You're correct. Not only did the Navy maintain the Garand for use much longer than most of the other services, many Navy team match competitors still used the Garand long after the other services had settled down with the National Match M14 rifle, even though most of their troops were using the M16A1. Only in the last decade or two has the improved M16A2 version- within a pound of a Garand's weight- been developed to the point that the use of one in match competition at 600 yards isn't considered a handicap.
Conversion packages to permit the M1 to utilize the same 7,62 NATO ammunition of the M14 and M60 machinegun were developed at the Navy's small arms shop at Crane, Indiana, also where the Navy match rifles were built and maintained. I worked there as a civilian armourer through the 1970s and '80s, and some Garands meant for honor guards and drill teams were also converted to use the 7,62mm blank ammunition somewhat more available than the Garand's .30 caliber M1906 blank cartridge.
The Garand is also a little better balanced for a really sharp execution of the manual of arms than the M14, also the reason for it's continued use by the USMC Silent Drill Team. It's also possible to get one's fingers caught in the open magazine well of an unloaded and magazine-less M14, so the Garand remains a good practical choice for that purpose too, as well as recalling memories to those who depended upon it for much more serious purposes.
There are other rifles better in some ways than the M1 Garand, others lighter, or more accurate. But the blend of attributes it offers remains a standard hard to beat, and it's a comforting tool to have around, as useful today in the hands of one who's familiar and practiced with it as they were when first fielded nearly 60 years ago.
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