United States Naval Academy

United States Naval Academy
MottoEx Scientia Tridens (Latin)
Motto in English
From Knowledge, Seapower
TypeU.S. service academy
Established10 October 1845 (1845-10-10)
Parent institution
Naval University System
Academic affiliations
Space-grant
SuperintendentVice Admiral Yvette M. Davids
ProvostSamara L. Firebaugh
Commandant of MidshipmenColonel James "J.P." McDonough III
Academic staff
510
Students4,576
Location,
United States
CampusUrban – 338 acres (1,370,000 m2)
Colors  Navy Blue
  Gold
NicknameMidshipmen
Sporting affiliations
MascotBill the Goat
Websiteusna.edu
U.S. Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy is located in Maryland
United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy is located in the United States
United States Naval Academy
LocationMaryland Ave. and Hanover St., Annapolis, Maryland
Built1845 (1845)
ArchitectErnest Flagg
EngineerSeverud Associates
Architectural styleBeaux Arts[2]
NRHP reference No.66000386[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP15 October 1966
Designated NHLD4 July 1961[3]

The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is the second oldest of the five U.S. service academies and it educates midshipmen for service in the officer corps of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. It is part of the Naval University System. The 338-acre (137 ha) campus is located on the former grounds of Fort Severn at the confluence of the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay in Anne Arundel County, 33 miles (53 km) east of Washington, D.C., and 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Baltimore. The entire campus, known colloquially as the Yard, is a National Historic Landmark and home to many historic sites, buildings, and monuments. It replaced Philadelphia Naval Asylum in Philadelphia that had served as the first United States Naval Academy from 1838 to 1845 when the Naval Academy formed in Annapolis.[4]

Candidates for admission generally must apply directly to the academy and apply separately for a nomination, usually from a member of Congress. Students are officers-in-training with the rank of midshipman. Tuition for midshipmen is fully funded by the Navy in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation. Approximately 1,200 "plebes" (an abbreviation of the Ancient Roman word plebeian) enter the academy each summer for the rigorous Plebe Summer. About 1,000 midshipmen graduate and commission. Graduates are commissioned as either ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps, but a small number can also be cross-commissioned as officers in other U.S. services, and the services of allied nations. The United States Naval Academy has some of the highest-paid graduates in the country according to starting salary.[5] The academic program grants a Bachelor of Science degree with a curriculum that grades midshipmen's performance upon a broad academic program, military leadership performance, and mandatory participation in competitive athletics. Midshipmen are required to adhere to the academy's Honor Concept.

Rotunda steps leading to Memorial Hall
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 9 July 2010.
  2. ^ Marilynn Larew (28 July 1977). "National Historic Register of Historic Places Nomination Form". National Park Service. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2016. and Accompanying photos
  3. ^ "United States Naval Academy". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  4. ^ Toll Brothers. "History Meets Modern Luxury". Archived from the original on 15 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Colleges with the highest-paid grads". CNN. 10 September 2014. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.