18 rumors about the US Navy, examined

The U.S. Navy has made numerous news headlines under President Donald Trump's second administration, ranging from reports about allegedly "dismal" meals for service members to mental health crises among them.

Snopes has investigated rumors about the Navy long before Trump's second term, including a claim that the crew of America's oldest commissioned naval warship drank more than 250,000 gallons of liquor during a months-long voyage in 1798.

Here are 18 rumors about the Navy that we've fact-checked. (For further reading, Snopes put together a collection of rumors about the USS Abraham Lincoln, specifically.

Trump bought Boeing stock on same day Navy gave company $880M contract. Here's proof

Aug. 27, 2026 Trump's financial disclosures indicate that he has traded millions of dollars worth of shares th ...

This image is a Facebook screenshot showing user Joe Kleinschmidt posting on Aug. 15, 2026, in his Anti-QAnon Memes group with the label "Group expert in Coffee Beans & Roasting," with the post showing an image graphic displaying an illustration of a large aircraft carrier-looking ship with masts and sails, with a "Live" graphic at the top left, as well as a chyron with red or white backgrounds and white or black text reading, "Breaking News," "Trump Demands All Navy Ships Equipped With Sails" and "Cannons Also Being Considered," as well as the time 11:45.

Did Trump demand sails on US Navy ships and consider adding cannons? Here's the truth

Aug. 20, 2026 The claim spread after Trump ordered the Navy to revert back to using a steam catapult system fo ...

Don't fall for claim Trump said 'only suckers and losers would enlist' in US Navy and then complain

Aug. 17, 2026 A purported screenshot on social media was little more than a fabricated reprise of a popular Tr ...

A large Naval aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, in the ocean with numerous Navy personnel on board.

Investigating claim USS Abraham Lincoln sailors are trying to jump overboard

Aug. 14, 2026 The aircraft carrier has spent nine months at sea amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Side-by-side images of U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a white man with grey hair and a short beard in a suit, and a black-and-white photograph of men carrying a person on a stretcher from a helicopter.

Thomas Massie didn't 'confirm' Israel dropped napalm on USS Liberty. The truth was exposed decades ago

June 17, 2026 Both the United States and Israel determined the attack was an accident. Survivors and prominent ...

A split-screen image shows two mostly-empty lunch trays containing meals reportedly served to sailors on USS Tripoli and USS Abraham Lincoln in the spring of 2026.

Inspecting photos allegedly showing 'dismal' meals on US military ships in Middle East

April 20, 2026 The Pentagon and U.S. Navy said reports of shortages on board U.S. warships were false.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, a U.S. Navy ship, in the water.

Don't fall for claim US Navy officer refused Trump's order to strike Iran

April 10, 2026 Facebook posts claimed Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta "issued a formal legal rebuttal" to Trump befor ...

Image shows injured man in black shirt and pants in a wheelchair surrounded by other people

Investigating claims US sank unarmed Iranian ship and refused to rescue survivors

March 6, 2026 The IRIS Dena was headed back to Iran from Visakhapatnam, India, where it participated in a mult ...

The facts behind claims a Norwegian fuel supplier stopped servicing US Navy ships

March 4, 2025 Haltbakk Bunkers, a Norwegian oil and shipping company, said it would no longer supply American ...

Did Navies Issue Passports to Cats?

Oct. 12, 2023 Feline mariners around the globe have a long and illustrious history.

Aerial view of Evergreen Ever Given ship stuck in Suez Canal

Did US Navy SEALs Rescue Trafficked Children from Ever Given Ship?

April 3, 2021 A website with a history of publishing dubious content advanced a conspiracy theory about the fo ...

Did the US Navy Launch Pickup Trucks Into the Water?

Feb. 13, 2019 A viral video documents a genuine test conducted by the Navy, but it may not be the best example ...

Are Navy SEALs No Longer Allowed to Wear 'Blackface'?

Feb. 13, 2019 Wearing blackface to imitate a black person is not the same as darkening your face for a covert ...

Unpacking claim USS Doris Miller will be renamed after Trump instead of Black WWII hero

Aug. 21, 2026 A CNN report described the Trump administration's intentions to retitle a Navy vessel previously ...

Three Sheets to the Wind: The Rum-Soaked Voyage of the USS Constitution

March 23, 2017 Naval lore has it that the crew of the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") consumed more than 250 ...

18 rumors about the US Navy, examined

From claims about cats aboard vessels to stories about military actions, a variety of Navy-related rumors have needed fact-checking over the years.

Rae Deng

Published Aug. 30, 2026