Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Annapolis, MD, City Mooring Ball Field: We stayed a 2nd day to tour the Naval Academy. We really enjoyed the tour which took about 1 hour and 45 minutes and learned many things about the academy.  Secretary of the Navy; George Bancroft, established the Naval School at Fort Severn in Annapolis in 1845 with 50 students that were taught by 4 officers and 3 civilian professors. The academy has expanded from 10 acres to a 338-acre complex, and it went from 50 midshipmen to a brigade of approximately 4,400 midshipman, and from 7 to 600 faculty members, both military and civilian. It wasn’t until the 1970's that women were accepted and now they comprise 20 percent of the students.  

There is a building named after Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren who joined the Navy at age 16. He was assigned to the ordnance department at the Washington Navy Yard and by the end of the Civil War he was responsible for the development and design of 12-pounder boat howitzers in several weight classifications. John Paul Jones; 1747-1792, one of the Revolutionary War Naval hero's, remains are buried in a crypt in the basement of the Main Chapel located on a high point in the yard over looking the Severn River. His remains were returned to the US in 1905 by the French.

Alan Shepard manned the 1^st US space flight in "Freedom 7" and later from Apollo 14, was the 5th man to walk on the moon.  Shepard was a 1961 graduate of the Naval Academy.  Also, the Physical Education Center was named in honor of John A. Lejeune, former Commandant of the Marine Corps.

NOAA reported that there would be high water around noon today. Sure enough, by 13:00 the harbor area of downtown Annapolis was 5 feet under water and they closed several streets. They called it a "Tidal Anomaly".  Around 18:00 several boaters took their boats out for the evening. We didn't think anything of it until several more boats came out. It looked like some of the boaters didn't know what they were doing and several came close to running into us and other boats tied up on mooring balls. Boats were weaving in and out of the mooring ball field and they were every where. There had to be at least 150 boats. I called the Harbor Master to see what was going on and he said it was "Wednesday Night Races". We did see one boat run into another boat; but, surprisingly that was the only accident. Unbelievable!

CO's comments:  Naval Officers are commissioned at graduation from Annapolis Academy.  Those graduates who go on to be Marine Officers have to attend Officer Candidate School at Quanitco before they are commissioned.  Only the best of the best will go on to be Marine Officers.

5-12-2011 Sunrise in Annapolis

Wednesday nigh races in Annapolis

More Wednesday night race boats.

This beautiful old "Woody" just came to watch the races.

This is the oldest building  at the academy dedicated to
Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren

Outside view of the Main Chapel.  The Crypt of John Paul Jones
is enshrined beneath the Chapel

The Main Chapel conducts Catholic and Protestant services.
The campus also has a Jewish Chapel and both chapels are open to the public.

A beautiful campus