Navy Day

Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy.

Argentina

The Argentine Navy day is celebrated on May 17, anniversary of the victory achieved in 1814 in the Battle of Montevideo.

Australia

The Royal Australian Navy celebrates Navy Day in March.

Chile

The Día de las Glorias Navales is a public holiday in Chile on May 21. It commemorates the Battle of Iquique on May 21, 1879, in the War of the Pacific.

The date also marks the opening of ordinary Parliamentary season (through September 18, Independence Day) and is the traditional day for the President's State of the Nation address.

Principal civic acts are performed in Santiago de Chile, Iquique and Valparaíso, where the Chilean Navy Headquarters are located.

Croatia

The Day of the Croatian War Navy is celebrated on September 18 on the anniversary of Army Day.

India

4 December is celebrated as the Navy Day in India, to commemorate the start of Operation Trident during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. In a surprising, one-night attack the Indian Navy sank three vessels near the largest Pakistani port of Karachi, with no losses on its own.

Israel

In Israel, Navy Day (יום חיל הים) was celebrated on June 30. At this date in 1948 the Port of Haifa was transferred (by default) from The Royal Navy to Israeli hands. Traditionally, Navy Day is preceded by Memorial Evening.

In 1993 Admiral Ami Ayalon decided to hold the Israel Navy day in the last week of October, commemorating victories in several wars:

• The sinking of the Egyptian Navy flagship Amir Farouq on 22/10/1948.
• Capture of the Egyptian frigate Ibrahim El-Awal (ex HMS Mendip) on 31/10/1956.
• The overwhelming successful actions of the Yom Kippur War, 6–24 October 1973.

Memorial Evening was rescheduled as well, marking the loss of destroyer INS Eilat on 21/10/1967. As of 2009 the celebrations have been elongated for a week, which for practical reasons, are held each year in August.

Iran

November 28 is a Navy day in Iran. It commemorates Operation Morvarid of 1980, a major Iranian Navy victory during the Iran Iraq war.

Italy

In Italy, Navy Day is June 10 and it is not a national holiday.

Japan

Japanese "Shining Navy Anniversary Day" official poster, 1942

In the Empire of Japan, Navy Anniversary Day (海軍記念日,Kaigun Kinen'bi) was May 27 from 1906 until 1945. It was in commemoration of the Battle of Tsushima.

Mexico

In Mexico, The Mexican Navy celebrates Navy Day on June 1.

Netherlands

In The Netherlands the navy days ("vlootdagen") are mostly held on the first Friday, Saturday and Sunday of July.

Peru

In Peru, Navy Day is a national holiday celebrated on October 8 in commemoration of the Battle of Angamos in 1879 and the anniversary of Peruvian Navy creation in 1821.

Pakistan

In Pakistan, Navy day (Urdu: نيوى ڈے), is celebrated on September 8 in commemoration of the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. September 8, 1965 was the day when Pakistan Navy launched its successful strategic operation against India, codename Operation Dwarka, by the 25th Destroyer Squadron.

Russia

In Russia Navy Day is a national holiday that normally takes place on the last Sunday of July. It is a legacy of the Soviet Union that introduced this holiday in June 1939; the date was chosen in connection with the Battle of Gangut.

Romania

In Romania, Navy Day is a national holiday that takes place on August 15.

Ukraine

In Ukraine Navy Day is a professional holidays that is celebrated on every last Sunday of July. Before 2012 it was celebrated on August 1. It was established in 1996 (then to be celebrated August 1). Since 2012 Ukraine has the same date for its Navy Day as Russia and the Soviet Union (like Russia, Ukraine is a former Soviet republic); the Soviet Union introduced its Navy Day in June 1939; the date was chosen because of a connection with the day the Battle of Gangut took place.

United Kingdom

The term is also used in Britain to mean an open day at a dockyard such as HMNB Portsmouth, when the public can visit military ships and see air displays, roughly along the lines of an American Fleet Week. The Royal Navy's equivalent of "Navy Day" is Trafalgar Day, which is celebrated on the 21st of October.

United States

Ships anchored on the Hudson River for the 1945 Navy Day.

In the United States, the Navy League of the United States organized the first Navy Day in 1922, holding it on October 27 because it was the birthday of President Theodore Roosevelt, who was a naval enthusiast. Although meeting with mixed reviews the first year, in 1923 over 50 major cities participated, and the United States Navy sent a number of its ships to various port cities for the occasion. The 1945 Navy Day was an especially large celebration, with President Harry S. Truman reviewing the fleet in New York Harbor.

In 1949, Louis A. Johnson, secretary of the newly created Department of Defense, directed that the U.S. Navy's participation occur on Armed Forces Day in May, although as a civilian organization the Navy League was not affected by this directive, and continued to organize Navy Day celebrations as before. In the 1970s, the "birthday" of the Continental Navy was found to be October 13, 1775, and so CNO Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt worked with the Navy League to define October 13 as the new date of Navy Day. However, Navy Day in the United States is still largely recognized as October 27.

See also

• Fleet Week
• Armed Forces Day