> How did these "highest traditions" come about? The US Navy really did have a long, strong history. If you read the Patrick O'Brien historical novels set in

> How did these "highest traditions" come about? The US Navy really did have a long, strong history. If you read the Patrick O'Brien historical novels set in the Napoleonic wars you can get a good feel for how the British Royal Navy saw the US Navy as a serious force, although mostly concentrated in US waters at that time. The US Navy was smaller than the British Navy, but they built bigger frigates (eg, the British frigates were mostly armed with 36 18-pounder cannons, while the US frigates carried 44 24-pounders). This caused significant problems for the British in the War of 1812. Military "traditions" are a weird thing, but old battles definitely count, especially when you win some against a bigger opponent. Also, as mentioned elsewhere the Washington Treaty gave the US and Britain the equal biggest navies in the world throughout the 1930s. For a while during the 1920s and 30s Britain and the US were serious naval rivals too, and the affected how the US Navy thought about itself.