Keeping Lake Erie boaters safe since 1896
CAMP PERRY – Despite a mostly quiet and inconspicuous location, the Camp Perry Joint Training Center in Lake Erie’s backyard is one of the most prolific military artillery training grounds in the country.
One of the many moving parts that allow those taking advantage of the Camp Perry facilities to keep running smoothly are those serving with the Ohio Naval Militia.
Protecting the boating public is the primary mission of the Ohio Naval Militia, according to recruiter Eric Bergsman, along with being able to assist with natural disasters or emergencies at the command of the governor or adjutant general.
But first and foremost, their sights are set within southwestern Lake Erie.
“It’s a very vulnerable part of Lake Erie to errant rounds (from the Camp Perry training grounds),” Bergsman said. “So we make sure the boating public stays out of that area when the ranges are hot.”
He explained that the naval militia patrols a 19-square-mile area of Lake Erie adjacent to the Camp Perry Joint Training Center, just west of Port Clinton, and ensures no vessels on the water enter any part of the impact area of the military’s live weaponry exercises.
The Ohio Naval Militia is also headquartered at Camp Perry.
Ohio’s Defense Forces
The mission supports both the state of Ohio and the U.S. Department of Defense, whose armed service personnel utilize Camp Perry facilities, grounds and other resources to conduct weapons qualification training and other exercises.
Thanks to the Ohio Naval Militia’s ongoing patrols, the various military branches are able to take advantage of Camp Perry’s ranges without interruption to have personnel qualified prior to deployment.
Though it is not a federal branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Ohio Naval Militia is considered part of the state of Ohio’s Defense Forces.
“It’s a very rewarding way to give back and serve the community,” Bergsman said.
The naval militia itself also conducts continuous training in boat operations on and off the water. Its members have the opportunity to become “coxswains,” or boat operators, and qualify as boat crew.
Its member sailors receive basic military training and boating education, such as navigation, radio communications, boat handling, maintenance, safety and boating support functions.
Bergsman described it as a great opportunity to give back and serve Ohio for those who may not have had the opportunity to serve in the military at the federal
level.
Militia has been serving since 1896
But, he added that the Ohio Naval Militia has a diverse group of members, which includes both former military veterans and those whose first military experience came from training with the militia.
“The Ohio Naval Militia, a unit of the state of Ohio’s Defense Forces, has been serving our state and the country since 1896,” Bergsman said.
The history of the Ohio Naval Militia dates to March 1, 1896, when state legislators passed a bill calling for the organization of two battalions of what would at the time be called the Naval Brigade of the National Guard of Ohio.
Though the unit still lacked funding for either maintenance or outfitting, it was able to organize the two battalions in Toledo and Cleveland, respectively.
The first training was held on Johnson’s Island in Sandusky Bay in the summer of 1897. It later purchased and refitted an old revenue cutter vessel, the Andrew Johnson. The U.S. Navy also assigned the USS Michigan to train those and other naval militias from throughout the Great Lakes.
Within two years of its formation, the United States declared war on Spain in 1898 as then-u.s. President William Mckinley sought to expel Spanish forces from Cuba. Mckinley authorized all land, naval and militia forces join the war effort.
Fought in Spanish-american War
That same year, all naval forces in Ohio combined to form what would from then on be referred to as the Ohio Naval Militia. They eventually fought in the Spanish-american War along side the 10th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
In late April of 1917, the Ohio Naval Militia’s company aboard the USS Dorothea stationed in Cleveland was deployed to fight abroad, becoming the first members of the Ohio National Guard to be activated during World War I.
Following World War II, the unit was deactivated and remained inactive for the next three decades.
It was not until 1974 that former Ohio Lt. Gov. John Brown decided to begin efforts to reactivate the Ohio Naval Militia. With Brown serving as as the first commandant, the move was officially finalized by November 1977.
The unit has since been stationed at Camp Perry, where it has an operations center, workshop, offices, training facilities and barracks.
Those interested in joining or learning more about the Ohio Naval Militia can call 614-654-4424 or email joinohionavay@ohnav.us for additional information. All those between the ages of 17 and 70 are potentially eligible to join. jstinchcom@gannett.com 567-207-8732
Twitter: @JONDBN