If you're going to serve aboard a submarine, you need to be prepared for the cramped and claustrophobic conditions, as well as the fact you'll be sleeping in close proximity to a nuclear reactor core!
For these reasons, no Navy servicemen-or-women are assigned to active duty on submarines, instead, the entire crew is made up of volunteers.
Of all the naval battles that took place during the Second World War, none was as significant as the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
As well as being one of the largest conflicts in the history of naval warfare, the United States’ victory over the Empire of Japan finally granted the Allies complete dominance of the Pacific Ocean after years of bitter and bloody fighting.
Though more commonly known as "Leathernecks" due to their tough reputation, the Navy still has soft spots - especially when it comes to dogs.
In fact, the Marine Corps mascot has been a bulldog since 1922, inspired by another nickname: "Devil Dogs", which was given to them by the Germans in World War One, out of respect for their fearsome fighting prowess.
As with all branches of the military, the Navy has its own specific terminology, either to make communication more efficient, to reduce the risk of misunderstanding or simply to hearken back to proud traditions.
Naval crews don't even say left or right, rather they use the maritime expressions port and starboard.
Once the ban on women serving in combat was lifted in 2015, all branches of the armed services saw a spike in the number of female applicants, though some more than others.
Only one woman applied to the Navy SEALs and unfortunately she was unable to complete the grueling training required. However, this pioneer laid the foundations for other female recruits to join the SEALs, many of whom DID make it through!
The small vertical pole at the bow (front) of the ship is known as a jackstaff, and from this the "jack" flag is flown. This can either be a smaller version of the national flag, or something with a unique design. In the case of the U.S. Navy, the First Navy Jack is flown when the vessel is docked and/or not on active duty.
The flag consists of 13 stripes representing the original 13 colonies, with a rattlesnake emblazoned across the stripes and the words "Don't Tread On Me" written beneath the serpent. This is a design carried over from the American Revolution’s "Gadsden" flag.
Finding clothing when pregnant can be tricky for any woman, and it can be the same for women in the Navy.
Fortunately, there are special maternity uniforms available and expectant mothers can continue serving right up until the 20th week of their pregnancy or until their bump inhibits their maternity uniform.
The camouflage uniforms worn by Navy servicemen-and-women differ from all the other branches of the United States military, with its unusual pixelated pattern.
The brain can discern solid shapes and lines more easily, so this design works against that and is incredibly effective. By 2019, the U.S. Navy will have changed over to a green coloured uniform.
The U.S. Navy boasts the largest fleet in the world, which includes 10 full-sized aircraft carriers and 9 carriers of a smaller class.
Next on the list is the United Kingdom and France, who have maintained large fleets since the Second World War.
Before she became a model, Shannon Ihrke spent four years in the United States Marines, having enlisted at the age of 19. The intense physical nature of the job helped Shannon get the figure that would make her later career move a success, though at times it “pushed [her] body harder than [she] could ever have imagined.”
As well as discovering just how strong she was both mentally and physically, Shannon also learned some surprising facts about the Navy and the women who have served in it…
Former model Lauren Berlingeri found the SEAL training so agonizing that she documented it in her YouTube series: 'Woman Versus Workout."
The videos included exercises based off of her training, including a three-part episode that featured former SEALs and a workout that lasted for a full 24 hours!
It's well known that all military training is tough, and training for the Navy is considered especially tough, but in the past it was even more trying.
Waterboarding (which is meant to feel like drowning), was part of the process and intended to provide trainees with the feeling of imminent death. IT has since been phased out.
Though the U.S. Navy tries its best to accommodate pregnant service-women as much as possible by issuing special uniforms and providing extended leave, it can be complicated to make these arrangements.
As active members are often out at sea for lengthy periods, when it comes time for them to go on their leave it may mean they need to be airlifted back to the mainland at considerable cost. This is a price the Navy is more than happy to pay, in gratitude for their service.
Whilst Marine Corp training is tough, when it comes to the SEALs it is on an entirely different level, with seven agonizing months of torturous workouts, drills and specialist training.
The few who do make it through rank as America's elite soldiers, and their missions are listed as Top Secret, and even when completed, they remain classified.
Kara Hultgreen was the first female fighter pilot to serve aboard an aircraft carrier, after joining the Navy as an aviator in 1994.
Tragically, Hultgreen was killed only a few short months after becoming combat certified when her jet crashed into the sea whilst attempting a carrier landing.
Pull-ups are a staple component of any Marines workout routine, and it was expected that women would have to do them just the same as their male colleagues.
However, when over half of the female recruits could not manage this, the workout was changed for them, so that they had to only do a flexed arm hang, though they may still opt to do a full pull-up for extra points. Otherwise, women in the US Navy are not given any special treatment.
Have you ever noticed that the symbol for the Navy and the Anheuser-Busch beer company's logo look a little similar?
Not only do they look alike, but the name of the Navy's emblem is sometimes called "the Budweiser", in a reference to the SEALs training course being called the BUD/S course.
Many of our nation's leaders have been shaped by their military experience, and this extends to some of our former Presidents.
In fact, six Presidents were Navy men, including Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and JFK. For the men and women who serve in Navy today, knowing that they are on the same list as several previous Commander-in-Chief's further adds to their sense of pride and honor.
There are guidelines for the naming of US Navy vessels, often according to the class of the ship. For instance, aircraft carriers have been named after Presidents (but prior to 1968 they were mostly named after historical events such as battles) though there are exceptions.
The Secretary of the Navy decides the name for all ships, though others may submit suggestions for his consideration and approval. Once the name has been chosen, the eldest female descendant of the person selected to be honored is given the right to officially christen the ship.
Each branch of the military has different medical needs unique to the types of dangers its personnel may face. The Navy requires medics who have, amongst other specialist knowledge, an understanding of decompression sickness, also known as the bends.
Often in a conflict situation, a Navy diver will have to rapidly rise to the surface and may therefore suffer from this condition, which medics must be able to treat quickly in order to ensure a successful recovery
Following victory over the British in the American Revolution, Congress deemed the Navy surplus to requirements and the entire service was decommissioned.
When, 20 years later, Barbary pirates began targeting merchant vessels, Congress tried to pay them off but after this proved unsuccessful, they decided to respond with force and six new warships were constructed to combat this menace. Piracy remains a problem to this day, and the Navy is commonly called upon to deal with it.
For many years there were restriction on the types of combat missions that women could participate in.
In 2015, the rules were amended to allow female troops to be deployed for any mission, though many officers, even those in the upper echelons of the military, objected to the change.
Navy life isn't always work, work, work. On occasion a ship's crew may get leave for 'Fleet Week', when vessels dock in larger cities and the sailors and personnel have the opportunity to soak in the locals sights and sounds.
They also get 30 days of paid time off in which they can go home to change into some comfy pajamas and just be with family.
Aircraft carrier security used to be far more lax than it is now, as evidenced in 1957 when a group of Australian college students snuck aboard aboard the USS Bennington dressed as pirates and declared that they had "captured" it.
The Navy may be strict, but they still possess a sense of humor, and seeing the funny side, let the pranksters go without any legal repercussions.
Many martial arts practitioners develop their own unique hybrid style of fighting -including Bruce Lee who did just that when he created Jeet Kune Do- and this applies to the Marines as well.
Their Martial Arts Program blends several fighting techniques such as Kung Fu, Boxing, and Krav Maga to create their own specialised self defense system.
