20 Jul - United States Naval Academy at Annapolis

 

What a beautiful day, so full of history.  Today we drove a short 20 minutes from the campground to Annapolis and the United States Naval Academy.  We have now seen all three service academies - Colorado Springs (Air Force), West Point (Army), and now Annapolis (Navy/Marines).

We contacted Annapolis and they are indeed open for business and are doing tours again.  The tours are a guided walking tour for a nominal fee for military retirees.  With our military ID cards we have base access but parking is a real challenge.  We arrived at Annapolis and made our way to the visitor center where there is parking behind, but it was full so we headed down Brownson Road and found a spot in a parking lot.  From there we walked west  back towards the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center where our tour started.   

The Seabee Monument

Some of the beautiful architecture here at the academy.

We arrived at the Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center and checked in for our tour.  The tours ran every 15 minutes and the group ahead of us was 15.  We waited our turn and we were the only ones, so we basically got a personalized tour of our own.   The lady that was our volunteer tour guide had two sons who graduated from Annapolis.

The US Naval School was founded in 1845 with 50 students taught by 4 officers and 3 civilian professors.  In 1850 it became the US Naval Academy.  The current curriculum of four year of academics followed by sea training in the summer was also adopted in 1850.  The focus was to develop midshipmen morality, mentality and physically into leaders of character for the Navy and Marines.  

Currently 25 academic majors are offered resulting in bachelor of science degrees for all graduates.  Those graduating are obligated to a five year service commitment.  Should they fail to complete the academy after two years they are obligated to repay $100,000 per year for each year not completed.

After a short introduction we headed outside and across the street and were introduced to "Bill" the goat statue.  Bill is the team mascot and wears a cape with starts on it that represent the number of times Navy has beat Army in football.  

We then headed up Porter Road which is also called "Officer's Road", where all the senior officers reside The residences are beautiful huge two-story duplexes.

Next stop was the Dahlgren Hall.  It is where social activities are held.  It was named in honor of Rear Admiral John Adolphus Dahlgren who was a noted scientist and a famous expert in naval ordinance.      

A Wright "B-1 Flier" hangs here

Our next stop was was a display of World War II Japanese naval ordinance.  The first device was a Japanese aerial torpedo type 91 from Okinawa.

Next was a Japanese type 93 torpedo  which was the largest of it's kind encountered in World War II.  

Nearby was the USS Midway Memorial, one of the largest battles in the south Pacific and one that turned the tide of the war.  I believe she said a like monument is located on the island of Midway.

At the same location was a memorial to the submariners.  

Then we saw Bancroft Hall.  This building is the largest dormitory in the United States.  The midshipmen eat here and billet here.  It is massive.

This bell is rang when Navy beats Army at football

This bell is rang when Navy beats any other team at any sport.

We entered Bancroft Hall and admired the facility.  To our left was the Commandant's office.  To the right was the main office and the sample midshipman's room.  They are fairly small and efficient with most rooms having three in the room.  

A sample living space for a midshipman.  Reminds me of basic training.

This is a wide angle picture.  There is not that much space in their rooms

Straight ahead was the memorial hall, used primarily in ceremonies

We had to leave Bancroft Hall quickly as the midshipmen we assembling for chow in Tecumseh Court.  That was quite a spectacle. We were very lucky to have our tour correspond with this noon meal formation  for the brigade of midshipmen.

After we left Bancroft Hall we stopped at Tecumseh Monument which was the figurehead of the USS Delaware in 1817 

The Herndon Monument was erected in memory of Captain William Lewis Herndon, who courageously decided to go down with his ship and the men left aboard rather than save himself on September 12, 1857. It is the site of the famous "plebes-no-more" ceremony, where the plebes (first-year students at the academy) all work together to climb the greased monument and replace a plebe "dixie cup hat" on top with a combination cover. This is the official end of the plebe year.

From there we crossed the street and visited the main chapel.  It has beautiful stain glass designed by Tiffany. 

Pew 51, class of 1951 reserved for the POW's so they would always have a place to sit.

 Down stairs is the crypt of John Paul Jones, the greatest Revolutionary War hero.  

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the US Naval Academy.  We could have spent a whole lot more time there.  

Tomorrow we visit Mount Vernon, home of George Washington.