United States Naval Academy - Lucky Bag Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

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THE CONSPICUOUS little Mexican War monument midway between Bancroft Hall and the academic group, honors the midshipmen who fell in the war with Mexico. A short distance away stands the obelisk erected to the memory of Commander JVilliam L. Herndon. The story back of this stone is a poignant one. As the captain of a ship which was foundering off Hatteras on September 12, 1857, Commander Herndon, seeing that nothing more could be done to save his ship and his men, went below, donned his full dress uniform and returned to the bridge. A few minutes later the ship began to sink rapidly. As the vessel plunged beneath the waves he came to a rigid attention and proudly raised his hat, — a gesture that for true majesty is unparalleled in naval history. : The oldest and most ornate monument found on the grounds of the Academy is the Tripolitan monument commemorating the intrepidity of the six gallant young officers of our infant Navy in its war with the Barbary pirates. The names of Somers, Caldwell, Israel, Dorsey, Wadsworth, and Decatur are indelibly im- pressed on the minds of all new Plebes in their first days at the Academy as are their exploits. Each and every monument found at the Academy has its story of devotion to duty, self-sacrifice, courage, and determination to add in some way to the rich heritage of tradition that forms the solid foundation of our Navy. THE MAGNIFICENT CHAPEL BUILDING was completed in 1908. This im- posing edifice, in the form of a Greek cross, with a huge dome over two hundred feet high, was built at a cost of over $400,000. The splendid bronze doors were given to the Academy by Colonel Robert Means Thompson in memory of the Class of 1868. Once inside the Chapel one is awed by the richness and beauty of the architecture and espe- cially the stained glass windows. The main windows are memorials to the Navy ' s first three admirals — Porter, Dewey, and Farragut; the two flanking windows portray the mission of the Chapel. One, dedicated to Lieutenant Commander Theodorus B. Mason, shows Sir Galahad with his sheathed sword before him. The other portrays a newly com- missioned ensign being shown by Christ the beacon he must follow as an officer. In 1939 it was decided to enlarge the Chapel in order to accommodate the increasing size of the regiment. Accordingly an extension was added which changed the plan from a Greek cross to the more familiar Christian cross. On March 16, 1941, the Construction Corps of the Navy presented a church ship model to the Naval Academy on behalf of the alumni of the Academy who were members of the Construction Corps when it was amal- gamated with the Navy the previous year. This votive ship model, measuring more than ten and one half feet overall, hangs from a heavy steel chain in the arch of the nave near the entrance of the new extension. The history of the votive ship model goes back to the earliest days when man associated the sea and the ship with an unseen deity who would look out for They that go down to the sea in ships. As far as is known, this is the only real votive ship model in the Western Hemisphere. Below the new Chapel extension is St. Andrew ' s Chapel, named for the Patron Saint of Sailors, used for weddings, baptisms, Sunday School classes, choir practices, and other rites. The Chapel visitor will always find that the most impressive moments there are those during Sunday services when the regiment reverently sings the Naval Academy hymn.

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MEMORIALS TO OUR NAVAL GREAT -nil- fFest Point cadets. This march has been the football fight song of the Academy since its first singing. A stirring hymn, Navy Blue and Gold was composed in the middle twenties by Professor J. W. Crosley to serve as the Alma Mater song. The true sentiments of the Academy graduate for his Alma Mater are nowhere more nobly expressed than in this hymn. This same year saw the completion o( Maury Hall, the home of the Depart- ment of Mathematics and the Department of English, History, and Government; Sampson Hall, the home of the Department of Electrical Engineering; Mahan Hall, the scene of all lectures, stage productions, and movies for the midshipmen; and the new Administration Building. ONE OF THE MANY TASKS confronting the duty officers at the Naval Academy was that of developing the midshipmen from school boys to polished gentlemen with the strictest sense of dignity and honor. The close attention to detail which this required can be seen by examining the dancing regulations which th e Department of Discipline (forerunner of the Executive Department) formulated in 1913: 1. None of the modern dances will be performed under any circumstances. 2. Midshipmen must keep their left arm straight during all dances. 3. A space of three inches must be kept between the dancing couple. 4. Midshipmen must not take their partner ' s arm under any circumstances. 5. Midshipmen will not leave the ballroom floor until the dance has been completed and all officers and their guests have left. With such restrictions it is not surprising that midshipmen did not acquire grace on the dance floor. Smoking was also strictly regulated by the Department of Discipline. It had been a hard and fast rule for many years that midshipmen would not be permitted to smoke in their rooms, but later years brought the extraordinary privilege for First Classmen of keeping their smoking articles in cabinets in Recreation Hall, where they could congregate after dinner for a smoke and a chat. It is from this privilege that Recreation Hall acquired its more popular name of Smoke Hall. The NAVAL ACADEMY grounds have always been a Valhalla of American naval heroes and it is to these men that the numerous impressive memorials are erected about the Yard. The first object of interest to the visitor in Bancroft Hall is the flag hung high in Memorial Hall. It is under this flag that all midshipmen begin their naval careers as they take the oath of office. The flag is simple, but it has a message of fighting courage and determination in its blue folds. The uneven white letters stitched on the faded blue field spell out the words always present in the subconscious mind of the Naval Academy graduate as he takes on the mantel of an officer— DON ' T GIVE UP THE SHIP. These undying words of Captain Lawrence of the Chesapeake, flown on this flag by Com- modore Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie significantly confront the midshipman on his first and last day at the Naval Academy — initially as he takes the oath of office as a midshipman, and finally as he is commissioned an ensign in the United States Navy.

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FIRST WORLD WAR FINDS ACADEMY PREPARED -XXIV- DURING THE first World War the policy of the Navy Department concerning the Naval Academy was to accelerate the course of study. The class of 1917 graduated three months early and the Class of 1918 graduated in June of 1917, one year early. The three year course remained in effect until the end of the war, when it reverted to the four year plan. The expanding navy of wartime required more officers than the Naval Academy could provide so a three month course was devised to train special- ized reserve ensigns. Rear Admiral Eberle, then Superintendent, supervised this pro- gram which graduated four classes of reserve officers, popularly known to regular officers as ninety-day-wonders. Since the first war the Naval Academy has been particularly fortunate in its assignment of Superintendents. All have been outstanding men with distinguished records of service and professional accomplishment. On July 5, 1921, Rear Admiral Henry B. Wilson became Superintendent and was immediately con- fronted with a Congressional invQStxgation of hazing. Prior to this time the hazing situa- tion at the Academy was nothing to be spoken of lightly. The civilian professors often wondered just what went on the night before in Bancroft Hall that made the Plebes come to class with swollen lips, black eyes, bruise marks, and cuts. The result of this investiga- tion was another Act of Congress forbidding the practice of hazing. Once this troublesome situation was settled Admiral fFilson determined to make some sweeping changes in the existing scheme of things and accomplished most of his objectives. He did a great deal to liberalize the rates and privileges of the midshipmen, conscientiously believing that the life of the midshipman was too strict. His fair and speedy justice met with the approval of the midshipmen who came to be great admirers of the methods of his administration. An excellent example of his celerity in assigning punishments for dis- ciplinary offenses is that case in which the midshipman was dismissed and left the Academy within six hours after being reported. The aggressive Superintendent also revived the lethargic sports program to the highest degree of activity it had ever at- tained. There were as many as forty organized and coached tennis teams in competition in one after noon after classes — a great accomplishment in comparison to the numerous radiator squads of earlier years. The uniform of the midshipmen was changed at this time from that resembling the dress of the fVest Point cadet to the present neat and far more practical open lapel type blue service suit. The privilege of smoking in the rooms of Bancroft Hall was granted to all midshipmen along with the first Christ- mas leave in the history of the Academy. PRIOR TO 1924 it has been a custom for Second Classmen to purchase their cherished class rings and keep them in their rooms until after the final navigation ex- amination of that year. On that fateful day First Classmen would unceremoniously accost Second Classmen leaving the examination building, drag them to Dewey Basin and cast them into the Severn. In 1924 an unfortunate accident, causing the death of a midshipman focused attention on the unorthodox method by which the Second Class- men received their rings. This rough and noisy ceremony was to be replaced by one more dignified and memorable — the Ring Dance. This is the only dance midshipmen attend; all other similar entertainments are called hops. The Ring Dance is, next to gradua-