The Continental Congress established the Continental Navy in 1775 in response to the War of Independence. But the Continental Navy disbanded after the war was over. Congress then established the Department of the Navy in April of 1798. The men and women of the U.S. Navy have dedicated and often given their lives to protect the United States. Throughout the country, there are monuments honoring their sacrifices.
The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, established in December 2008, encompasses sites in Hawaii, Alaska and California. Perhaps the most famous of the World War II Valor sites is the USS Arizona Memorial built over the site of the sunken USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The memorial honors the 1,177 crewmen killed aboard the USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on December 7th, 1941. The USS Utah lies on her side about one mile from the USS Arizona. A bronze plaque bearing the names of her 58 lost officers and men is located on a memorial 40-by-15 foot platform. Also part of the WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Pearl Harbor is the USS Oklahoma Memorial. Black granite walls represent the hulls of the USS Oklahoma and white marble standards represent the dress whites of her 429 sailors and Marines lost in the same attack.
The U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. consists of the Memorial Plaza and the Naval Heritage Center. The Memorial Plaza contains The Lone Sailor, a 7 foot tall bronze statue, which represents the men and women who serve in the U.S. Navy. Bronze relief panels of important events in naval history line the southern hemisphere of a large granite map of the world. The Homecoming, a bronze statue housed in the Naval Heritage Center, reminds you of the sacrifices of deployed Navy personnel and their families.
The Naval Aviator Monument in Virginia Beach, Virginia honors three eras of naval aviators: a statue of Eugene Ely, the first aviator to fly off the deck of a ship, represents the early 20th century; a statue of a navy pilot and crew leaving their hatch heading for an aircraft honors World War II Navy aviators; and a sculpture of modern day pilots and a maintenance crew member represents current times for naval aviators.
The Peace Monument is west of the capitol in Washington, D.C. and pays tribute to naval deaths during the Civil War. Completed in 1878, the Peace Monument stands 44 feet high. Represented as classically-robed female figures, Grief and History stand at the top of the monument. Victory stands below Grief and History, with two infants representing the gods of war and the sea. The Peace figure holds an olive sprig and faces the capitol building.
