1. George Washington
   Thomas Jefferson
2. Gerald Ford

He had zero Navy experience, but George Washington keenly understood the power of warships. He was certain the U.S. would never amount to anything without a proper Navy, and he said so.

1. A class of destroyer
   A type of cruise missile
2. Flight demonstration team

The Blue Angels is a special demonstration flight squadron of the U.S. Navy. Each year, the Angels swoop and dive all over the country in a show of the branch's amazing air power.

1. The United States Navy
   Continental Navy
2. America's Best

In 1775, the Second Continental Congress created the Continental Navy. It featured few ships, and they suffered mightily at the hands of the powerful British navy. Yet they set the foundation for a branch that became vital in defending national security.

1. It was mostly destroyed by Spain.
   It tripled in size to keep Britain at bay.
2. It was disbanded.

After the Revolution, officials disbanded the Navy. They did the same to Army, as standing military forces were deemed at odds with the new republic's ideals of liberty.

1. To fight pirates
   To invade France
2. To put down a Mexican rebellion

American ideals disbanded the Navy after the Revolution. But rampant piracy meant the young country needed a way to defend its interests … so the Navy came to the rescue.

1. "Abandon ship!"
   "Bunker destroyed"
2. "Well done"

In the Navy, it's shorthand for "mission accomplished." "Bravo Zulu" means "well done."

1. Only a few can swim.
   They are all volunteers.
2. They all aced their SATs.

Subs are cramped places that require willing sailors with nerves of steel. All American submariners are volunteers, and they must pass rigorous psychological evaluations.

1. About 93,000
   About 2.3 million
2. About 320,000

The Navy is a very substantial branch of the U.S. military. There are more than 320,00 men and women on active duty, ready to serve at a moment's notice.

1. Slips
   Bulkheads
2. Roofs

Ship life is full of esoteric lingo. There are no walls on Navy ships. They're called "bulkheads."

1. To frighten communists
   To test unproven flight technologies
2. To show off Navy air power

In the middle of the 20th century, not many Americans associated the Navy with air power. The Blue Angels were formed in large part to show off naval aviation's skill and power, and to boost the wing's morale.

1. About 5 percent
   About 20 percent
2. About 50 percent

It's no surprise that men still make up most of the Navy. But women are gaining on them. They now comprise about 20 percent of the Navy.

1. Frigates
   Electronic rangefinders
2. Ironclad ships

During the Civil War, both sides unveiled the world's first ironclad ships. These ships were nearly impervious to cannon fire, and they heralded a new age of warship construction.

1. Goat
   Shark
2. Bald eagle

You might expect a sea creature to be the Naval Academy's mascot. It's not. Instead, they have Bill the Goat, in part because sailors used to keep goats aboard ships to eat garbage and provide milk and meat.

1. To wow the admiral
   To ward off sharks
2. To look pretty

Dolphins have been known to drive off sharks, and sailors -- who might end up in the water at any moment -- do not like sharks. Dolphin tattoos represent a hope that they'll never been eaten a la "Jaws."

1. John Tyler
   Barack Obama
2. Ronald Reagan

After Vietnam, the Navy began dwindling in power and ship numbers. President Ronald Reagan stepped in and made a renewed commitment to this branch, indicating that he intended to build ship numbers to around 600.

1. 212
   92
2. 594

Reagan told his voters that he'd reinvigorate the Navy, and he did just that. He didn't quite make it to 600, but warships increased to 594, making the president a hero of the Navy and its supporters.

1. Northern Navy
   Union Navy
2. Navy of the North

During the American Civil War, the United States was shredded in two. But the Union Navy, along with the Union Army, was determined to make it whole again.

1. A type of submarine
   A special missile launcher
2. A flying boat

The Martin JRM Mars was a gigantic flying boat made just for the U.S. Navy in WWII. Only a handful were built, for the purpose of transporting large amounts of cargo via seaplane.

1. 12
   42
2. 231

The Union Navy had 42 ships ready to fight at the start of the Civil War. The North ramped up production so vigorously that by the end of the war, that number had jumped to more than 671.

1. Scurvy
   Drowning
2. Enemy fire

It's one of the biggest fears of sailors … that they'll drown at sea. It's why some of them get a traditional tattoo of a pig and chicken, in hopes of warding off a watery end.

1. Religious outcry
   A war was on
2. Too many crashes

In 1950, the U.S. became enmeshed in the Korean War, and pilots were needed for combat instead of flight demonstrations. But a year later, the team was brought back, and since then, it has only gotten bigger and more popular, with millions of spectators at air shows each year.

1. "Sweet Caroline"
   "Anchors Aweigh"
2. "Is This The Stern?"

Written in 1906 by Charles Zimmerman, "Anchors Aweigh" is the Navy's official march. It's also the fight song of the Naval Academy.

1. Britain
   China
2. America

In 1944, during WWII, the U.S. clashed with Japan at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest sea battle ever. For four days, the titans of the Pacific fought … and when the waves settled, the U.S. reigned supreme.

1. 1920s
   1930s
2. 1990s

In the early 1990s, the USSR fell apart, leaving its superpower status in tatters. The United States and its navy suddenly stood alone as the mightiest military power the world had ever seen.

1. Unemployed crazy men
   Professionals, through and through
2. Expert soldiers who transitioned to sea life

Union Navy men were nothing like the professionals of today. They were often societal rejects incapable of holding down a job, and many of them were practically forced into service.

1. Seal Team 3
   Right Stuff
2. Top Gun

It wasn't just a movie. Top Gun is the name of the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program. It was started during Vietnam to help fighter pilots perfect their fighting skills -- and it worked.

1. It got smaller.
   It got bigger.
2. It stayed the same.

After the Vietnam War, the Navy became a much lower priority for America. Its ship numbers dropped precipitously, and those that remained were antiquated holdovers from the WWII era. But President Ronald Reagan reversed the trend.

1. During the Civil War
   After World War I
2. During the Gulf War

For centuries, the British ruled the world's seas. During World War I, however, America ramped up its navy, and by the time the Great War ended, its sea force outnumbered Britain's sailors.

1. Drowning
   Disease
2. Enemy fire

About 2,100 sailors died at the hands of Confederate fire in the Civil War. But as with Army troops, diseases took an even bigger toll -- and that's what killed more than 2,400 sailors.

1. It is much larger.
   It is much smaller.
2. It is the same size.

Today's Navy is small by history's standards, with fewer than 300 ships, less than the country had during WWI. But today's ships are so advanced that America needs fewer of them to dominate world affairs.