Take a virtual tour of the Naval Academy
See lesser known sites as it celebrates 175 years
TheNaval Academy celebrated its 175th anniversary this month.
Therewere no public celebrations, just another example of howthe coronavirus has changed the academy’s 175th year.
The academywas founded under Secretary of theNavy George Bancroft on Oct. 10, 1845 without public funding, according to theNaval Academywebsite. TheNaval School, as itwas known then, was founded on whatwas thenFort Severn.
No structures remain from the originalNaval School, renamed theUnited StatesNaval Academy in 1850, said museum director Cmdr. Claude Berube. At the time, Fort Severnwas only 10 acres. Over the years, the institution acquired hundreds of acres to become theNaval Academy as it is seen today.
Buildings had started to fall apart by the 1880s, Berube said, but itwas also a “new era for theNavy” where it decided to reinvest and have a proper naval academy.
“Thiswas the newNavy,” Berube said. “This is whenwe start modernizing. This is when theUnited States Navy, under President Roosevelt and others, really build a first-classNavy that becomes aworld power. So the Naval Academy structure at the time really reflects the nation’s and the policymakers investments in a new Navy.”
These are the spots that people might walk by without recognizing their importance, he said.
“I think it’s important to say that there isn’t a place that isn’t important at the academy,” Berube said. “Every place[….] has a special meaning in terms of the history of theNavy, or to the
Naval Academy, or to the midshipmen who have gone through there, the staff, the faculty who haveworked there.”
Once the academy lets visitors back on the campus— whenCOVID-19 is not a concern— people can find the Confiance cannon in front ofMacdonough Hall. Itwas aboard theHMSConfiance during theWar of 1812.
Capt. George Downie and members of the British RoyalNavy engaged American sailors led by Capt. Thomas Macdonough on Lake Champlain.
Downie stood by a cannon on his ship, when itwas hit by a cannonball. The force of the cannonball striking the cannon’s muzzle pushed the cannon back, crushing Downie. The cannon, nowat the academy, still has a dent in it.
The Oregon gun is hidden right behind Gate One, behind the deputy commandant’s residence. People really have to look for it, Berube said.
The Oregonwas one of two guns on theUSS Princeton. The shipwas sailed toMount Vernon in 1844, under the command of Capt. Robert Fields Stockton, to salute the memory of President Georg eWashington.
Therewere about 400 guests on
board, including President John Tyler, the secretary of theNavy and the secretary of State.
The secretary ordered the gun to be fired, and when itwas, it exploded, killing the secretary of theNavy, the secretary of state and several other passengers. Tyler was not killed because hewas delayed belowdeck by someone asking a question.
“So hewas saved really by serendipity,” Berube said.
Gate 3 and the gatehouse are some of the oldest structures at theNaval Academy.
Butmovie buffs probably knowGate 3 better from“Patriot Games” withHarrison Ford. The gate is the scene where Ford’s Jack Ryan is attacked.
Ford came to the academy to prepare for the role, in which he plays a history professor. A picture of Ford as Ryan still hangs in the history department, Berube said.
As with mostHollywood movies, “Patriot Games” got a couple things wrong, including that Ryanwalks out of Bancroft Hall, which is the dormitory building, and not one where classes are held.
Cemetery
The cemetery is theNaval Academy’s hallowed grounds. It is known for famous and non-famousNaval officers.
One of those is Cmdr. William Cushing, whowas kicked out of theNaval Academy before the CivilWar. Hewas reinstated after pleading his case andwent on to lead small campaigns before ultimately being put in charge of the mission against the
CSS Albemarle.
He led a successful offense to sink the ship, whichwas considered to be a suicide mission.
There is also the Jeannette expedition, a largely fatal attempt to explore theNorth Pole. TheUSS Jeannettewas trapped by ice, and the memorial to the men who died also looks like it is frozen in ice.
“I think the cemetery is so important because it represents the beginning and the end of the lives of midshipmen and their continued legacy,” Berube said.
Mahan Auditorium trophy flags
TheNaval Academy is responsible for 600 flags fromseveral military events, such as theWar of 1812 and the Spanish-AmericanWar.
President James Polk ordered the flags to be sent to theNaval School in1849. They were brought to the academy where they were preserved by Amelia Fowler and 40 other seamstresses.
However, three years ago, theNaval Academy removed many of the flags for
preservation, but some still fly, including the “Don’t GiveUp the Ship” flag, which hangs on the first deck of the museum.
The TripoliMonument is one of the oldestwar memorials in theUnited States, although it is not the memorial that has been at the academy the longest. It can be found behind PrebleHall.
“But I think people tend to miss that because it’s between a couple of buildings, so it’s not necessarily on one of the tours,” Berube said.
It honors those who died in the Tripoli Wars from1801 to 1805.
Itwas taken by theUSSConstitution, the sister ship to theUSSConstellation— which is in the BaltimoreHarbor— to the Navy Yard, where it remained for a couple decades. Then itwent to the Capitol.
In the 1860s, it came to the academy.
The academy is currently in the process of restoring the monument. Its marble has greyed as a result of contaminants in the air.
The memorial plaques can be found in the nave of the chapel at the academy. They honor midshipmen, ensigns and sailors who have died.
Among the plaques is one dedicated to the first sailor to die in the secondWorld War.
Going up the stairwell, there are plaques dedicated to faculty members.
“These are the far younger individuals who serve their country and sacrificed for it,” Berube said. “And I think it’s important to recognize them by at least checking their flags out, and what I’m doing right now withmy students inmy naval history class, they’re writing articles about the losses of
some of these individuals. So they’re going back into original records to really recreate the story so thatwe can better those stories.”
Mahan ClockTower
TheMahan Clock Tower is not publicly accessible, even when the academy is open to the public.
It has an amazing view of theNaval Academy, Berube said. There are some times when midshipmen are able to get up to the top.
Berube suggests they take advantage of the views when they can.
Mexican-AmericanWar Memorial
TheMexican-AmericanWarMemorial is the memorial that has been at the academy the longest amount of time. It is located betweenMahan and Bancroft halls.
It recognizes four midshipmen who died in the conflict. Twowere already in the fleet, twowere going to attend the academy before their deaths.
The money for the memorialwas raised by midshipmen.
For those looking for more history, the museum releases podcast PrebleHall. There will be episodes about the academy’s anniversary.
When visitors can return to the academy, Berube suggests history buffs check out theNaval AcademyMuseum. There is a 175th anniversary exhibit that will take up two decks. It will focus on academy life.