Evening star., 1945-09-09
Annapolis Expansion Plan
Presses for Prompt Action
Navy, Opposed to Second Academy, Sees Purchase
of St. Johns as Only Solution to Problem of
Congestion Due to Be Acute in 1947
By Hoicard p. Bale,


faces the necessity of launching its
s70,000,000 expansion program soon or
running the risk of almost impossible
conditions when the scholastic year gets
underway in the fall of 1947
Even now during the plebe summer
of the class of 1949, the plebes are
quartered three and four to the room
designed for two. The crowded condi-
ton was the result of reserve class
numbering approximately 800, a con-
dition which will be relieved in part
now tnat the reserves nave graduated.
However, any relief will be temporary
Breaking the situation down into
figures, Capt. Stuart H. Ingersoll,
U. S. N, commandant of midshipmen,
told the writer that graduation ofsthe
first class next June will remove 839
from the Academy but they will be re-
placed by new class of plebes who will
number in excess of 1000.
The following June, the last of the
three-year classes will graduate. That
particular class is small, having been
organized by advancing the upper half,
scholastically, of the class of 1948, to
the status of second classmen. These,
the class of 1947, will number SIG.
When they complete their work they in
turn will be replaced by the class of
1851 which will number 1,122.
Increase of 1,40O by 194S.
The first of the tour-year classes, the
class of 1948, the present youngsters,
will number 496. When they complete
their work, more than 1000 plebes will
be called in to replace them.
In other words, in the fall of l948,
accommodations will be required for a
brigade of midshipmen numbering ap-
proximately 1,400 more than the present
size which is already badly overtaxing
facilities.
While the expansion plans have not
been fully disclosed it is known that it
is proposed to have brigade totaling
between 5000 and $500, with the latter
the more probable figure.
Rear Admiral l.. E. Denfield, who will
become chief of the Bureau of Personnel
succeeding Vice Admiral Randall Jacobs
on September Is has revealed that the
Navy plans postwar organization re-
quiring a total of $4,000 officers. At the
present time the Navy has a total of
1900 regulars necessitating the reten-
ton or acquisition of $4,000 reserves
The offer of regular status and prospects
of advancement to the reserves may
serve to hold many in the service but
it is obvious that future requirements
will require greatly expanded academy
Only .068 Acre Per Midshipmam.
Considerable study has been made OF
various plans for spreading out on the
already overcrowded property included
in the Naval Academy reservation. Each
suggestion in turn has been rejected as
impractical.
To understand the situation thor.
oughly the primary problems which
arise out of an exceedingly tight pro.
gram of mental and physical education
must be considered.
The simultaneous movement of large
groups from building to building causes
a serious traffic congestion and the linn
tied spaces available for drill and tht
various forms of required athletics ar,
already overtaxed. The reservation pro
vides only .068 acre per midshipmar
while the 80 leading colleges and uni
versities of .the country average hal
an acre per student.
According to Capt. T. r. Wirth, U.
N, officer in charge of buildings ant
grounds, the maximum traffic between
buildings and the maximum use of thu
open spaces for drill and athletics i
now in effect. The necessary increase il
the brigade is impossible without spread
ing out.
Among the suggestions made for tn
expansion was the erection of a nev
dormitory on the site now occupied b,
the football field and the parade grount
between Bancroft Hall and the seawal
to the south. In support of this propose
it has been pointed out that a football
field could be developed on land ownet
by the Naval Academy Athletic Associa
ton north of Dorsey Creek In fact
the athletic association intends to de
velop stadium there. The Navy ais,
owns land west of the present football
field which was acquired from a lumbe
company and from the Matapeake ferry
which has since developed a termina
at Sandy Point.
Opposed to Off-Campus Dormitory.
Capt. Wirth pointed out that the re
moteness of this ground from the in
struction buildings in itself makes j
impossible to fit dormitory there int
the tightly-built schedule. But ever
more important, as a reason for dis
carding the suggestion, is the fact tha
the additional midshipmen would b
required to travel over the already con.
gested paths leading from Bancroft Hal
Another suggestion was the erection
OF new dormitory across the Severn
River on ground owned by the Nava
Academy. Use of this property woul,
entail the construction of bridg
across the Severn. While Capt. Writ
agreed that such a development woul,
avoid conflict with the Bancroft Hal
traffic, the distance would be too grea
to maintain the schedule of work. H
also questioned the advisability of hav
ing a dormitory off the campus proper
Having considered other sites, tn
Navy Department came reluctantly t
the conclusion that the only possibl
and efficient expansion must be base
on the purchase of the campus of s.
Johns College which lies west of tn
academy grounds and contiguous there
to-
Under that plan an L-shaped campu
would be developed with the classroom