foreign  or  domestic,    the Constitution gives Congress the power to carry out the following: Raise and support armies Provide and maintain a navy Make rules for the government of the land and the regulation of its naval forces CONGRESSIONAL  ACTION The Continental Congress passed legislation on 13 October 1775 to form a committee to purchase and arm two ships. That action created the Continental navy; and that date is, histori- cally, the birthday of the U.S. Navy. The gallant fighting of the Continental navy during the revolutionary  war  was  a  large  contributor  to America’s independence as a new nation. The Continental navy began a heritage and tradition of victory that serve as the basic doctrine of our modern Navy. The United States Constitution provided for the creation of a navy under the jurisdiction of the War Department. Article I of the Constitution states that Congress shall have power to provide and maintain a navy. It also states that Congress shall have power to make rules for the government and to regulate the land and naval forces. Article II states that the President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States. (The Air Force came into being in 1947.) These three short entries are the only specific references to the navy in the Constitution. These few  lines,  however,  authorized  Congress  to establish the navy, develop navy regulations, and appoint the President as Commander in Chief. The increasing tempo of naval matters as war with France became certain prompted Congress to take two actions during 1798. On 30 April Congress  acted  to  establish  a  separate  Navy Department (fig. 1-1). That action removed naval affairs  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  War Figure 1-1.-Navy Department in 1798. Department. On 11 July Congress established the United States Marine Corps (USMC) as a separate service within the Navy Department. These actions gave the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) direct control over the Shore Establishment. They gave him as much control over the operating forces as existing communications permitted. This change in the Navy’s organization lasted through the nation’s conflict with France, the Tripolitan War (1801-1805), and the War of 1812. During that period, naval shipyards and hospitals became parts of the Shore Establishment. MODIFICATIONS TO THE NAVY’S ORGANIZATION The growth of the Navy and its technology caused Congress to create a system of bureaus in 1842. The bureaus provided for the supply of materials and technical aid to fleet and shore activities. In 1915 Congress created the position of Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) to fill SECNAV’s need for an official naval advisor. Before World War II, the CNO was responsible for the operation and readiness of the fleet and the preparation of naval war plans. In addition, he served as an advisor to SECNAV. During World War II, the CNO had military command of all Shore Establishment and bureau activities.  The  activities  remained  under  the management  of SECNAV and his assistants. After  the  Korean  conflict,  the  position  of Commandant of the Marine Corps shifted within the Navy organization. It remained a part of the Navy Department under the Secretary of the Navy. However, separate USMC headquarters provided a distinction between the Navy and Marine Corps organizations. REFINEMENTS TO THE NAVY’S ORGANIZATION In 1949 an amendment to the National Security Act of 1947 created the Department of Defense (DOD). That amendment changed the organizational structure of the existing military departments. The old Navy Department became the Department of the Navy. The  Department  of  the  Navy  has  since undergone many adjustments. These adjustments improved coordination within the Department of Defense and helped DON keep up with advances in modern weapons and technology. Along with technical  and  weapons  bureaus,  functional 1-2