United States Naval Academy

The academy's Latin motto is Ex Scientia Tridens, which means 'Through Knowledge, Sea Power'. It appears on a design devised by the lawyer, writer, editor, encyclopedist and naval academy graduate (1867), Park Benjamin, Jr. It was adopted by the Navy Department in 1898 due to the efforts of another graduate (also 1867) and collaborator, Jacob W. Miller. Benjamin states:[10]

The seal or coat-of-arms of the Naval Academy has for its crest a hand grasping a trident, below which is a shield bearing an ancient galley coming into action, bows on, and below that an open book, indicative of education, and finally bears the motto, Ex Scientia Tridens (From knowledge, sea power).

The trident, emblem of the Roman god Neptune, represents seapower.

The institution was founded as the Naval School on 10 October 1845 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 with 50 midshipman students and seven professors. The decision to establish an academy on land may have been in part a result of the Somers Affair, an alleged mutiny involving the Secretary of War's son that resulted in his execution at sea. Commodore Matthew Perry had a considerable interest in naval education, supporting an apprentice system to train new seamen, and helped establish the curriculum for the United States Naval Academy. He was also a vocal proponent of modernization of the navy.

Originally a course of study for five years was prescribed. Only the first and last were spent at the school with the other three being passed at sea. The present name was adopted when the school was reorganized in 1850 and placed under the supervision of the chief of the Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography. Under the immediate charge of the superintendent, the course of study was extended to seven years with the first two and the last two to be spent at the school and the intervening three years at sea. The four years of study were made consecutive in 1851 and practice cruises were substituted for the three consecutive years at sea. The first class of naval academy students graduated on 10 June 1854. They were considered as passed midshipmen until 1912, when graduates were first sworn in as officers.[11]

In 1850, Edward Seager joined the faculty as the first instructor of drawing, and he also served as the first fencing instructor. He held the position of teacher of the art of defence from 1851 to 1859.[12]

In 1860, the Tripoli Monument was moved to the academy grounds. Later that year in August, the model of the USS Somers experiment was resurrected when USS Constitution, then 60 years old, was recommissioned as a school ship for the fourth-class midshipmen after a conversion and refitting begun in 1857. She was anchored at the yard, and the plebes lived on board the ship to immediately introduce them to shipboard life and experiences.[13]

The American Civil War was disruptive to the Naval Academy. Southern sympathy ran high in Maryland. Although riots broke out, Maryland did not declare secession. The United States government was planning to move the school, when the sudden outbreak of hostilities forced a quick departure. Almost immediately the three upper classes were detached and ordered to sea, and the remaining elements of the academy were transported to Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island by the USS Constitution in April 1861, where the academy was set up in temporary facilities and opened in May.[14] The Annapolis campus, meanwhile, was turned into a United States Army Hospital.[15]

US Naval Academy waterfront in the late 1860s with the barrack/school ships USS Constitution and Santee tied up in the background. Other ships not identified.

The United States Navy was stressed by the situation – 24% of its officers resigned to join the Confederate States Navy, including 95 graduates and 59 midshipmen,[13] along with many key leaders who influenced USNA's founding. As the first superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory, Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury, who advocated[16] for creating the United States Naval Academy, also resigned his commission.

The first superintendent, Admiral Franklin Buchanan, joined the Confederate States Navy as its first and primary admiral. Captain Sidney Smith Lee, the second commandant of midshipmen,[17] and older brother of Robert E. Lee, left Federal service in 1861 for the Confederate States Navy. Lieutenant William Harwar Parker, CSN, class of 1848, and instructor at USNA, joined the Virginia State Navy, and then went on to become the superintendent of the Confederate States Naval Academy.

Lieutenant Charles "Savez" Read may have been "anchor man" (graduated last) in the class of 1860, but his later service to the Confederate States Navy included defending New Orleans, service on CSS Arkansas and CSS Florida, and command of a series of captured Union ships that culminated in seizing the US Revenue Cutter Caleb Cushing in Portland, Maine. Lieutenant James Iredell Waddell, CSN, a former instructor at the US Naval Academy, commanded the CSS Shenandoah.

The midshipmen and faculty returned to Annapolis in the summer of 1865, just after the war ended.

David Dixon Porter

Civil War hero Admiral David Dixon Porter became superintendent in 1865. He found the infrastructure at Annapolis a shambles, the result of ill military use during the War. Porter attempted to restore the facilities. He concentrated on recruiting naval officers as opposed to civilians, a change of philosophy. He recruited teachers Stephen B. Luce, future admirals Winfield Scott Schley, George Dewey, and William T. Sampson. The midshipman battalion consisted of four companies. These were bunked in a single wooden building containing 100 rooms, one company to a floor. They held dress parades every evening except Sunday. Students were termed "cadets", though sometimes "cadet midshipmen"; other appellations were used. Porter began organized athletics, usually intramural at the time.[18]

Antoine Joseph Corbesier, an immigrant from Belgium, was appointed to the position of Assistant Swordmaster in 1864, and then Swordmaster at USNA in October 1865. He coached Navy fencers in intercollegiate competition from 1896, when the Naval Academy joined the Intercollegiate Fencing Association, until 1914, when he retired. By special act of Congress, he was commissioned a 1st lieutenant in the Marine Corps on 4 March 1914. He died on 26 March 1915 and is buried on Hospital Point.

In 1867, indoor plumbing and water was supplied to the family quarters. In 1868, the figurehead[19] of Tamanend from USS Delaware (later nicknamed "Tecumseh") was erected in the yard. Class rings were first issued in 1869. Weekly dances were held. Wags called the school "Porter's Dancing Academy." President U.S. Grant distributed diplomas to the class of 1869.[18] Porter ensured continued room for expansion by overseeing the purchase of 113 acres (46 ha) across College Creek, later known as Hospital Point.

In 1871, color competition began, along with the selection of the color company and "color girl."[18]

In the 1870s, cuts in the military budget resulted in graduating much smaller classes. In 1872, 25 graduated. Eight of these made the Navy a career.[18] The third class physically hazed the fourth class so ruthlessly that Congress passed an anti-hazing law in 1874. Hazing continued in more stealthy forms.[18]

John H. Conyers of South Carolina was the first African-American admitted on 21 September 1872.[20] After his arrival, he was subject to severe, ongoing hazing, including verbal torment, and beatings. His classmates even attempted to drown him.[21] Three cadets were dismissed as a result, but the abuse, including shunning, continued in more subtle forms and Conyers finally resigned in October 1873.[22]

In 1875, Albert A. Michelson, class of 1873, returned to teach. He began his experiments with optics and the physics of light, which resulted in the first accurate measure of the speed of light.[23] [18]

In 1874, the curriculum was altered to study naval topics in the final two years at the academy. In 1878, the academy was awarded a gold medal for academics at the Universal Exposition in Paris.[18]

Many firsts for minorities occurred during this period. In 1877, Kiro Kunitomo, a Japanese citizen, graduated from the academy.[24][25] And then in 1879, Robert F. Lopez was the first Hispanic-American to graduate from the academy.

In the late 19th century, Congress required the academy to teach a formal course in hygiene, the only course required by Congress of any military academy. Tradition holds that a congressman was particularly disgusted by the appearance of a midshipman returned from cruise.

In 1890, Navy adopted the goat mascot after winning its first football game with Army.[11]

The graduating class of 1894

The Spanish–American War of 1898 greatly increased the academy's importance and the campus was almost wholly rebuilt and much enlarged between 1899 and 1906. The ground on which most of the academy sat was dredged from the surrounding bodies of water and consisted of silt. This was too fragile for the newer heavy stone buildings. Pilings were sunk from 100 feet (30 m) to 400 feet (120 m) deep. Some wooden with iron caps; modern ones of steel.[9] Today's campus dates from that era. In 1905, Isherwood Hall, containing the Department of Marine Engineering, was constructed.[26]

Prior to that era, about 43 men entered annually. There were 114 joining the class of 1905, 201 with the class of 1908.[27]

The academy built a modern hospital in 1907, the fourth in sequence, on what is today called "Hospital Point."[28]

In 1910, the academy established its own dairy farm. This was closed in 1998.[29]

On 23 August 1911, the Navy officers on flight duty at Hammondsport, New York, and Dayton, Ohio, were ordered to report for duty at the Engineering Experiment Station, Naval Academy, "in connection with the test of gasoline motors and other experimental work in the development of aviation, including instruction at the aviation school" being set up on Greenbury Point, Annapolis.[30] The "aerodrome" at Greenbury Point sat on 1000 square feet of land and consisted of a building with a rubber-reinforced roof containing three hangars (one for each of the newly purchased airplanes), a workshop, an office, and several bunk rooms. All three airplanes cost a total of $14,000. Over 100 officers applied for aviation duty prior to August 1911. Swimming was among a set of other qualifications that a pilot candidate must have passed before being accepted to aviation duty. Pilot qualifications were in accordance with Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) standards. In the presence of a committee of the Aero Club of America, a pilot candidate had to fly five figure eights around two flags buoyed 1500 feet apart then land within 150 feet of an established mark. This course had to be completed twice. The test also required the prospective aviator to climb to a minimum altitude of 150 ft (officially 50 meters). It was estimated by CAPT Washington Irving Chambers that a student could qualify as a new pilot in about a month, weather permitting. All students wore life preservers. The control wheel of the Curtiss machines featured a "shift control" where the controls could be "thrown" between the student and instructor at any time. The Wright machine was delivered to Greenbury by August 1911, but was not yet configured with water gear.[31] Navy flight training moved to NAS Pensacola, Florida, in January 1914.[32]

In 1912, Reina Mercedes, sunk at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba, was raised and used as the "brig" ship for the academy.[33]

By 1912, the midshipmen were organized into a brigade, its current structure.[34] The prior organization was named a regiment.[35]

In 1914, the Midshipmen Drum and Bugle corps was formed and by 1922 it went defunct. They were revived in 1926.[36]

The brigade and faculty tripled during WWI. The 3rd and 4th wings of Bancroft Hall were built.[11]

In 1918, the great flu pandemic of 1918 infected about half the brigade (1,000 out of 2,000 men); ten midshipmen died.[11]

With the advent of the automobile and improved roads, the academy became a tourist attraction.[11]

At the 1920 summer Olympics men's 8+ rowing competition in Brussels, the Naval Academy rowing men's 8+ (The Wonder Crew) won the gold medal. US collegiate boats won the gold medal in the 8+ competition at the next seven Olympics – a standing record as of 2019 for consecutive gold medal wins by any nation in a particular sport.

The Naval Academy football team played the University of Washington in the Rose Bowl tying 14–14. In 1925, the second-class ring dance was started. In 1925, the Midshipmen Drum and Bugle Corps was formally reestablished.[36] In 1926, "Navy Blue and Gold", composed by organist and choirmaster J. W. Crosley, was first sung in public. It became a tradition to sing this alma mater song at the end of student and alumni gatherings such as pep rallies and football games, and on graduation day. In 1926, Navy won the national collegiate football championship title. In the fall of 1929, the Secretary of the Navy gave his approval for graduates to compete for Rhodes Scholarships. Six graduates were selected for that honor that same year. The Association of American Universities accredited the Naval Academy curriculum on 30 October 1930.

In 1930, the class of 1891 presented a bronze replica of the figurehead of Tamanend to replace the deteriorating wooden figurehead that had been prominently displayed on campus.[18]

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law an act of Congress (Public Law 73–21, 48 Stat. 73) on 25 May 1933 providing for the Bachelor of Science degree for Naval, Military, and Coast Guard Academies. Four years later, Congress authorized the superintendent to award a Bachelor of Science degree to all living graduates. Reserve officer training was re-established in anticipation of World War II in 1941.

The U.S. Naval Academy was honored by the U.S. Post Office on a commemorative stamp, depicting two midshipmen in past (left) and present uniforms, with the Naval Academy seal at center, issued in 1937.[37]

In 1939, the first Yard patrol boat arrived. These were used to train midshipmen in ship handling.

In 1940, the academy stopped using Reina Mercedes as a brig for disciplining midshipmen, and restricted them to Bancroft Hall, instead.[33]

In April 1941, superintendent Rear Admiral Russell Willson refused to allow the school's lacrosse team to play a visiting team from Harvard University because the Harvard team included an African-American player. Harvard's athletic director ordered the player home and the game was played on 4 April, as scheduled, which Navy won 12–0.[38] Georgia Tech President and Colonel Dr. Blake R Van Leer would later be appointed by President Harry S. Truman to the Visitor Board and assist with its curriculum. Dr. Van Leer was already a member to The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization who had a focus to work against racism through influential statements on race starting with a declaration of anthropologists.[39][40]

In 1941, the 5th and 6th wings of Bancroft Hall were completed.[11] Landfill was made outboard of the hospital to create a sports field. Fill was made on the north side of the Severn to create an area for seaplanes.[41]

The academy and its support facilities became part of the Severn River Naval Command from 1941 to 1962.[42]

A total of 3,319 graduates were commissioned during World War II. Dr. Chris Lambertsen held the first closed-circuit oxygen SCUBA course in the United States for the Office of Strategic Services maritime unit at the academy on 17 May 1943.[43][44] In 1945, A Department of Aviation was established. That year a vice admiral, Aubrey W. Fitch, became superintendent. The naval academy celebrated its centennial. During the century of its existence, roughly 18,563 midshipmen had graduated, including the class of 1946.[29]

The academy was accredited in 1947 by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

On January 15, 1947, James L. Holloway became the 35th superintendent of the United States Naval Academy, succeeding Vice Admiral Aubrey W. Fitch.[45] At 48, Holloway was the youngest superintendent in fifty years, having been handpicked by Secretary of the Navy Forrestal to implement the academic changes suggested by the Holloway Board, which had recommended that the Naval Academy curriculum move away from rote recitation and continuous crams "to give a stronger emphasis to basic and general education, rendering more fundamental and less detailed instruction in strictly naval material and techniques."[46]

An accelerated course was given to midshipmen during the war years which affected classes entering during the war and graduating later. The students studied year around. This affected the class of 1948 most of all. For the only time, a class was divided by academic standing. 1948A graduated in June 1947; the remainder, called 1948B, a year later.[47]

From 1946 to 1961, N3N amphibious biplanes were used at the academy to introduce midshipmen to flying.[48]

On 3 June 1949, Wesley A. Brown, the sixth African-American to enter the academy,[21] became the first to graduate, followed several years later by Lawrence Chambers, who became the first African-American graduate to make flag rank.[49]

The 1950 Navy fencing team won the NCAA national championship.

The Navy eight-man rowing crew won the gold medal at 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. They were also named National Intercollegiate Champions.[50] In 1955, the tradition of greasing Herndon Monument for plebes to climb to exchange their plebe "dixie cup" covers (hats) for a midshipman's cover started.

In 1957, the moored training ship Reina Mercedes, ruined by a hurricane, was scrapped.[33]

The 1959 fencing team won the NCAA national championship, and became the first to do so by placing first in all three weapons (foil, épée, and saber). All 3 fencers were selected for the 1960 Olympics team, as was head coach Andre Deladrier. The Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, funded by donations, was dedicated 26 September 1959.

From 1959 to 1973, land was reclaimed from the Chesapeake Bay and Severn River, removal of Isherwood, Melville, and Griffin Halls, and by moving the stadium off-campus. This allowed room for expansion of Bancroft Hall, and the addition of Mitscher, Michelson, Chauvenet, Alumni, Rickover, and Hopper Halls, and the Nimitz Library. Encroached parade grounds and athletic fields were moved riverside onto the newly filled areas.[51]

Joe Bellino (Class of 1961) was awarded the Heisman Trophy on 22 June 1960. In 1961, the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference was started. The U.S. Department of the Interior designated the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy as a National Historic Landmark on 21 August 1961.

The 1962 fencing team won the NCAA national championship.

In 1963, Roger Staubach, Class of 1965, was awarded the Heisman Trophy.

In 1963, the academy changed from a marking system based on 4.0 to a letter grade. Midshipmen began referring to the statue of Tamanend as the "god of 2.0" instead of "the god of 2.5", the former failing mark.[52]

The academy started the Trident Scholar Program in 1963. From 3 to 16 juniors are selected for independent study during their final year.[53]

Professor Samuel Massie became the first African-American faculty member in 1966. On 4 June 1969, the first designated engineering degrees were granted to qualified graduates of the Class of 1969.[50] During the period 1968 to 1972, the academy moved beyond engineering to include more than 20 majors. From 1845 to 1968, midshipmen studied identical courses, with the exception of a choice of foreign language. In 1970, the "James Forrestal Lecture" was created, named for the first U.S. Secretary of Defense in 1947/1949. This has resulted in various leaders speaking to midshipmen, including U.S. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, football coach Dick Vermeil, and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and others.[54]

In 1972, Lieutenant Commander Georgia Clark became the first female officer instructor, and Dr. Rae Jean Goodman was appointed to the faculty as the first civilian woman. Later in 1972, a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia terminated compulsory chapel attendance, a tradition which had been in effect since 1853.[55] In September 1973, the new expansive library facility complex was completed and named for Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Class of 1905.

On 8 August 1975, Congress authorized women to attend service academies. The Class of 1980 was inducted with 81 female midshipmen. In 1980, the academy included "Hispanic/Latino" as a racial category for demographic purposes; four women identified themselves as Hispanic in the class of 1981, and these women become the first Hispanic females to graduate from the academy: Carmel Gilliland (who had the highest class rank), Lilia Ramirez (who retired with the rank of commander), Ina Marie Gomez, and Trinora Pinto.[56] In 1979, the traditional "June Week" was renamed "Commissioning Week" because graduation had been moved earlier to May.[50]

In May 1980, Elizabeth Anne Belzer (later Rowe) became the first woman graduate. Janie L. Mines was the first U.S.N.A. African-American woman graduate.[57] On 23 May 1984, Kristine Holderied became the first woman to graduate at the head of the class. In addition, the Class of 1984 included the first naturalized Korean-American graduates, all choosing commissions in the U.S. Navy. The four Korean-American ensigns were Walter Lee, Thomas Kymn, Andrew Kim, and Se-Hun Oh.

In 1982, Isherwood, Griffin, and Melville Halls were demolished.[29]

On 30 July 1987, the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB) granted accreditation for the Computer Science program.[50] In 1991, Midshipman Juliane Gallina, class of 1992, became the first woman brigade commander. On 29 January 1994, the first genderless service assignment was held. All billets were opened equally to men and women with the exception of special warfare and submarine duty.

Naval Academy Midshipmen celebrate after graduation.

On 12 March 1995, Lieutenant Commander Wendy B. Lawrence, Class of 1981, became a mission specialist in the space shuttle Endeavour. She is the first woman USNA graduate to fly in space.

To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis (1845–1995), the U.S. Postal Service printed a commemorative postage stamp; the First Day of Issue was 10 October 1995.

Freedom 7, America's first space capsule shot into sub-orbit in 1961, was placed on display at the visitor center as the centerpiece of the "Grads in Space" exhibit on 23 September 1998. The late Rear Admiral Alan Shepard, Class of 1945, had flown Mercury program capsule "Freedom 7" 116.5 miles (187.5 km) into space on 5 May 1961. His historic flight marked America's first step in the space race.[50]

On 11 September 2001, the academy lost 14 alumni in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. The academy and its bounds was placed under unprecedented high security.[50]

In August 2007, Superintendent Vice Admiral Jeffrey Fowler changed academy policy to limit liberty, required more squad interaction to emphasize that "we are a nation at war."[58]

On 3 November 2007, the Navy football team defeated long-time rival Notre Dame for the first time in 43 years: 46–44 in triple overtime. The two teams have met every year since 1926 and continue a rivalry that became amicable when Notre Dame volunteered to open its facilities for training of naval officers in World War II.[59] Notre Dame's enrollment fell to just 250 students during World War II however the Navy was credited with saving the university by using its campus to train 12,000 men to become officers.[60]

In November 2007, Memorial Hall was the venue for a 50-nation Annapolis Conference on a Palestinian-Israeli peace process discussion.

In 2017, hospital functions were moved across the Severn.[28]

In 2019 the USNA team represented the US in the King's Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta.[61] The race commemorated the centenary of the 1919 Royal Henley Peace Regatta, and included the original WWI allies Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, the UK and the US, joined in 2019 by Germany and the Netherlands. After exciting eliminations, the USNA mixed crew won the final race beating the strong German team.[62]

• Bancroft Hall is the largest building at the Naval Academy and the largest college dormitory in the world.[72] It houses all midshipmen. Open to the public are Memorial Hall, a midshipman-maintained memorial to graduates who have died during military operations, and the Rotunda, the ceremonial entrance to Bancroft Hall. The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy resides in the Rotunda while Navy is in possession of it.[73][74] It was named for the academy's founder, Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, and designed by Ernest Flagg.
• The Naval Academy Chapel, at the center of the campus, across from Herndon Monument, has a high dome that is visible throughout Annapolis.[75] Designed by Ernest Flagg. The chapel was featured on the U.S. Postal Service postage stamp honoring the academy's 150th anniversary in 1995.[76] John Paul Jones lies in the crypt beneath the chapel. Tradition states that if a plebe can place a midshipman cover (hat) on top of the chapel, plebe year will be over for all Fourth Class midshipmen. This tradition, however, is considered dangerous and is discouraged by the academy.[77]
• Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel,[78] primarily funded with private donations, was dedicated on 23 September 2005. The chapel was named for Commodore Uriah P. Levy and houses a Jewish chapel, the honor board, ethics, character learning center, officer development spaces, a social director, and academic boards. Built featuring Jerusalem stone, the architecture of the exterior is consistent with nearby Bancroft Hall.
• Alumni Hall is the primary assembly hall for the Brigade of Midshipmen and has two dining facilities. It hosts various sporting events (including the men's and women's intercollegiate basketball games) and is used by alumni for reunions. The Bob Hope Performing Arts Center is located there.
• archives – see Nimitz Library (below)
• Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center—inside Gate 1 and attached to the Halsey Field House—houses the USNA Guide Service, the USNA Gift Shop, a 12-minute film, and various exhibits, including the Graduates in Space exhibit, a sample midshipman's room, a model of the USS Maryland (BB-46), and an exhibit on the life and times of John Paul Jones, who is buried in the crypt beneath the Naval Academy Chapel. Walking tours include five types of adult tours and two types of student tours.[79]
• Athletic Hall of Fame – see Lejeune Hall (below)
• Carter Hall (formerly Maury Hall) contains the departments of Weapons and Systems Engineering plus Electrical Engineering. It was first named for Matthew Fontaine Maury and was renamed Carter Hall in 2023 to honor James Earl Carter, Jr., the 39th President of the United States and a member of the Class of 1947. Designed by Ernest Flagg.[80]
• Chauvenet Hall, housing the departments of mathematics, physics, and oceanography, was named for William Chauvenet, an early professor at the US Naval Academy.
• Dahlgren Hall contains a large multi-purpose room and a restaurant area. It was once used as an armory for the academy, for drill purposes, and contained the Ordnance and Gunnery Department and classrooms. It was named for John A. Dahlgren.
• The Dyer Tennis Clubhouse is used by the tennis team and contains locker rooms, offices, a racquet stringing room, a lounge, and a viewing deck overlooking the tennis courts. It was named for Vice Admiral George Dyer (Class of 1919).[81][82]
• Halsey Field House contains an indoor track, squash and tennis courts, five basketball courts, a 65 tatami dojo for Aikido/Judo, a climbing wall, and assorted athletic and workout facilities and offices.[83] Before construction of Alumni Hall, it was used by Navy basketball teams and was the site of midshipman assemblies. It was named for William F. Halsey, Jr.
• Hopper Hall, which opened in the 2020–21 academic year, hosts classes for Midshipmen majoring in Cyber Operations, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, and Robotics and Control Engineering. The building also has laboratories for Physics and Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering majors. The building was named for Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, who helped develop UNIVAC and is credited with developing the COBOL compiler.[84]
• Hubbard Hall, used by the crew team, is a three-story building on Dorsey Creek, 250 yards (230 m) from the Severn River.[81] Also known as the Boat House, it was renovated in 1993 and now includes the Fisher Rowing Center. It was named for Rear Admiral John Hubbard (Class of 1870).[81][85]
• King Hall is the dining hall that seats the Brigade of Midshipmen together at one time. It was named for Ernest J. King. Daily fare ranges from eggs, to sandwiches, to prime rib and the annual crab feast.
• Larson Hall is the administration building named in honor of Adm. Charles R. Larson, Naval Academy Class of 1958, who died 26 July 2014. The building was built in 1907, renovated in 2014, and serves as the headquarters of the Naval Academy superintendent and immediate staff.
• Lejeune Hall, built in 1982, contains an Olympic-class swimming pool and diving tower, a mat room for wrestling and hand-to-hand martial arts, and the Athletic Hall of Fame. Named for John A. Lejeune, it is the first USNA building to be named for a Marine Corps officer.[86][87]
• Library – see Nimitz Library (below)
• Luce Hall, housing the departments of Professional Development and Leadership, Ethics, and Law, was named for Stephen Luce.
• MacDonough Hall contains a full-scale gymnastics area, two boxing rings, and alternate swimming pools. It was named for Thomas MacDonough.
• Mahan Hall contains a theater along with the old library in the Hart Room, which has now been converted into a lounge and meeting room. It was named for Alfred Thayer Mahan. Designed by Ernest Flagg.
• Michelson Hall, housing the departments of Computer Science and Chemistry, was named for Albert A. Michelson, the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Physics.
• Museum – see Preble Hall (below)
• The Nimitz Library contains the academy's library collection, the academy's archives (William W. Jeffries Memorial Archives), and the departments of Language Studies, Economics, and Political Science. It was named for Chester W. Nimitz.
• The Naval Academy Club is on Truxton Road in the heart of campus.
• Preble Hall houses the U.S. Naval Academy Museum.[88] It was named for Edward Preble. It maintains a collection of Naval Academy class rings from 1869 through to the present. Tradition dictates that the first deceased class member's ring is donated to the museum to represent that class in the official class ring display.
• Ricketts Hall contains the basketball, football, and lacrosse offices, the locker room for the varsity football team, and one of the academy's three "strength and conditioning facilities," where midshipman athletes train.[81] It was named for Claude V. Ricketts.
• Rickover Hall houses the departments of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering. It was named for Hyman G. Rickover.
• The Robert Crown Sailing Center contains offices, team classrooms, locker rooms, and equipment repair and storage facilities. It also houses the ICSA College Sailing Hall of Fame. Also on display in the Hall are the Naval Academy's sailing trophies and awards.[89]
• Sampson Hall, housing the departments of English and History, was named for William T. Sampson. Designed by Ernest Flagg.
• Visitor Center – see Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center (above)
• Wesley Brown Field House houses physical education, varsity sports, intramural athletics, club sports, and personal-fitness programs and equipment. The cross country and track and field teams, the sprint football team, the women's lacrosse team, and sixteen club sports all use this building. It has a full-length, retractable football field. When the field is retracted, you can then use the 200-meter track (with hydraulically controlled banked curves) and three permanent basketball courts. It also has eight locker rooms and a medical facility. It was named for Wesley A. Brown, Class of 1949, who was the academy's first African American graduate.

• Gokoku-ji Bell. A copy of the original bell which was brought back to the United States in 1855 by Commodore Matthew Perry following his mission to Japan. The bell is placed in front of Bancroft Hall and rung in a semi-annual ceremony for each victory that Navy has registered over Army, to include one of the nation's oldest football rivalries, the Army–Navy Game. The current bell is an exact replica of the original, which the United States Navy returned to the people of Okinawa in 1987.[90]
• USS Delaware figurehead. This is a bronze replica of the original figurehead of ship-of-the-line USS Delaware. It was presented to the academy by the Class of 1891. This replica, one of the most famous monuments on campus, was commonly known as Tecumseh. However, when it adorned the American man-of-war, it commemorated Tamanend, the revered Delaware chief who welcomed William Penn to America, not Tecumseh. In times past, the bronze replica was considered a good-luck "mascot" for the midshipmen, who threw pennies at the quiver and offered left-handed salutes whenever they needed good luck, such as a sports win over West Point and spiritual help for examinations. It is also referred to as the God of 2.0 because 2.0 is the minimum passing GPA at USNA, and the mids offer pennies to help achieve this. It was used as a morale booster during football weeks and on special occasions when the face was painted using themes like super heroes, action heroes, humorous figures, a leprechaun (before Saint Patrick's Day), and a naval officer during Commissioning Week.[91]
• Battle ensigns. Famous flags of the U.S. Navy and captured flags from enemy ships are displayed throughout the academy. The most famous, perhaps, is the "Don't Give Up the Ship" flag flown by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie on 10 September 1813; it bears the dying words of Captain James Lawrence, captain of the USS Chesapeake. It was displayed in Memorial Hall, which is in the portion of Bancroft Hall open to the general public until 2004. It underwent conservation and is now on display in the Museum in Preble Hall. The only British royal standard taken by capture was displayed in Mahan Hall. It was taken at Toronto (then York) in the War of 1812.
• Herndon Monument. The Monument was commissioned by the officers of the U.S. Navy as a tribute to Commander William Lewis Herndon (1813–1857) after his loss in the Pacific Mail Steamer Central America during a hurricane off the North Carolina coast on 12 September 1857. Herndon had followed a longtime custom of the sea that a ship's captain is the last person to depart his ship in peril. It was erected in its current location on 16 June 1860 and has never been moved, even though the academy was completely rebuilt between 1899 and 1908.
• Memorial Hall. A memorial to graduates in Bancroft Hall who died during military operations. It includes an honor roll, scrolls, and plaques. In the aftermath of the 1967 USS Liberty incident, the Navy balked at listing 2 Liberty crew members on their memorial wall. The crew members in question were Lieutenant Commander Philip Armstrong Jr. and Lieutenant Stephen Toth. It took Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Thomas H. Moorer’s personal intervention to reverse their decision. Moorer angrily commented on the Academy's attempt to omit the names: “I intervened and was able to reverse the apparent idea that dying in a cowardly, one-sided attack by a supposed ally is somehow not the same as being killed by an avowed enemy.”[92]
• Pearl Harbor Memorial. At Alumni Hall, a wall is reserved by the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association to commemorate those who were killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• Tripoli Monument. This is the oldest military monument in the U.S. and honors the US servicemen of the First Barbary War: Master Commandant Richard Somers, Lieutenant James Caldwell, James Decatur (brother of Stephen Decatur), John Dorsey, Joseph Israel, and Henry Wadsworth. Originally known as the Naval Monument, it was carved of Carrara marble in Italy in 1806 and brought to the U.S. as ballast on board the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides"). From its original location in the Washington Navy Yard, it was moved to the west terrace of the national Capitol and finally, in 1860, to the Naval Academy.[93]
• USS Samuel B. Roberts memorial. In Alumni Hall, a concourse is dedicated to Lieutenant Lloyd Garnett and his shipmates aboard USS Samuel B. Roberts, who earned their ship the reputation as the "destroyer escort that fought like a battleship" in the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II.

Mexican War Monument to Midshipmen Shubrick, Clemson, Hynson, and Pillsbury

• The Mexican War Midshipmen's Monument. Located at the intersection of Stribling Walk (16,000 bricks) and Chapel Walk, it is in memory of one midshipman (Shubrick) who lost his life in the siege of Veracruz in 1847, and three midshipmen (Clemson, Hynson, Pillsbury) who lost their lives when the brig Somers sank in 1846.[94]
• The Macedonian Monument. At the end of Stribling Walk opposite Mahan Hall is the figurehead of HMS Macedonian. Macedonian was defeated in battle by the frigate United States 25 October 1812.
• The Saitö Monument. At the west entrance of Luce Hall is a Japanese granite pagoda erected in memory of Hiroshi Saitö, Japanese Ambassador to the United States from 1934-1939. Ambassador Saitö was admired in Washington for his efforts to maintain US-Japan diplomatic relations as tension built between the two nations over the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.[95] The monument was presented by the Saitö family in gratitude for, "the courtesy extended by [the] institution at the time of the [Saitö's] departure," on the cruiser Astoria.[96] The monument was erected in June 1941, less than 6 months before the opening of hostilities between the two countries.[96]

The complex includes McMullen Hockey Arena where the men's ice-hockey team is located; rugby venues, an indoor hitting, chipping and putting facility for the golf team, and the Tose Family Tennis Center – including the Fluegel-Moore Tennis Stadium.[81]

The academy baseball team plays at the Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.

A small number of officers at the academy are designated as permanent military professors (PMP), initially at the academic rank of assistant professor. All PMPs have PhDs, and remain at the academy until statutory retirement. Most are commanders in the Navy; a few are captains. Like civilian professors, they seek academic promotion to the rank of associate professor and professor. However, they are not eligible for tenure.

The Class of 1957 Distinguished Chair of Naval Heritage is an academic professorial chair in the history department.[100] In order to preserve and promote a better understanding of professional naval heritage in midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, the academy's Class of 1957 donated the funds to permanently endow this position. It is designed to be a visiting position for a distinguished senior academic historian, who is to hold the post for one or two years. The position was first occupied in 2006 and, in addition to teaching requirements, the occupant is expected to give the McMullen Seapower Lecture at the academy's biennial McMullen Naval History Symposium.

• Williamson Murray, January 2006 – June 2007
• Andrew Gordon, August 2007 – June 2009
• Ronald H. Spector, August 2009 – June 2010
• John H. Schroeder, August 2010 – June 2011
• Craig Symonds, August 2011 – June 2012
• James C. Bradford. August 2012 – June 2013
• Gene Allen Smith, August 2013 – June 2014
• William F. Trimble, August 2014 – June 2015
• David Alan Rosenberg, August 2015 – June 2016
• Nicholas A. Lambert, August 2016 – June 2018
• Kathleen Broome Williams, August 2018 –

To be admitted, candidates must be between seventeen and twenty-three years of age upon entrance, unmarried with no children, and of good moral character. The current process includes a college application, personality testing, standardized testing, and personal references. Candidates for admission must also undergo a physical aptitude test (the CFA or Candidate Fitness Assessment [formerly the Physical Readiness Examination]) as well as a complete physical exam including a separate visual acuity test to be eligible for appointment. A medical waiver will automatically be sought on behalf of candidates with less than 20/20 vision, as well as a range of other injuries or illnesses. The physical aptitude test is most often administered by a high school physical education teacher or sports team coach.[103]

A small number of international students, usually from smaller allied or friendly countries, are admitted into each class. (International students from larger allies, such as France and the United Kingdom, typically come as shorter-term exchange students from their national naval colleges or academies.) The Class of 2025 includes 16 international students from: Egypt (1), Fiji (1), Ghana (1), Indonesia (2), Jordan (1), Malaysia (1), Maldives (1), Peru (1), Philippines (2), Sri Lanka (1), Taiwan (1), Thailand (1), and Tunisia (2).[104]

Seven second class cadets each from West Point, the Air Force Academy, and the Coast Guard Academy, spend a fall semester at Annapolis. The same applies for midshipmen exchanged out to those academies at the same time. The exchange process is competitive.[105]

Since Fall 2020, transgender people are banned from attending the academy.[106]

Moral and ethical development is fundamental to all aspects of the Naval Academy. From Plebe Summer through graduation, the Officer Development Program, a four-year integrated program, focuses on integrity, honor, and mutual respect based on the moral values of respect for human dignity, respect for honesty and respect for the property of others.[110]

One of the goals of the program is to develop midshipmen to possess a sense of their own moral beliefs and the ability to express them. Honor is emphasized through the Honor Concept of the Brigade of Midshipmen, which states:

Midshipmen are persons of integrity: They stand for that which is right.

They tell the truth and ensure that the full truth is known. They do not lie.

They embrace fairness in all actions. They ensure that work submitted as their own is their own, and that assistance received from any source is authorized and properly documented. They do not cheat.

They respect the property of others and ensure that others are able to benefit from the use of their own property. They do not steal.[111]

Similar ideals are expressed in the honor codes of the other service academies. However, midshipmen are allowed to confront someone they see violating the code without formally reporting it. It is believed that this method is a better way of developing the honor of midshipmen as opposed to the non-toleration clauses of the other service academies and is a better way of building honor and trust.

Brigade Honor Committees composed of upper-class midshipmen are responsible for the education and training of the Honor Concept. Depending on the severity of the offense, midshipmen found in violation of the Honor Concept by their peers can be separated from the Naval Academy.[110]

Since 1961, the academy has hosted the annual Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC), the country's largest undergraduate, foreign-affairs conference. NAFAC provides a forum for addressing pressing international concerns and seeks to explore current issues from both a civilian and military perspective.

Each year a unique theme is chosen for NAFAC. Noteworthy individuals with expertise in relevant fields are then invited to address the conference delegates, who represent civilian and military colleges from across the United States and around the globe.

The entire conference is organized and run by midshipmen, who also serve as moderators, presenters, and delegates. The midshipman director is responsible for every aspect of the conference, including the conference theme, and is generally charged with leading a staff of over 250 midshipmen.[112]

The Naval Academy Science and Engineering Conference (NASEC), hosted annually since 2000, is an undergraduate STEM conference. Held in November each year, approximately 45 midshipmen join 150 attendees from other colleges and universities across the country meet and discuss significant science and engineering challenges. The delegates hear from leaders in scientific research and policy from academia, industry, and government, and participate in group discussions on the conference themes.[113]

The conference serves as both a leadership opportunity for the midshipmen staff who organize and run the event, and as a venue to expose midshipmen to cutting-edge science and engineering challenges.

Since 1973, the Naval Academy has hosted a major international conference for naval historians. In 2006 it was named after John J. McMullen, USNA Class of 1940.

The United States Naval Academy (USNA) Small Satellite Program (SSP)[114] was founded in 1999 to actively pursue flight opportunities for miniature satellites designed, constructed, tested, and commanded or controlled by midshipmen.

The USNA MidSTAR Program's first satellite, MidSTAR I was launched 8 March 2007.[115] The planned MidSTAR II was canceled.

Because the majority of graduates commence directly into their military commissions, the Naval Academy offers no graduate degree programs. However, a number of programs allow midshipmen to obtain graduate degrees before fulfilling their service obligation. The Immediate Graduate Education Program (IGEP) allows newly commissioned Ensigns or Second Lieutenants to proceed directly to graduate school and complete a master's degree. The Voluntary Graduate Education Program (VGEP) allows the midshipman to begin their studies the second semester of their senior year at a local university, usually University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, or George Washington University, and complete the degree by the following semester. Midshipmen accepted into prestigious scholarships, such as the Rhodes Scholarship are permitted to complete their studies before fulfilling their service obligation. Finally, the Bowman Scholarship allows Navy Nuclear Power candidates to complete their master's degrees at the Naval Postgraduate School before continuing into the Navy.

The 1926 National Championship football team

Participation in athletics is, in general, mandatory at the Naval Academy and most midshipmen not on an intercollegiate team must participate actively in intramural or club sports. There are exceptions for non-athletic Brigade Support Activities such as YP Squadron (a professional surface warfare training activity providing midshipmen the opportunity to earn the Craftmaster Badge) or the Drum and Bugle Corps.

Varsity-letter winners wear a specially issued blue cardigan with a large gold "N" patch affixed. Teams that beat Army in a year are awarded a gold star to affix near the "N" for each such victory.

The U.S. Naval Academy's varsity sports teams[117] have no official name but usually are referred to in media as "the Midshipmen" (since all athletes are, in fact, midshipmen), or more informally as "the Mids". The term "middies" is generally considered derogatory.[118] The sports teams' mascot is a goat named "Bill."

The Midshipmen participate in the NCAA's Division I FBS as a member of the American Athletic Conference in football and in the NCAA Division I-level Patriot League in many other sports. The academy fields 30 varsity sports teams and 13 club sports teams (along with 19 intramural sports teams).[117][119]

Plebes receive basic martial arts instruction during Plebe Summer training

Plebes paddle pontoon boats during a team-building portion of Sea Trials

The most important sporting event at the academy is the annual Army–Navy Game, in football. The 2015 season marks Navy's 14th consecutive victory over Army. The three major service academies (Navy, Air Force, and Army) compete for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, which is awarded to the academy that defeats the others in football that year (or retained by the previous winner in the event of a three-way tie). Navy won the trophy in 2012 after two years of residence at the Air Force Academy. Keenan Reynolds (quarterback 2012–2015) set numerous Navy and NCAA records, including the FBS career rushing touchdown record, arguably becoming Navy's best quarterback ever. Reynolds finished fifth in the prestigious Heisman Trophy voting. In the Army-Navy rivalry, Reynolds became the first quarterback to beat Army in four seasons.[120]

Naval Academy sports teams have many accomplishments at the international and national levels. In 1926, Navy's football team won the U.S. national championship based on both the Boand and Houlgate mathematical poll systems.[121] and the Navy men's lacrosse team won 21 USILL or USILA national championships and was the NCAA Division I runner-up in 1975 and 2004. The men's fencing team won NCAA Division I championships in 1950, 1959, and 1962 and was runner-up in 1948, 1953, 1960, and 1963,[122] and NCAA Division I championships were also earned by the 1945 men's outdoor track and field team[123] and the 1964 men's soccer team.[124]

The academy lightweight crew won the 2004 and 2021 National Championship. The lightweights are accredited with two Jope Cup Championships as well, finishing the Eastern Sprints with the highest number of points in 2006 and 2007. The college's heavyweight crew won Olympic gold medals in men's eights in 1920 and 1952,[125] and from 1907 to 1995 at Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta the team earned 30 championships.[126] In intercollegiate shooting, the Naval Academy has won nine National Rifle Association rifle team trophies, seven air pistol team championships, and five standard pistol team titles.[127] Navy's squash team was the national nine-man team champion in 1957, 1959, and 1967,[128] and the boxing team was National Collegiate Boxing Association champion in 1987, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2005.[129]

There is an unofficial (but previous National Champion) croquet team.[130] Legend has it that in the early 1980s, a Mid and a Johnnie (slang for a student enrolled at St. John's College, Annapolis), were in a bar and the Mid challenged the Johnnie by stating that Midshipmen could beat St. John's at any sport. The St. John's student selected croquet. Since then, thousands attend the annual croquet match between St. John's and the 28th Company[131] of the Brigade of Midshipmen (originally the 34th Company before the brigade was reduced to 30 companies).[132] As of 2017, the Midshipmen had a record of 7 wins and 28 losses to the St John's team.[133]

A bagpiper with the Naval Academy Pipes and Drums

Midshipmen have the opportunity to participate in a broad range of other extracurricular activities including musical performance groups (Drum & Bugle Corps, Men's Glee Club, Women's Glee Club, Gospel Choir, an annual musical, a midshipman orchestra, and a bagpipe band, the Pipes & Drums), religious organizations, academic honor societies such as Omicron Delta Epsilon (an economics honor society), Campus Girl Scouts, the National Eagle Scout Association, a radio station (WRNV),[134] and Navy and Marine Corps professional activities (diving, flying, seamanship, and the Semper Fidelis Society for future Marines). The midshipman theatrical company, The Masqueraders, put on one production annually in Mahan Hall. There is an intercollegiate debate team.[135] Colleges from along the East Coast attend the annual U.S. Naval Academy Debate Tournament. Midshipmen also participate in the Sandhurst Competition, a military skills event.[136]

The brigade began publishing a humor magazine called The Log in 1913.[137] This magazine was discontinued in 2001[138] but returned to print in the fall of 2008. Among The Log's usual features were "Salty Sam," an anonymous member of the senior class who served as a gossip columnist, and the "Company Cuties," photos of male midshipmen's girlfriends. (This last was deemed offensive to women, and despite attempts to incorporate the boyfriends of female midshipmen in some issues, the "Company Cuties" were dropped from The Log's format by 1991.)[139] The Log was once featured in Playboy Magazine for its parody of the famous periodical,[140] called "Playmid." "Playmid" was an issue of The Log in 1989 and was ordered destroyed by Rear Admiral Virgil L. Hill Jr., the Academy Superintendent at the time, but a handful of copies did survive. Earlier Log attempts to parody were much more successful, with 18 April 1969, version as the most famous; some sections of this issue can be seen online at an alumni website.[141] In September 1949, the Log began publishing a half-sized Splinter bi-weekly, to alternate with its larger sized publication.[142][143]

Notable among a number of songs commonly played and sung at various events such as commencement and convocation, and athletic games is: "Anchors Aweigh", the United States Naval Academy fight song. According to "College Fight Songs: An Annotated Anthology" published in 1998, "Anchors Aweigh" ranks as the fifth greatest fight song of all time. "Blue and Gold" is the name of Naval Academy's Alma Mater.[144]