USS Recruit (TDE-1) facts for kids
USS Recruit (TDE-1/TFFG-1) at Liberty Station (Formerly Naval Training Center), San Diego.
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United States |
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| Name | USS Recruit (TDE-1) |
| Builder | USN |
| Commissioned | 1949, 1982 |
| Decommissioned | 1967, 1997 |
| Nickname(s) | USS Neversail |
| Fate | Museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 225 ft 0 in (68.58 m) |
| Beam | 24 ft 4 in (7.42 m) |
| Draft | 0 ft 0 in (0 m) |
| Propulsion | none |
| Speed | N/A |
| Complement | N/A |
| Armament | unarmed |
The USS Recruit was a special "dummy" ship of the United States Navy. It was built on land, not in the water! This unique ship was located at the Naval Training Center San Diego in San Diego, California. The Recruit was designed to look like a real destroyer escort, but it was only two-thirds the size. It started its service on July 27, 1949. For many years, the Recruit was the only landlocked ship in the U.S. Navy to be officially "commissioned." After the training center closed, the ship sat empty for a long time. In 2023, it finally opened to the public as a museum ship.
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What is the USS Recruit?
The USS Recruit was a training ship that never actually sailed. It was built on land to help new sailors learn about life on a ship. Imagine a ship that sits on concrete instead of water! This allowed thousands of recruits to practice important ship duties safely.
Construction of the Recruit began in 1949. That same year, Rear Admiral Wilder D. Baker officially put the ship into service. It was a two-thirds scale model of a destroyer escort. The Recruit helped train over 50,000 new sailors every year.
How Sailors Trained on the Recruit
Recruits learned basic ship drills and procedures. They used real ship equipment like lifelines and signal flags. They also practiced with the engine order telegraph and the helm, which steers a ship. Below deck, the ship had six classrooms for lessons. There were also barracks nearby where recruits slept. Because it had no engine or screw, sailors nicknamed it the "USS Neversail."
Changes Over Time
In 1954, the Recruit was updated from its first design. It was also known as Building 430 because it was a building as well as a ship. In March 1967, the Recruit was taken out of service. This happened because it was hard to classify such a unique ship in the Navy's computer system.
However, the ship was brought back in 1982! It was updated to look like an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate. This made the ship a bit longer. It continued to be a training facility until the base closed in 1997.
The Recruit at Liberty Station
When the Naval Training Center closed, the Recruit stayed put. People hoped it would become a maritime museum one day. In 2001, the Naval Training Center was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Recruit was included in this important listing. In 2004, it became a California Historical Landmark.
Becoming a Museum Ship
In 2014, the Recruit was refurbished with help from the USS Midway Museum. The ship is still in the same spot where it was built. It is now next to a shopping area called Liberty Station. You can see it from North Harbor Drive.
The dream of making the Recruit a museum ship finally came true in 2018. Plans were made to celebrate the base's 100th anniversary in 2023. The Seligman Group, which owns many historic buildings, took over the ship. They studied its history and fixed it up inside and out. The USS Recruit opened to the public in June 2023. Inside, you can see old photos and hear stories from past sailors.
Other Landlocked Ships
The USS Recruit is one of only two surviving "landships" of the Navy. Another one is the USS Trayer (BST-21) in Illinois. It is used for battle training. Other landlocked ships, like the USS Commodore in Maryland and the USS Bluejacket in Florida, were taken apart when their bases closed.
