Test the Deep Depths of Your U.S. Navy Knowledge

By: Sam Watanuki | Published: Apr 27, 2024

The U.S. Navy is the nation’s second-oldest military service. It conducts missions at sea, on land, and even in the air to ensure the U.S. and its allies remain free from harm’s way.

But how much do you really know about the U.S. Navy? Let’s find out.

When was the Department of the Navy first founded?

A) 1798
B) 1802
C) 1812
D) 1828

An image of the US Navy in battle in 1812

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: 1798

A painting depicting the US Navy vessel USS Constitution

Source: Wikimedia

Who was the first admiral of the United States Navy?

A) David Farragut
B) James C. Dobbin
C) Franklin Buchanan
D) David Porter

An image of several US Navy ships passing sailing along the ocean

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: David Farragut

A black and white image of David Farragut

Source: Wikimedia

What are the official colors of the U.S. Navy?

A) Yellow and black
B) Blue and gold
C) Crimson and gold
D) red and blue

A picture depicting several members of the US Navy

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: Blue and gold

Source: Wikimedia

What does the Navy acronym S.E.A.L. stand for?

A) Sea, air, and land
B) Sea, earth, and air
C) Sea, air, and last
D) Sun, earth, and lunar

A US Navy Seal is pictured aiming down his sight while on tour

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: Sea, air, and land

An image of several Navy Seals landing on a beach

Source: Wikimedia

Which of the following is the oldest U.S. Navy vessel still afloat?

A) USS Washington
B) USS Lincoln
C) USS Independence
D) USS Constitution

An image of an old US Navy ship floating in the water

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: USS Constitution

An image of the USS Constitution in a city’s harbor

Source: Wikimedia

What is the Naval Academy mascot?

A) Bill the Goat
B) The Navy Sharks
C) Henry the Lion
D) The Navy Monkey

An image of several US Navy graduates throwing their hats into the air

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: Bill the Goat

An image of the US Navy mascot, Billy the Goat

Source: Wikimedia

What is the name of the first U.S. aircraft carrier?

A) USS Tripoli
B) USS America
C) USS Langley
D) USS Enterprise

An image of a large US Navy aircraft carrier at sea

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: USS Langley

An image of the USS Langley sailing across the ocean

Source: Wikimedia

What was the first U.S. submarine called?

A) USS Virginia
B) USS Turtle
C) USS Delaware
D) USS Alligator

An image of a US Navy submarine sailing the ocean

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: USS Alligator

An artist's rendition of the first US Submarine, the Alligator

Source: Wikimedia

What is a galley?

A) A ship’s walls
B) A ship’s deck
C) A ship’s sleeping quarters
D) A ship’s kitchen

An image of several US Navy sailors aboard a ship

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: A ship’s kitchen

An image of a US Navy sailor ordering food in the gallery

Source: Wikimedia

How many U.S. presidents served in the U.S. Navy during World War II?

A) Two
B) Three
C) Five
D) Six

An image of Geroge Bush Jr. speaking with several soldiers

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: Six (Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and George W. Bush)

An image of Navy Captain Chil Miller, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush

Source: Wikimedia

What is the U.S. Navy’s motto?

A) Semper Fortis
B) Defend ’til death
C) Freedom for all
D) Semper Fidelis

An image of several US Navy sailors dressed in uniform

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: Semper Fortis

An image of the US Navy, Green Bay, a transportation ship

Source: Wikimedia

What Navy phrase refers to a job well done?

A) Alpha Romeo
B) Whiskey Delta
C) Bravo Zulu
D) Tango Uniform

An image of several US Navy sailors lined up and looking out to sea

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: Bravo Zulu

An image of several US Navy soldiers dressed in uniform

Source: Wikimedia

In Navy culture, what does a shellback turtle represent?

A) Sailed the Pacific Ocean
B) Crossed the Equator
C) Navy diver
D) Rescue swimmer

An image of a giant turtle swimming in the ocean

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: Crossed the Equator

An image of the USNS Comfort sailing past the Statue of Liberty

Source: Wikimedia

What do 'port' and 'starboard' refer to when on a Navy vessel?

A) Front and back of the ship
B) The ship’s top and bottom deck
C) The ship’s left and right sides
D) The bathroom and kitchen of a ship

Several sailors are interviewed as they eat underneath the deck of the ship

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: The ship's left and right sides

An image of several US Navy sailors walking down one side of the ship

Source: Wikimedia

Which famous Navy hero’s last words were, 'Don’t give up the ship'?

A) David Farragut
B) Oliver Hazard Perry
C) Stephen Decatur
D) James Lawrence

An image of two Naval ships at battle in the Atlantic Ocean

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: James Lawrence

A painting depicting the former US Navy Officer James Lawrence

Source: Wikimedia

What class of ship is the USS Gerald R. Ford?

A) Nimitz-Class
B) Ford-Class
C) Wasp-Class
D) Freedom-Class

U.S. President Gerald Ford and his wife tossing around a football while among others.

Source: Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

Answer: Ford-Class

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) underway under her own power for the first time while leaving Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia (USA), on 8 April 2017. The first-of-class ship – the first new U.S. aircraft carrier design in 40 years – spent several days conducting builder's sea trials, a comprehensive test of many of the ship's key systems and technologies. USS George Washington (CVN-73) and the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) are visible in the background.

Source: U.S. Navy/Wikipedia

Which operation marked the Navy SEALs first significant armed action during the Vietnam War?

A) Operation Desert Storm
B) Operation Rolling Thunder
C) Operation Market Time
D) Operation Just Cause

NCDU 45, CEC Ensign Karnowski, Chief Carpenters Mate Conrad C. Millis, MM2 Equipment Operator Lester Meyers, and three sailors. The unit received a Presidential Unit Citation with ENS Karnowski earning the Navy Cross & French Croix de Guerre with Palm, while MM2 Meyers received a Silver Star.[19]

Source: U.S. Navy/Wikipedia

Answer: Operation Market Time

UDT members using the casting technique from a speeding boat

Source: PH1 Patrick C. Wilkerson/Wikipedia

What is the nickname of the U.S. Naval Academy's football team?

A) The Midshipmen
B) The Sea Lions
C) The Admirals
D) The Mariners

Navy celebrates after winning the 2005 Army–Navy Game on December 3, 2005.

Source: Damon J. Moritz/Wikipedia

Answer: The Midshipmen

A snap during the 2005 Navy-Maryland game.

Source: U.S. Navy/Wikipedia

Which of the following vessels is NOT a type of ship in the U.S. Navy?

A) Cruiser
B) Destroyer
C) Frigate
D) Clipper

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: Clipper

Source: Allan C. Green/Wikipedia

What is the primary mission of the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels?

A) Reconnaissance
B) Aerial combat training
C) Public demonstration and recruitment
D) Carrier landing practice

The Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets "1–4" fly in a tight diamond formation, maintaining 18-inch (0.5 m) wingtip-to-canopy separation

Source: Wikipedia

Answer: Public demonstration and recruitment

Blue Angels perform at Miami Beach on Memorial Day

JoshEscobar/Wikipedia

Who was the first female admiral in the U.S. Navy?

A) Grace Hopper
B) Michelle Howard
C) Elsie S. Ott
D) Alene Duerk

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: Alene Duerk

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Alene Duerk, circa 1972.

Source: U.S. Navy/Wikipedia

What does the acronym 'SCUBA' stand for in Navy diving?

A) Submerged Combat Underwater Breathing Apparatus
B) Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
C) Surface Controlled Underwater Breathing Apparatus
D) Secure Containment Underwater Breathing Apparatus

An underwater photo of a scuba diver dressed in a black wetsuit with blue trim and wearing a full face dive mask. The diver is kneeling on the sandy ocean floor, actively engaged in examining or collecting samples with their bare hands

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Answer: Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

A group of scuba divers is floating on the surface of crystal-clear turquoise water near rocky shores. They are equipped with full scuba gear, including yellow fins, black wetsuits, and dive masks. Some divers are holding onto a line extending into the water, while others seem to be in a briefing or instruction session with a dive leader who is holding a red buoy

Source: gokhan polat/Unsplash

Which U.S. Navy ship is famously known as 'Old Ironsides'?

A) USS Constitution
B) USS Missouri
C) USS Arizona
D) USS Langley

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: USS Constitution

Constitution fires her cannons as she is tugged through Boston Harbor in 2021.

Source: U.S. Navy/Wikipedia

What year did women first serve as enlisted members of the U.S. Navy?

A) 1908
B) 1917
C) 1942
D) 1972

Source: U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons

Answer: 1917

Source: U.S. Navy/Wikipedia

Which of the following conflicts did NOT see U.S. Navy involvement?

A) Korean War
B) Vietnam War
C) Russo-Japanese War
D) Gulf War

Source: U.S. Navy All Hands magazine/Wikimedia Commons

Answer: Russo-Japanese War

Bombardment during the siege of Port Arthur

Source: Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff/Wikipedia

What is the largest aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy as of 2024?

A) USS Ronald Reagan
B) USS Gerald R. Ford
C) USS Nimitz
D) USS Enterprise

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: B) USS Gerald R. Ford

Source: U.S. Navy/Wikipedia

Which U.S. Navy base is known as the world's largest naval station?

A) Naval Station Norfolk
B) Naval Base San Diego
C) Naval Air Station Pensacola
D) Naval Station Pearl Harbor

Source: Wikimedia

Answer: A) Naval Station Norfolk

Source: U.S. Navy

What is the primary function of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command?

A) Training and certifying naval forces for forward deployment
B) Special operations
C) Intelligence and reconnaissance
D) Maintenance and repair of submarines

Source: U.S. Navy

Answer: A) Training and certifying naval forces for forward deployment

Source: U.S. Navy

Which U.S. President served as a submarine officer in the Navy?

A) John F. Kennedy
B) Jimmy Carter
C) Richard Nixon
D) Gerald Ford

Source: Aaron Kittredge/Pexels

Answer: B) Jimmy Carter

A portrait of former US President Jimmy Carter

Source: Wikimedia

What type of ship is the USS Zumwalt?

A) Aircraft Carrier
B) Cruiser
C) Destroyer
D) Submarine

Source: National Museum of the U.S. Navy/Wikipedia

Answer: C) Destroyer

USS Zumwalt underway for the first time conducting at-sea tests and trials in the Atlantic Ocean, 7 December 2015.

Source: U.S. Navy/Wikipedia

In which year was the Chief Petty Officer rank established in the U.S. Navy?

A) 1885
B) 1893
C) 1920
D) 1950

Source: Eric Rothermel

Answer: B) 1893

US Navy Chief Petty Officer collar rate insignia

Source: Will Bradley/Wikipedia

What does the Navy term 'scuttlebutt' traditionally refer to?

A) A small boat
B) Gossip or rumors
C) A type of knot
D) A command given by a senior officer

A close-up of a dictionary open to a page that defines lying.

Source: Joshua Hoehne/Unsplash

Answer: B) Gossip or rumors

A young student whispers something into another student’s ear in class

Source: Freepik

Which operation was primarily a Navy SEALs mission that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden?

A) Operation Neptune Spear
B) Operation Enduring Freedom
C) Operation Iraqi Freedom
D) Operation Desert Storm

Source: U.S. Department of Defense/Wikipedia

Answer: A) Operation Neptune Spear

Members of the Obama administration in the Situation Room, tracking the mission that killed Bin Laden

Source: Pete Souza - White House Flickr Feed/Wikipedia

What is the name of the U.S. Navy's first stealth destroyer?

A) USS Arleigh Burke
B) USS Michael Monsoor
C) USS Zumwalt
D) USS Spruance

Deckhouse of USS Zumwalt being installed in December 2012

Source: U.S. Navy/Wikipedia

Answer: C) USS Zumwalt

Source: National Museum of the U.S. Navy/Wikipedia

Who was the first African American to become a Master Diver in the U.S. Navy?

A) Carl Brashear
B)Michelle Howard
C) David Marquet
D) Samuel Gravely

Three people at the seafloor in scuba diving suits.

Oleksandr (Alex) Zakletsky/Wikimedia Commons

Answer: A) Carl Brashear

Carl Brashear (1931 - 2006) U.S. Navy master diver

Source: U.S. Navy/Wikipedia