Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 167, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 August 1917 — Navy Older Then Government. [ARTICLE]

Navy Older Then Government.

The United States navy has the distinction of being somewhat older than the government itself, for nine months before the actual Declaration of Independence congress authorized the construction of two “national” cruiser* and appointed a committee to purchase vessels to form the nucleus of "a fleet Within three months of Its appointment tills committee got together 14 armed vessels and appointed a personnel of officers, among whom was th* famous old sea dog, Paul Jones. During the war of the revolution the infant navy captured as many as 800 prizes, but suffered so heavily that by the time peace was declared it had almost ceased, to exist. A new start on a more ambitious scale was mad* to ITO 4. g 4