In 1794 congress passed the Naval Act, and that’s when the first navy was created. There was six ships and their crews. One of the original six ships was 204 feet long as of a ship from today is 455 feet. A u.s. navy ship weighs 22,00 tons and a ship from 1794 weighs 2,200 tons. Both ships were used in the navy, and they had something coming off the ship, like a gun to protect the other ships.