“250 Years of Raising Hell at Sea — Happy Birthday, U.S. Navy!”
By Old Salt Coffee Company
Two hundred and fifty years ago, a ragtag band of revolutionaries looked across the Atlantic at the world’s most powerful empire — Great Britain — and said, “Aye, we’ll take them on.” On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized two armed vessels to intercept British supply ships. From that bold act of defiance, the United States Navy was born.
What started as a few ships fueled by guts and grit has become a 250-year maritime juggernaut — a global force that projects freedom, commands the seas, and continues to forge Sailors who embody courage, resilience, and caffeine addiction in equal measure.
At Old Salt Coffee, we’re proud to celebrate this milestone the only way we know how — with a fresh brew, a salty joke, and a deep respect for the Shipmates who’ve stood and stand the watch since 1775.
From Rum Rations to Roasted-On Dates
Back in the 18th century, Sailors were issued rum to survive, hardtack to chew through, and maybe some coffee so strong it could probably remove rust from a gun barrel. They braved freezing gales, cramped hammocks, and rationed everything but attitude. Yet somehow, between storms and skirmishes, those early Shipmates found time to brew something black and bitter enough to keep their courage steady.
Fast forward to today — we’ve come a long way. The coffee’s better, the ships are faster, and while the language hasn’t exactly cleaned up, at least the mugs have. At Old Salt Coffee, we roast to order because 250 years of sea power deserves coffee that’s every bit as bold as the Sailors who drink it.
Our coffee doesn’t sit on shelves for months — it’s roasted fresh, packed with purpose, and shipped straight to your galley. No additives, no nonsense, no weak brew. Just premium coffee, roasted on American soil, for those who know what it means to serve, stand watch, and still make quarters inspection on time.
(Learn more about how the U.S. Navy’s founding fueled a maritime revolution at Naval History & Heritage Command.)
250 Years of Sea Stories and Shenanigans
Let’s face it — history books cover battles, but they skip the good parts. The unforgettable chaos. The “you won’t believe this” stories that only Sailors tell over a cup of coffee that’s gone cold because the story’s too good to stop.
Like the time someone swore duct tape could fix a radar or a high pressure pipe. (It didn’t — but the Chief made it work anyway.) Or that night in rough seas when "secure for sea" became real and you learned the true mean of a "hurricane strap" on your rack. . Or the liberty port where you promised to be “responsible” and somehow ended up in a parade on Magsaysay Drive.
Every Shipmate has one — a tale that starts with “So there I was…” and ends with laughter, bruises, or a very strong headache on duty. These stories are the heartbeat of the Navy — reminders that behind every battle star and campaign ribbon are human moments of grit, humor, and absolute madness.
Now, we want to hear your story.
👉 Share your Sea Story — the funnier, saltier, or more unbelievable, the better — at
📸 oldsaltcoffee.com/pages/sea-story-submissions.
Upload a photo if you’ve got one — on watch, on liberty, in the storm, or just your favorite mug shot (the caffeine kind). We would love to hear them. Because at Old Salt Coffee, the greatest tales ever told were told by Sailors with a cup in hand.
(Need inspiration? Check out the U.S. Navy’s 250th Birthday Celebration Page and see how the Fleet’s legacy is being honored across the nation.)
A Toast (and a Roast) to the Sailors Who Came Before
So hoist your mug to the Shipmates who came before — the ones who crossed the Line, kissed the baby, and somehow lived to tell the tale. To the Chiefs who could fix a ship with bailing wire and bad language. To the Deckplate Leaders who never let their watch section fall asleep — mostly because they brewed coffee strong enough to keep the dead awake.
To every Sailor who’s stood the midwatch in the dark, steadying themselves with one hand on the bulkhead and the other on their mug — this cup’s for you. You carried the torch of service through wars, storms, and watch rotations that defied logic and sleep.
You proved that courage doesn’t always wear medals, and that humor — even the gallows kind — is what keeps the Fleet afloat. And as one old saying reminds us, “Eternal vigilance is the price of safety.” Few have lived that truth more completely than the Sailors of the United States Navy — the men and women who’ve stood the watch, night after night, century after century, so the rest of us could sleep soundly.
So here’s to you as we celebrate 250 years of the US Navy — and to every Shipmate who knows that Liberty (the one with a capital "L"), like a good cup of coffee, is never free… but always worth the grind.
You are the reason the Navy endures — 250 years of salt, steel, and sacrifice.
Here’s to the Next 250 Years
From John Paul Jones growling, “I have not yet begun to fight,” to modern-day Sailors charting new frontiers under the sea and beyond the horizon, the legacy lives on. The ships may have changed — from wooden decks to nuclear reactors, from sextants to satellites — but the soul of the Navy remains the same: courage, camaraderie, and coffee.
At Old Salt Coffee, we’re honored to keep that spirit brewing — coffee roasted fresh for the Fleet, inspired by 250 years of sea stories, heroism, and pure maritime mischief.
So on October 13, 2025, take a moment to remember where it all began. Raise your mug — no, hoist your mug — to the United States Navy and every Sailor who’s ever stood the watch.
Fair Winds, Following Seas, and #DeathToDecaf.
Now go grab your coffee, swap a Sea Story, and join us in celebrating a Navy that’s still just getting started.
⚓ #HoistAMug #Navy250 #SeaStories #MaritimeHeritage #ShipmateStrong #OldSaltCoffee