Pennsylvania Navy

The Pennsylvania State Navy was the state navy of Pennsylvania during the American Revolutionary War. It was founded on July 6, 1775, and spent most of its existence operating almost exclusively in the Delaware River. The state navy acquired dozens of vessels over the course of the war, many of which were 1-gun row galleys. Its most prominent engagement was the 1777 Philadelphia campaign, during the state navy unsuccessfully attempted to resist advancing British forces before being entirely destroyed. To protect Pennsylvanian merchantmen from British attacks, the state navy raised more ships. On April 10, 1783, the navy was disbanded when its last vessels were sold.

In April 1889, the Naval Force of Pennsylvania was raised by state authorities. By 1894, the United States Navy had started lending warships to serve in the Naval Force of Pennsylvania, which was organized on a battalion level. Ships lent included the protected cruiser USS Chicago, which served from April 26, 1916 to April 1917 and the steamship USS Wolverine which served for 11 years making summer training cruises for the United States Naval Reserve. Under 10 U.S. Code §7851, naval militias form part of the U.S. militia and therefore are considered as such. Any attempt to reactivate a naval militia in Pennsylvania must be done either by the governor of Pennsylvania or the Pennsylvania General Assembly.