Similarly, the Continental Marines, while patterned after the Royal Marines and their tradition of security and raiding operations, had little of the esprit and professionalism for which they are known today. Procured via purchase, lease, or outright seizure, these were hardly the ships of a building navy. The Continental Navy of 1776 was a collection of converted merchantmen and auxiliaries, none of which would be reasonably called a warship. However, neither at birth was anything like today’s sea services. From this understanding came the Continental Navy and Marine Corps to enforce the notion of eventual American sovereignty. The founding fathers understood that sovereignty was a responsibility among nations, not a right. From these fledgling efforts came today’s modern Navy and Marine Corps special operations communities, along with their traditions of excellence and ethos of professionalism.įor all of the present-day celebration of Independence Day, it needs to be remembered that the United States was far from an established fact in early 1776. Limited on land by the size and training of the early Continental Army, Revolutionary America’s first significant counter-thrusts against British attempts to suppress the growing colonial insurrection in 1776 came from the sea. It is therefore fitting that the young nation’s first attempts at both joint and special operations would be of a maritime nature. The United States of America has always been a maritime nation, inheriting from its British forefathers a tradition of seaborne commerce and influence.
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