US NAVY | Oct. 10, Naval Academy Founded, 1845–170 Years Old

This day in 1845 was established the U.S. Naval Academy (also known as USNA, Annapolis, or simply Navy), a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Md.

Created by Navy Secretary George Bancroft, it is the second-oldest of the five U.S. service academies, after West Point. It educates officers for commissioning primarily into the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

The U.S. Navy was born during the American Revolution when the need for a naval force to match the Royal Navy became clear. But during the period immediately following the Revolution, the Continental Navy was demobilized in 1785 by an economy-minded Congress.

However, a subsequent mutiny in the Navy showed how a lack of discipline had developed, and was evidence of the need for a naval academy. During the 1838-45 period the program was located at the Philadelphia Naval Asylum.

The Academy started with 50 students and seven professors, moving from Philadelphia in 1845 to Annapolis. Today it spreads out over 338 acres on the former grounds of Fort Severn, where the Severn River flows into Chesapeake Bay, 26 miles southeast of Baltimore. The campus is a National Historic Landmark and home to many historic sites, buildings, and monuments.

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