The US Navy’s 251st birthday celebrations took an unexpected turn after several American politicians and public officials shared photographs of Indian and Russian warships while paying tribute to the US naval force. The posts, intended as patriotic birthday greetings, drew criticism and mockery on social media after the vessels were identified as belonging to foreign navies.
Founded in 1775, the US Navy marked its 251st anniversary on October 13, 2026. Several Republican lawmakers and public figures posted tributes on X, celebrating the service and sacrifice of American sailors. However, some accompanying images featured warships that were not part of the US fleet.
Indian Navy Frigates Featured in Birthday Greetings
Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp shared a photograph of three warships sailing in formation alongside a message honouring the US Navy. The image was subsequently identified as showing Indian Navy frigates INS Godavari, INS Brahmaputra and INS Beas.
Journalist Dave Brown of The Wall Street Journal highlighted the mistake on X. The photograph reportedly dates to 2008, when Indian and American naval forces participated in a joint exercise.
A Community Note on Kemp’s post identified the vessels as Kolkata-class guided-missile destroyers, but that identification appeared to be incorrect. US Congressman Tim Moore of North Carolina also shared the same photograph in his birthday tribute.
The Republican-aligned Freedom Caucus Foundation used an image of another Indian Navy vessel, INS Trikand, in its message marking the occasion.
Russian Warships Also Mistaken for American Vessels
The confusion extended beyond Indian naval vessels. Ohio State Representative Mike Dovilla, a Republican and former US Navy lieutenant commander, shared an image that Brown identified as showing Russian warships.
Jeffrey J. Dinise, a US Border Patrol official, used a photograph of a Russian Kirov-class battlecruiser. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, whose city hosts a major US naval presence, shared an image of the Soviet-era cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov, now preserved as a museum ship in Novorossiysk, Russia.
The repeated errors prompted questions about whether those responsible for the posts had verified the images before publishing them.
Social Media Turns the Mistakes Into a Meme
The posts attracted ridicule on X, with users joking about foreign warships being presented as American and questioning the lack of attention to detail.
Some commenters pointed out the irony of celebrating the US Navy with vessels operated by other countries. Others suggested that more suitable photographs of American warships were readily available.
The episode turned an occasion intended to honour American naval strength into an online discussion about image verification and social media management. It also highlighted how photographs from joint exercises and international naval archives can be misidentified when shared without checking their origins.
The takeaway was straightforward: even a patriotic birthday post can invite embarrassment when the ships in the photograph belong to someone else.
For official information about the US Navy, visit the US Navy website.
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