As the autumn leaves begin to turn, St. Louisans have plenty of reason to celebrate—not just the Midwest’s familiar seasonal beauty, but a milestone of national importance. On October 13, 2025, the United States Navy will mark its 250th birthday—a semiquincentennial—and here in St. Louis, the history of naval innovation and support flows deep.

The U.S. Navy will have a multi-year celebration beginning January 2025, featuring leadership outreach, multilateral exercises, and community engagements designed to honor the Navy’s role in national security and inspire new generations to serve. Across the nation, local Navy bases, recruiting centers, and Navy League councils will host commemorative events.

Philadelphia, the birthplace of the Navy, will host national events including parades, flyovers by the Blue Angels at Independence Hall, and a star-studded gala. Meanwhile, cities like St. Louis will have their own unique roles to play in celebrating the Navy’s 250th birthday, like our city’s Navy Birthday Ball on October 17, 2025.

Founded on October 13, 1775, the U.S. Navy’s origins lie in humble beginnings. From the early Constitution-era frigates to the ironclads of the Civil War to the ultra-high-tech nuclear-powered carrier strike groups of today, the Navy has always adapted to defend our nation’s freedom.

That “Show Me” spirit we so admire—like the battleship Missouri that ended the Second World War, the Littoral Combat Ship currently defending coastal waters, and the F/A-18 Super Hornets soaring from carrier flight decks—all share roots that trace back to St. Louis and our “Spirit of St. Louis” determination.

St. Louis and the Navy: A Legacy of Aerospace Prowess

Our city may be far inland, but its contributions to naval warfare are anything but distant. Boeing’s St. Louis facility—once known as McDonnell Douglas—has been building F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet fighter jets since the late 1970s. One of the earliest B-model two-seat F/A-18 legacy Hornets, flown by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels (BuNo. 161746), retired in 2010 and was reassembled at the St. Louis Science Center in 2011. The very first Super Hornet (BuNo. 165164) took flight from Lambert Field on November 29, 1995, and is now on display at the National Museum of Transportation, having returned in 2023 and been reassembled here in 2024. Such achievements aren’t just local milestones—they’re embodiments of St. Louis’s central role in the defense industrial base.

In 2018, Boeing and Navy officials celebrated the milestone delivery of the 300th F/A-18E Super Hornet, a fighter that continues to serve aboard carriers worldwide. All told, St. Louis has built more than 1,500 Hornets and 775 Super Hornets. These aircraft, all forged in our region, have served in combat and deterrence—a testament to our community’s deep ties to sea power around the world.

Ships That Mean MO to Us

Beyond the skies, several naval vessels honor Missouri’s legacy on the high seas. The name USS St. Louis has taken several different forms, with seven named ships and 200 years of naval history. The original USS St. Louis was a sloop-of-war, launched in 1828. The second was an ironclad river gunboat built in Carondelet, Missouri, during the Civil War. That was followed by a wooden-hulled screw steamer that served from 1868–1906. The fourth ship (C-20) was a St. Louis-class protected cruiser commissioned in 1906 that served in World War I on convoy escort duty and was decommissioned in 1922.

It was followed by a Brooklyn-class light cruiser, commissioned in 1939, and that USS St. Louis (CL-49) served extensively in World War II, including at Pearl Harbor, the Aleutian Islands, and in several Pacific island engagements, earning 11 battle stars. In 1969, USS St. Louis (LKA-116) was commissioned as a Charleston-class amphibious cargo ship that served in the Vietnam War and made several Cold War deployments. Today’s USS St. Louis (LCS-19) is a modern Freedom-class littoral combat ship, and was commissioned in August 2020. It embodies both the Navy’s modern approach to flexible sea power and St. Louis’s long-standing naval heritage. It is a sleek, fast, and highly adaptable littoral warship, ensuring the city’s name sails proudly around the world.

USS Missouri (BB-63), an Iowa-class battleship named for our state, famously hosted Japan’s surrender in Tokyo Bay in 1945. Its keel was laid by a Missouri senator’s daughter and christened in a ceremony steeped in history. The current USS Missouri (SSN 780) is a Virginia-class, fast-attack submarine, the seventh of its class and the fourth U.S. Navy ship to be named for the state of Missouri. And USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), named for our beloved president, remains a shining example of naval excellence, having recently earned a Combat Action Ribbon after returning to Norfolk in June 2025 following an extensive deployment battling Houthi militants and conducting airstrikes against ISIS in Somalia.

Our region also connects to vessels now lost to time. The USS Inaugural (AM-242), a WWII minesweeper, became a museum ship here in St. Louis in 1968. The Great Flood of 1993 swept her from her moorings, and her wreckage still lies visible from the riverbank—a submerged monument to naval sacrifice and local memory.

As the rest of the nation honors 250 years of Navy service, St. Louis stands tall—not as a coastal city, but as an industrial heartbeat uniquely connected to the Navy’s legacy. From the production lines that forged the Hornets to the many vessels that bear our name, the Gateway City has helped chart the course of American maritime strength. On October 13, 2025, we won’t just watch history—we’ll be part of it!