United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge facts for kids
The United States Naval Training Center, Bainbridge (USNTC Bainbridge) was a big training center for the U.S. Navy. It was located in Port Deposit, Maryland, right by the Susquehanna River. This center was open from 1942 to 1976.
It was built on the land that used to be the Tome School for boys. The training center was close to important naval spots during World War II. It was about 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Baltimore, Maryland, and 75 miles (121 km) from Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You could reach it by Maryland Route 222.
History of Bainbridge
How it Started
President Franklin D. Roosevelt personally chose the spot for the training center. The land was taken from the Tome School by order of Congress. President Roosevelt also picked the name "Bainbridge" to honor Commodore William Bainbridge. He was a naval hero who commanded the ship Constitution during the War of 1812. His ship defeated the British ship Java.
The government bought more land, expanding the campus from 330 acres (1.3 km2) to 1,132 acres (4.58 km2). Over 500 new buildings were constructed for the center.
Bainbridge in World War II
Training New Recruits
The training center opened on October 1, 1942. The first group of new recruits arrived just 10 days later to start their "boot camp" training. They came by bus from nearby towns like Havre de Grace and Perryville, Maryland.
New recruits took tests to see what they were good at. Then, they learned important skills like how to use weapons, sail a ship, fight fires, and stay fit. They also learned military drills.
During boot camp, recruits had a "service week." This often meant helping out with chores like kitchen duty or cleaning. If a recruit had special skills, like typing, they might work in an office instead.
Recruits also practiced ship duties on a special "ship" built on dry land. It was called the R.T.S. Commodore. This trainer had many parts of a real ship, like deck guns and a pilot house. This helped the sailors learn how to work on a ship before going to sea.
By the end of World War II, the center had trained hundreds of thousands of recruits. These trained sailors then went to different ships and naval stations around the world.
Specialized Training
Besides basic boot camp, Bainbridge also offered special training. Over 24,000 recruits learned technical skills here during World War II.
Some of the special schools at the center included:
- Coast Guard School
- Naval Academy Preparatory School
- Naval Hospital and Hospital Corps School
- Schools for Radio, Fire Control, and Electrical training
- Fire Fighters School
First Closing (1947)
The center kept running with fewer operations until June 30, 1947. Then, it officially closed as a main Navy training center. Only the Naval Academy Preparatory School stayed open, along with a small staff to take care of the buildings.
Reopening (1951)
In the middle of 1950, the Korean War started. The Navy decided to reopen the training center. It officially started again on February 1, 1951.
Many buildings were in bad shape, even with the maintenance staff. A company from Baltimore, Maryland was hired to fix them up. The repairs and road work were finished quickly. The center welcomed new recruits again on April 5, 1951.
At first, 500 recruits arrived each week, but this number soon doubled. The first group of 500 recruits graduated on June 23, 1951.
In 1962, a Naval Nuclear Power School was set up at Bainbridge. This school later moved to Orlando, Florida. The Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) also moved from Bainbridge to Newport, Rhode Island, in 1974.
Second Closing (1976)
The Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, closed for good in 1976. After that, some of its buildings were used by the United States Department of Labor as a Job Corps Training Center until 1990.
Final Base Closing (1986)
On November 3, 1986, the United States Congress allowed the United States Secretary of the Navy to sell or transfer the Bainbridge facility. The goal was for the land to be used again by the State of Maryland and the people of Cecil County, Maryland. Before any sale, the Navy had to clean up the property to meet all environmental rules. The cleanup is now complete.
How the Center Was Organized
The training center was split into four main parts. Each part had its own leader.
Administrative Command
This command was in charge of running the entire center. It handled daily tasks like keeping the base clean, providing security, fighting fires, getting supplies, offering medical care, and managing transportation.
Recruit Training Command
This was the biggest part of the center. It was responsible for the basic training of all new recruits. It had four separate "camps," each with its own barracks, classrooms, and dining halls:
- Camp Rodgers
- Camp Perry
- Camp James
- Camp Barney
Each camp could hold 5,000 male recruits. A special training school for WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) recruits opened in October 1951. Around 1959, male recruit training at Bainbridge stopped. Bainbridge then became the only training center for WAVES until they moved to Orlando, Florida, in 1972.
Service School Command
This command trained sailors who had finished basic training and showed a talent for a specific skill. It could train up to 4,000 sailors at a time. These sailors learned special skills like gunnery, fire control, radio, and other technical subjects.
The Naval Academy Preparatory School was part of this command. It helped enlisted sailors get ready to be accepted into the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The school also helped sailors and marines prepare for college through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program.
The naval hospital was a large hospital with 500 beds. It provided medical care for the staff, recruits, students, and their families. It could expand to 1,000 beds or more if needed.
The Hospital Corps School also operated here. About 1,200 students studied to become Hospital Corpsmen, who are like medics in the Navy.
Images for kids
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Captain Russel's House in 1943
