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  the Continental Army. And George Washington had
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  taken command outside of Boston. But the colonies
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  faced a crisis. Britain controlled the sea. Completely.
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  Absolutely and undeniably. British supply ships
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  sailed into Boston without resistance. British
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  warships patrolled American waters with impunity.
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  And the colonies had no national navy, no officers,
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  no warships, no command structure, and no way
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  to protect their commerce or their coastlines.
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  If America hoped to survive, it would have to
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  think like a maritime nation. There is no single
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  congressional resolution dated July 31st, but
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  historians recognize late July and early August
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  1775 as the moment when naval preparations truly
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  began. By July, Washington was receiving intelligence
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  that British ships were freely resupplying Boston.
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  Colonial leaders were discussing the need for
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  armed vessels. Several colonies had already begun
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  forming their own naval defenses. Congress was
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  debating whether a united Navy was necessary.
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  Patriot leaders were realizing that the war's
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  outcome would depend on the sea. July 31st is
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  part of the preparation period that led directly
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  to the creation of the Continental Navy, just
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  10 weeks later. America was beginning to understand
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  something profound. Liberty could not survive
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  if it remained trapped on shore. Here's the surprising
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  truth. George Washington created America's first
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  naval operations before Congress created the
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  Navy. In August 1775, Washington began organizing
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  what historians call Washington's Navy or Washington's
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  cruisers. The mission was simple and urgent.
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  Capture British supply ships, deny supplies to
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  British troops in Boston, obtain desperately
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  needed gunpowder, and protect American coastal
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  interests. Washington authorized privately owned
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  schooners and fishing vessels to be armed and
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  commissioned for military service. These vessels,
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  humble, small, and improvised, became the first
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  naval force fighting for the United Colonies.
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  Before Congress acted, Washington was already
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  thinking like a naval commander. Several colonies
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  acted even before Congress did. Rhode Island,
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  Massachusetts, Connecticut, South Carolina, and
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  Virginia. Rhode Island deserves special recognition
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  because on August 26, 1775, its General Assembly
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  formally petitioned Congress to create a national
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  navy capable of protecting all the colonies.
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  Some historians argue that Rhode Island deserves
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  much of the credit for convincing Congress to
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  establish the Continental Navy. America's naval
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  story was not born in a single moment. It was
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  built by colonies that understood the stakes.
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  Let's be honest, the odds could not have been
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  worse. Great Britain possessed the largest navy
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  in the world. Hundreds of warships, thousands
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  of professional sailors and marines, and centuries
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  of global naval experience. The American colonies
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  possessed nothing. No national navy, no naval
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  department, no naval officers, no warship dedicated
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  shipyards, no funding, no command structure.
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  Nothing. America's first naval force would be
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  built from merchant ships, fishing boats, and
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  patriot volunteers. The Continental Navy was
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  born out of necessity, not luxury. Here is a
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  timeline that transformed America from the 13
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  landlocked colonies into an emerging maritime
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  power. In June 1775, the Continental Army was
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  created. July 1775, naval discussions began.
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  August 1775, Rhode Island proposes a Continental
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  Navy. Also in August 1775, Washington organizes
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  naval operations. September 1775, armed vessels
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  begin operating. And October 13th, 1775, the
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  Continental Navy officially was established by
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  Congress. November 10th, 1775, Continental Marines
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  were established. November 1775, naval regulations
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  were adopted. And finally, in December 1775,
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  the first naval commander was appointed. This
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  was the birth of America's maritime identity.
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  If Washington created the need for a navy, John
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  Adams became its greatest champion. Adams famously
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  said, a navy had always been my favorite. He
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  understood that America could not secure He understood
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  that America could not be secure without naval
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  power. Commerce required protection. Independence
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  would fail if Britain controlled American waters.
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  Adams pushed Congress toward creating a Continental
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  Navy, and it is remembered as one of its founding
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  fathers. America's earliest naval missions were
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  not glorious fleet engagements. They were practical,
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  urgent, and essential. They captured British
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  supply ships. They obtained gunpowder. They did
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  protect colonial commerce. They supported the
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  Continental Army. And they harassed British shipping.
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  Without success at sea, Washington's army may
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  not have survived. Did you know America's first
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  naval ships were converted merchant vessels?
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  The Continental Navy operated only 40 to 60 vessels.
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  That's it, 40 to 60 to the British hundreds.
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  Nearly every Continental Navy ship was eventually
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  captured or destroyed. The Navy was disbanded
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  after the war. Congress recreated the Navy in
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  1794 under the Constitution. And America's first
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  successful amphibious assault occurred in the
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  Bahamas. These facts remind us that America's
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  naval beginnings were humble but determined.
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  Before America had a navy, it had an idea that
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  liberty could not survive if it remained trapped
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  on the shore. So in the summer of 1775, while
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  the Continental Army stood watch outside of Boston,
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  patriots looked beyond the horizon and understood
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  freedom would require more than just soldiers.
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  It would require sailors. The ships had not yet
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  been built. The flags had not yet been raised.
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  The Continental Navy had not yet to exist. But
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  the preparations had begun. America was learning
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  that to preserve liberty, it would one day have
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  to rule the seas. Thank you for joining us on
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  this Did You Know episode of Voices of Life.
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  I'm Pastor David. Until next time, may we continue
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  to honor the courage of those who look beyond
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  the shore and saw a nation rising we thank you
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  for joining us for this voices of life journey
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  into the summer of 1775 when america first began
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  preparing to challenge the greatest naval power
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  on earth before the continental navy existed
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  before congress authorized a single warship patriots
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  were already looking beyond the shoreline and
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  understanding that liberty would one day depend
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  on the sea. Their ships were small. Their resources
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  were limited. But their determination was extraordinary.
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  From Washington's early naval operations to the
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  colonies that demanded a united maritime force,
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  these first steps carried a nation toward its
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  future. As we close, we remember that freedom
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  is never protected by accident. It is guarded
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  by those willing to stand watch, to take risks,
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  and to see farther than others can see. Until
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  next time, may courage steady your path, may
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  hope strengthen your spirit, and may the story
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  of America's earliest sailors remind us that
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  even the greatest journeys begin with a single
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  decision to move forward. This has been Voices
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  of Life. On behalf of Pastor David, may peace
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  be upon you. And may the light of ordered liberty
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  continue to shine.