United States Naval Academy

The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and is located in Annapolis, Maryland. The Academy is often referred to simply as "Annapolis" although naval officers normally refer to it in conversation as "the Academy", "the Yard" or "the Boat School". U.S. sports media refer to the Academy as Navy, and this usage is officially endorsed. ROTC and Officer Candidate School graduates as well as cadets from the Air Force Academy and the Military Academy at West Point (USNA's traditional rivals) often refer to the Naval Academy as "Canoe U."

Items of Interest at the Academy

• Japanese Bell. This was brought back to the United States by Commodore Matthew Perry following his famous mission to Japan in 1851. The bell is placed in front of Bancroft Hall and rung whenever the Navy wins the Army-Navy Game (football). The current bell is an exact replica of the original that the United States Navy returned to the Japanese people in the 1980's.
• Tecumseh Statue. This statue is a bronze replica of the figurehead of ship-of-the-line USS Delaware. It was presented to the Academy by the Class of 1891. This bust, one of the most famous relics on the campus, is commonly known as Tecumseh. However, when it adorned the American man-of-war, it commemorated not Tecumseh but Tamanend, the revered Delaware chief who welcomed William Penn to America. The original wooden figurehead is in the Naval Academy fieldhouse. The bronze replica is a good-luck "mascot" for the midshipmen, who throw pennies at it whenever they want a 'favor', such as a sports win over West Point, or spiritual help for examinations. It is painted in colorful war paint before sporting events against West Point and during Graduation Week.
• Battle ensigns. Famous flags of the U.S. Navy and captured flags from enemy ships are displayed throughout the academy. The most famous, perhaps, is the "Don't Give Up the Ship" flag flown by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813; it bears the dying words of Captain James Lawrence, captain of the USS Chesapeake. It is displayed in Memorial Hall, which is in the portion of Bancroft Hall open to the general public.
• Herndon Monument. Every year as part of the year end festivities, this monument is covered with lard and "Plebes" (freshmen or Fourth Class Midshipmen) attempt to climb the monument, remove a "dixie cup" (the headwear of a plebe) and put a hat ("cover") on top. (See the photo at the top of this page...) This symbolizes the successful completion of their first year. Legend also has it that the cadet who places the sailors cap upon the monument will be the first member of the class to reach the rank of Admiral. The Monument was commissioned by the Officers of the U.S. Navy as a tribute to Commander William Lewis Herndon (1813-1857) after his loss in the Pacific Mail Steamer "Central America" during a hurricane off Georgia on September 12, 1857. Herndon had followed the long time custom of the sea that a ship's captain is the last person to depart his ship in peril. It was erected in its current location on June 16, 1860 and has never been moved even though the Academy was completely rebuilt between 1899 and 1908.