navy summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see navy.

navy, Warships and craft of every kind maintained by a nation for fighting on, under, or over the sea. A large modern navy includes aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, submarines, minesweepers and minelayers, gunboats, and various types of support, supply, and repair ships, as well as naval bases and ports. Naval ships are the chief means by which a nation extends sea power. Their two chief functions are to achieve sea control and sea denial. Control of the sea enables a nation and its allies to carry on maritime commerce, amphibious assaults, and other seaborne operations that may be essential in wartime. Denial of the sea deprives enemy merchant vessels and warships of safe navigation. See also U.S. Navy.

United States Navy Summary

United States Navy (USN), major branch of the United States armed forces charged with the defense of the country at sea, the seaborne support of the other U.S. military services, and the maintenance of security on the seas wherever the interests of the United States extend. The earliest sea battles

Andrea Doria, detail of a portrait by Sebastiano del Piombo; in the Doria Palace, Rome.

Andrea Doria Summary

Andrea Doria was a Genoese statesman, condottiere (mercenary commander), and admiral who was the foremost naval leader of his time. A member of an ancient aristocratic Genoese family, Doria was orphaned at an early age and became a soldier of fortune. He first served Pope Innocent VIII (reigned

Francis Garnier Summary

Francis Garnier was a French naval officer, colonial administrator, and explorer. Garnier, the son of an army officer, overcame parental opposition to enter the naval school at Brest in 1856. Upon completion of his training he was posted as an ensign aboard a ship forming part of the French

Zheng He Summary

Zheng He was an admiral and diplomat who helped extend the maritime and commercial influence of China throughout the regions bordering the Indian Ocean. He commanded seven naval expeditions almost a century before the Portuguese reached India by sailing around the southern tip of Africa. Zheng He