Etymology So called because the United States Navy has served the beans as a staple to its sailors since the mid-1800s.
1
A white bean of a variety of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).
Beans—Very scarce Navy Beans 112 a 115c.1851 May 10, “The Markets”, in North Carolina Standard, volume 1, no. 53, Raleigh, N.C., archived from the original on 25 Sep 2016, page 3:
Janie […] baked big pans of navy beans with plenty of sugar and hunks of bacon laying on top.1937, Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Amistad, published 2013, page 132: