Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-10-20
OUR naval SCHOOL
Origin and Rise of the Grand In
stitution at Annapolis.
BANCROFT GOT IT STARTED.


He Worked For It's Establishment With
untiring Zeal, and 1t Was Formally
Opened on Oct. 10, 1845-our Previ-
Gus Naval Schools.
We had a military academy almost
half a century before we had a naval
academy. 1t was not until the admin
~istration of President James K. Polk
that the government thought 1t neces-
sary to establish a naval academy at
which young men could be educated
for that part of our protective service.
George Bancroft was the founder of
the United States Naval academy.
which was at first called the Naval
school. 1t was formally opened at An
napolis on Oct. 10, 1915. Fol several
years prior to this effort there was a
school working along similar lines at
the Naval asylum In Philadelphia.
where the midshipmen prepared them
selves for examination and promotion.
The school was r~eorganized In 1850
and the course was increased from five
to seven, the first and last two years
to be passed at the school, the inter
vening years at sea. At this time the
separate departments Of instruction
vided and annual practice cruises were
instituted. In 1851 the requirements
of sea service We're abolished, leaving
the course four consecutive years Of
study.
At the outbreak of the war In 1861
the Naval academy was removed to
Newport, r. l.. where 1t remained I'M
til the summer Of 1865, when 1t was re-
established at Annapolis. In 1870 the
title Of cadet midshipmen was sub
stituted for midshipman, and three
years later the course was increased
by the addition of two years sea serv-
Ice In cruising vessels, at the expira-
ton of which the cadet midshipman
returned to the Naval academy for ex-
animation in professional subjects
prior to graduation.
Previous to the establishing of the
Naval academy several attempts had
been made to establish training schools
for officers and sailors of the navy. In
1888 Captain M. G. Perry suggested a
school for engineers, but little was ac-
complished before Bancroft called the
meeting in Philadelphia which decided
the establishing of the present school.
At first there was considerable Of a
wrangle as to where the school should
be located. The site finally chosen was
an old army post known as Fort Sew
ern, located on the point of land which
forms the easternmost extremity of the
city of Annapolis and lies between the
harbor and the Severn river. Poor as
the place was in the eyes of Bancroft,
he saw that 1t was far less likely to
challenge congressional criticism than
a more ~pretentious habitation, and be-
sides, as the board Of naval officers had
said, the fact was ~undeniably true that
it might ''be enlarged and perfected at
some future time
Fort Severn was duly transferred
by the war department to the navy
on Aug. 10, 1916, and a fortnight after
ward Secretary Bancroft published
his "plan," which, together with the
regulations" subsequently prepared
by Commander Buchanan, governed
the workings of the school until 1850.
The first superintendent of the Naval
academy was Commander Franklin
Buchanan.
At II o'clock on the morning of Oct.
10, 1915, all hands assembled in n
of the recitation rooms, and the super
intendent, after a brief but pointed adj
dress, in which he announced he
should exact rigid compliance with all
laws, orders and regulations, declared
the school open. The old buildings at
the ancient army post at Annapolis,
where the midshipmen began to re-
ceive instruction, had been termed by
Secretary Bancroft "a modest shelter
for the pupils" and it is said that they
certainly deserved no more compli-
mentary description.
Mr.. Bancroft at once began plans to
have the academy more commodiously
housed, and he asked congress for an
appropriation Of $4,000 to be expend-
ed for repairs, improvements and in
structions at Fort Severn, Annapolis.
The secretary brought all his diplo-
macy and skill to bear, and at last had
the profound satisfaction of receiving
the appropriation by an ample ma
jority and of seeing the naval school
Of the United States then become duly
organized by law.
Thus ended the long fight for it.
Three days after the bill became a law
Secretary Bancroft directed the super
intendent to enlarge the buildings and
construct new ones sufficient to ac-
commodate 100 midshipmen. This
small beginning was the foundation
Of the present large and effective insti-
tuition, which trains the sailors in a
way equal to that furnished by any
other country in the world.-Philadel-
IL 49,