Believing they could stand against the British, the
Continental Congress established the U.S. Navy on November
28, 1775.
Admiral Esek Hopkins was the first
(and only) Commander-in-Chief of the American "fleet" (six war
vessels).
The first battleship owned by America was the U.S.S. Alfred (formerly a
24-gun private vessel known as the Black Prince). Lt.
John Paul Jones took command of the
one-year-old Alfred on December 3, 1775, as he raised
the first flag of the United States: the Grand Union Flag.
With additional weapons and a new Continental Navy in place, the
thirteen colonies ended 1775 in a way they would never end
another year: British-owned. Within months, the patriots would
formally declare their independence from George III.