United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD

The institution was founded as the Naval School by Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft. The campus was established at Annapolis on the grounds of the former U.S. Army post Fort Severn. The school opened on October 10, 1845 with 50 Midshipmen students and seven professors.

The Naval Academy Chapel’s is often referred to as the Cathedral of the Navy, its cornerstone was laid in 1904 by Admiral George Dewey and the dedication of the Chapel was on May 28, 1908.

The Chapel is the foundation of spirituality, self-discipline and selflessness which are the cornerstones in preparing young men and women for leadership and service.
To achieve the Midshipman’s destined role, this commitment to God and Country is accepted unreservedly.

The stain-glassed window above the Altar - "JESUS walking on the water commanding, "Peace. Be still!". And above this window is inscribed: Eternal Father, Strong to Save.

The stain glass in the Right Transept of the Cathedral: Michael, the Archangel.

When a human being descends into the world of separation, an Archangel of the Thrones accompanies him as his Guardian Archangel.

'Draw strength from the Lord and from His mighty power' (Ephesians 6:10)

In 1940 the Chapel underwent remodeling which doubled the seating capacity to 2,500, to accommodate a larger brigade of midshipmen. Until 1972, chapel attendance was compulsory. After remodeling, the chapel formed a large cross. Beneath the main chapel is the crypt of John Paul Jones

Preble Hall houses the Academy museum

James Lovell, (Class of 1952) became a test pilot and selected for the manned space program. Lovell was on the record-breaking 14-day flight of Gemini 7.

John Paul Jones is famous in the United States as the 'Father of the American Navy'. He was born in poverty and through his skills became a distinguished naval officer fighting for both the USA and Russia.

In 1781 Congress passed a vote of thanks to him for the way he had sustained the honour of the American fleet and in 1787 awarded him a gold medal. He was to be given command of the 'America' which was still under construction and was to be the largest ship in the American navy but eventually this was denied him and he spent the remaining years of the war advising on the establishment of the navy and the training of naval officers.

The Ship Model collection, bequeathed to the Naval Academy in 1935 by Colonel Henry Huddleston Rogers, is one of the most valuable of its type in the world.

The models represent almost every rate and type of warship built between the mid-1600s and the 1840s, from a huge "first rate" ship-of-the-line carrying 100 guns to a "sixth rate" vessel of only twenty guns. In addition to the larger models, the main gallery displays a royal yacht, an admiral's barge, and several ships' boats. Completed models may have open-framed or solid hulls. They can be either fully rigged or unrigged.

The foremast of the USS Maine is near the Chapel at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

The USS MAINE was one of the first United States battleships to be constructed. The vessel's destruction in the Cuba Harbor of Havana was a catalyst in bringing war between the United States and Spain. The loss of the ship was tremendous shock to the United States since it represented virtually the state of the art of naval shipbuilding in the United States, only recently eclipsed by newer vessels. "Remember the Maine" became the battle cry of the United States Military Forces in 1898.

After the disaster, U.S. newspapers were quick to place responsibility for the loss on Spain. In spite of the newspaper propaganda, an official court of inquiry was held by the U.S. Navy to determine the cause of the blasts. The Navy concluded that the ship was sunk by a mine which ignited the forward magazines, but stated that it could not fix responsibility upon any person or persons, including the government or military forces of Spain. Regardless of the reality of the situation, the loss of the USS MAINE had turned American popular opinion strongly in favor of war with Spain.

The mainmast of the USS Maine is in Arlington National Cemetery, just outside of Washington DC

Alumni Hall is capable of holding the entire Brigade of Midshipmen and used for basketball, various sporting events, and concerts

  

 

The Nimitz library also houses the department s for Language Studies and Political Science

The campus is located on the banks of the Severn River as seen in the background

Rickover Hall is the Engineering Complex housing the departments of Mechanical Engineering, Naval Ocean Engineering, Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering

Michelson Hall houses the departments of Computer Science and Chemistry.

The Hall was named for Albert A. Michelson, whose experiments on the measurement of the speed of light were initiated while he was a military instructor at the U. S. Naval Academy. As a result of his work, Michelson was award the first Nobel Laureate in science from the United States.

Mahan Hall contains a theater along with the old library, which has now been converted into a lounge and meeting room. This building along with Sampson and Maury Halls were the major classroom center during the 1960’s.

Architecturally, these building reflected the elegance and craftsmanship not seen in our modern designs or workmanship

Rick Bayer (Class of 68) standing on Stribling Walk in front of Chauvenet Hall

(more about him later)

Bancroft Hall, the Midshipmen's quarters and the world's largest dormitory

Lynne and Donna in front of Bancroft Hall, I’m not even going to guess what they are thinking and saying….

Grand staircase leads up to Memorial Hall, one of the most sacred places in the Yard

Bancroft rotunda dome reminds me of stars on a clear night

A model of a Midshipman’s room where long hours of study remain a mainstay of midshipman life, room inspection is a constant part of a midshipman's life. Each room is equipped with a computer

Rick’s classmate, Robert S. Owendoff (Class 68) designed this self-orienting sundial that indicates both time and direction

This statue of the 19^th century Indian chief Tecumseh was formerly a warship's figurehead. It is a good-luck "mascot" for the midshipmen, who throw pennies at it whenever they want a 'favor', such as a sports win over West Point, or spiritual help for examinations.

Plebes are not allowed to use any of the curved (shortcut) sidewalks along Stribling Walk. They must take the longer routes so they can square their corners properly…

The Herndon Monument climb marks the culmination of Plebe year and promotion from the status of lowly Plebe to Youngster. The firing of cannons signals the race to climb the 21-foot obelisk which has been coated with 200 pounds of lard. It requires teamwork and perseverance for the Plebes to raise one of their classmates to the top of the monument to retrieve a Plebe "Dixie cup" hat and replace it with an upperclassman's hat. The first recorded time was 3 minutes in 1962. The fastest time was 1 minute and 30 seconds in 1969. The longest time to date was the 3 hours, 1 minute, and 23 seconds recorded in 1985.

Halsey Hall

Lejeune Hall and Natatorium

Japanese Bell. This was brought back to the United States by Commodore Matthew Perry following his famous mission to Japan in 1851. The bell is placed in front of Bancroft Hall and rung whenever the Navy football team beats Army (West Point).

Rick Bayer in his senior year in 1968 playing defensive backfield defeated Army on December 2, 1967 by the score of Navy 19 – Army 14, for that victory celebration Rick got to ring the bell.

In the years of 1966 and 1967, he lead his team with 5 interceptions each year, Rick was selected on the All-Navy team at his position as defensive back, and will be recognized at the Temple game on October 31, 2009.

Lynne, Rick and Donna

The three Musketeers’, behind those smiles, they have over 100 years of high school friendships and Naval Academy history.

As youngsters, the Academy was their playground; teacher and future, through their eyes, a walk with them through the past offered more evidence of what nice human beings they have become….

“Much of life seems to be full of hurry and bustle. How much, we wonder, of what we do matters?

Yet life does matter, it taught us our life is a sum of the kindness and friendship, love and caring, honor and courage. We have been given the example and the way; we can each do our part. And that is a legacy that matters.”