This article is about the part of the military. For the colour, seeNavy blue.
Thenavy is the part of a country'smilitary that fights on water usingboats. People in the navy are called sailors. The navy is mostly made up ofwarships. It may also have its ownair force andsoldiers. It may have special boats that can go underwater, calledsubmarines, or another kind of special boat that is meant to carryairplanes, calledaircraft carriers.
Originally, Naval war was fought by ramming other ships and then jumping onto them to fight the crew. InAncient Greece andRome, the ships were usually powered byoars. During theMiddle Ages, thecannon was invented. These could be shot at other ships from a great distance. Warships around this time also began to usesails instead of oars for power. In the middle 19th century, ships began to be plated inarmor for protection.Steam engines allowed them move while carrying the armor, and better ones soon made them much faster. These early warships, calledironclads, are thought to have begun the type of Navalwarfare used today. Ships and guns soon became much larger.
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