Navy: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

A navy is a military organisation that operates primarily on the sea.

Most (but not all) armed forces make considerable organisational distinction between the land-based warfare of an Army, the sea-based warfare of a Navy, and the air-based warfare of an Air Force - often splitting the three components into mostly independent forces.

A modern navy typically uses a combination of ships, boats, submarines, and aircraft launched from aircraft carriers.

Many navies include ground forces (marines) to fight on land and defend sea craft.

In many countries, the navy is the oldest branch of the armed services. Hence, for example, the British term "the Senior Service".

See also naval history, Modern Naval tactics, sea power.

Merchant navy is a British and Commonwealth term for the civilian seafaring industry, recognizing both the shared hazards of seafaring activity during wartime, as well as the expectation that civilian vessels may be put under various kinds of control by military authorities. In the USA the equivalent term is merchant marine.

Navies of the world

• French Navy
• German Navy
• Indian Navy
• People's Liberation Army Navy
• Royal Australian Navy
• Royal Navy
• Royal Netherlands Navy
• Royal New Zealand Navy
• Royal Swedish Navy
• Royal Canadian Navy
• South African Navy
• United States Navy
• Russian Navy

• Aircraft carrier
• Amphibious assault ship
• Battlecruiser
• Battleship
• Bireme
• Bomb ketch
• Corvette
• Cruiser
• Destroyer
• Dromon
• Escort aircraft carrier
• Frigate
• Gunboat
• Hospital ship
• Ironclad
• Liburnian
• PT Boat
• Quinquireme
• Seaplane tender
• Ship of the line
• Sloop
• Submarine (also U-boat)
• Trireme
• Xebec (Chebek/Shebec/Zebec)

For a list of the prefixes used with ship names (HMS, USS, &c.) see ship prefix.