Annapolis, Maryland
The United States Naval Academy was founded in 1845 on the site of Fort Severn, and now occupies an area of land reclaimed from the Severn River next to the Chesapeake Bay. The Annapolis area was the home of a VLF-transmitter called NSS Annapolis, which was used by the United States Navy to communicate with its Atlantic submarine fleet. Students that attend the Naval Academy are enrolled in school for four years with a following five year commitment to serving in the Marine Corps or Navy. There is a typical average of around 4,500 students enrolled.
Pennsylvania Nautical School
The Pennsylvania Nautical School’s first schoolship was the USS Saratoga, a 47 year old 882 ton sloop of war, named after Battle of Saratoga of the American Revolutionary War. In 1908 the Saratoga was replaced by the USS Adams, a 1,397 ton screw gunboat. The Adams served for five years until the school was discontinued on February 16, 1914 due to local disagreements and lack of funding by the State Legislature. On July 8, 1919 the Pennsylvania State Legislature reactivated the nautical school and renamed it the Pennsylvania State Nautical School. The USS Annapolis was designated as the nautical school's training vessel and until its service ended in 1941. In 1940 the administration of the school was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission and was renamed the Pennsylvania Maritime Academy. In the Spring of 1942 the administration ended and the cadets were transferred to the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. The former Coast Guard cutter USCG Seneca became the nautical school's fourth schoolship. In September 1942 administration of the school was returned to the State of Pennsylvania and the Seneca was renamed the USS Keystone State. In 1946, the USS Selinur, renamed USS Keystone State II, became the nautical school's fifth and final schoolship. Lack of State government funding, allegations of cadet's "mutinous behavior," allegations of political corruption, and a decrease in applicants, led to the closure of the Pennsylvania Maritime Academy on June 20, 1947