# What is the relationship of the Marines to the Navy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-relationship-of-the-marines-to-the-navy/326928 "2005-10-19T16:30:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Pan4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@Pan4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pan4Life)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-relationship-of-the-marines-to-the-navy/326928/61 "2005-10-23T04:44:36Z")
> [@Terminus Est](#): > > If the Marine Corps were part of the Navy, that means your ordinary leatherneck could potentially rise in the ranks to command a ship. Would that ever happen? Nice point…as a once and by our own creedo Marine for life (Once a Marine, always a Marine) ranks right along side of Semper Fidelis to any Leatherneck, I must impose that despite any misgivings and onship jostlings I ever experienced…and yes a few Hollywood bar room fights…when push came to shove if you were not a Marine and ganged up on a Navy Sailor, but were not of his class (in the US Navy) either…God and heaven help you because to our li’l family fights you were definitely…not invited. Besides, that guy might be welcoming me on board for the next float I’m assigned to, and that means he knows the rounds. By the way… we are the Marine Corps, and the US Navy is the Navy…technicals aside, any enlisted man or officer in both, worth his salt, will tell you the same. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-relationship-of-the-marines-to-the-navy/326928/62 "2005-10-23T05:22:16Z")
It’s a good thing we no longer have a Department of War, otherwise we might find ourselves arguing whether that means that a peacetime army is impossible or some such. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-relationship-of-the-marines-to-the-navy/326928/63 "2005-10-23T16:30:37Z")
While there was a short period there when the Marine Corps band was required to play “Anchors Aweigh” prior to playing “The Marine Corps Hymn” at most events, nobody with a brain has ever thought that the jarheads were swabbies. Part of the Naval Service (as in Deptartment of), yes. Part of the Navy, no. This thread is a good example of the difference in the way people think about things, and how the logic process works (or doesn’t work). Cheffie, one of the few Navy/Marine hybrids (US Navy Seabee Chief, 1967 - 1990, Ret.) ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-relationship-of-the-marines-to-the-navy/326928/64 "2005-10-23T19:54:02Z")
Speaking as someone with no military experience, it seems pretty obvious after reading this thread that the Navy and Marines are intertwined but separate entities. Although the heads of both services both report to a civilian with the title Secretary of the Navy, no member of the Marines takes orders directly from any member of the Navy or vice-versa. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-relationship-of-the-marines-to-the-navy/326928/65 "2005-10-23T20:27:16Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > Although the heads of both services both report to a civilian with the title Secretary of the Navy, no member of the Marines takes orders directly from any member of the Navy or vice-versa. Since this is GQ, I’ll pipe up (heh) and say that, strictly speaking, this is not so. Any subordinate in any branch of service will take orders from someone senior to him/her under the right circumstances. Marines serving aboard ship answer to the ship’s captain. As a Navy person on a Marine base in Vietnam, my ultimate local authority was the General who ran the place. ---
**Author:** ![priapus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@priapus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priapus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-relationship-of-the-marines-to-the-navy/326928/66 "2005-10-23T20:31:32Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > The Navy and Marine Corps are perhaps best described as _symbiotic_ services. > > Both are hosted as creatures of the Department of the Navy. They have separate representation on the JCS. > > The Commandant of the Marine Corps does not report to any uniformed Naval Officer. > However, there has never been an O-11(five star) rank in the Marine Corps: no “Generals of the Marine Corps”. > > The Marines grew in their mission, but never separated from the Navy. Contrast this with the separation of the Air Force nee Army Air Forces from the Army. The Air Force has its’ own Department, and there has been one O-11 Air Force: H.H. Arnold, who was an Army O-11 before the AAF separated. > > So the Marine Corps is its’ own service, but it didn’t separate from the Navy as completely as the Air Force did from the Army. > > The Navy and Marine Corps share some critical infrastructure, and their missions are heavily linked. > > Marines were initially literally “ship’s soldiers”: they were basically infantry stationed on ships. As time went on, the MC grew in size, and took on larger ground missions, becoming a Navally-deployed, amphibious ground force. I thought that’s what I said ---
**Author:** ![priapus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@priapus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priapus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-relationship-of-the-marines-to-the-navy/326928/67 "2005-10-23T20:53:30Z")
I can only relate my own experiences (hopefully without all the" is to/is not").No need to get heated ,people. I served in the Marines in the 70’s.My duty stations were Naval Air Stations in Hawaii and South Weymouth,Mass.We were seperate entities.The only time I talked to the Navy guys was when I went over to their barracks to get a beer from their soda machine(woo-hoo).We all got along fine,separate but equal.We all had our mandates and missions.You see an officer,you salute.We are related under the Dept of the Navy ,but we took our direction from the Commandant of the US Marine Corps.You wanna nitpick go ahead 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-relationship-of-the-marines-to-the-navy/326928.md?page=3)