Tomorrow is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States Navy, and as such, the internet is currently flooded with well-wishes. I figured I would add my own, which is also free for anyone to share on social media:
First, for those of you about to rush to the comments to quibble about my choice of ship, please bear with me a minute.
For those who don't know, there is a long tradition of various tributes to military-adjacent things screwing up and using the wrong pictures. Most famously, the 2012 Democratic Convention's tribute to veterans had the Russian Black Sea Fleet being overflown by F-5s, which the US has never used as a front-line jet, but it's been done across the spectrum, including the Pacific Fleet itself two years ago. This particular one was inspired by the long list of people who messed this up for the Air Force a month ago.
The above picture is of the USS Prinz Eugen. Now, some might criticize me for selecting a ship that was built in Germany and served with the Kriegsmarine throughout most of her career. But at the time the photo was taken, she was in fact property of the US Navy,1 with a hull number (IX-300) and everything, and she would play a vital part in helping the US Navy prepare for the nuclear age. So it seemed a fitting ship to use as a satire of people who don't check before posting graphics like this.
Thanks to Shas'ui for doing the actual design, which was much better than I could have done.
But I do genuinely wish the United States Navy all the best for having made it through a quarter of a millennium. Fair winds and following seas.
1 I don't think she was formally commissioned, which would mean that the USS part of the designation is wrong, but it's a mistake that the USN itself makes. ⇑
Comments
Fair winds and following seas indeed!