The Georgia Naval Militia (GNM) is the legally-authorized but currently inactive

naval militia A naval militia is a reserve military organization administered under the authority of a state government in the United States. It is often composed of reservists of the Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve, retirees an ...

of the U.S. state of Georgia. The Georgia Naval Militia, along with the

Georgia National Guard The Georgia National Guard is the National Guard of the U.S. state of Georgia, and consists of the Georgia Army National Guard and the Georgia Air National Guard. (The Georgia State Defense Force is the third military unit of the Georgia Depa ...

and the

Georgia State Defense Force The Georgia State Defense Force (GSDF, GASDF) is a professionally trained, volunteer component of the Georgia Department of Defense, serving in support of the national and state constitutions under direction of the governor and the adjutant genera ...

, is a component of the organized militia of Georgia.

History

The predecessor to the Georgia Naval Militia, the Georgia State Navy, was originally created by the colony of Georgia in July 1775 in order to protect shipping interests in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

. The navy consisted of four galleys, whose funding was provided by the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

. The General Assembly created the Georgia Naval Militia on December 19, 1893. By the next year, Companies A and B of the Naval Reserve Artillery were organized in Brunswick and Savannah, Georgia, respectively. The naval militia trained with the federal navy on various ships, including

USS Amphitrite USS ''Amphitrite'' has been the name of more than one United States Navy ship, and may refer to: * , a monitor in commission in 1865 and from 1866 to 1872, renamed USS ''Amphitrite'' in 1869 * , a monitor in commission from 1895 to 1901, from 1902 ...

and USS Prairie. The federal government gave the USS Passaic to the Georgia Naval Militia, delivering it on July 30, 1896; it remained available for the Georgia Naval Militia for the next two years. The Georgia Naval Militia was mustered out of service in November 1911.

Legal status

Naval militias of U.S. states are recognized by the federal government of the United States under . Georgia law also recognizes the naval militia as a component of the organized militia. Therefore, an executive order by the

Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legisl ...

or an act of legislature would be legally sufficient to reactivate the Georgia Naval Militia.

References

{{State Defense Forces State defense forces of the United States

Naval Militia A naval militia is a reserve military organization administered under the authority of a state government in the United States. It is often composed of reservists of the Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve, retirees an ...

History

Legal status

See also

References