The Great Lakes Navy Base is the third largest base in the US Navy, established in 1911. It is the sole command facility for training recruits, with approximately 37,000 graduating each year. The base also includes technical training schools and a hospital corps school. It has a rich history, with approximately 100,000 sailors trained there during World War I and pioneering racial integration in the Navy. It currently has over 1,100 buildings, including all 29 original buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.
Navy Base Great Lakes, also known as Naval Station Great Lakes, is the third largest base in the United States Navy. It occupies 1,628 acres (6.6 sq km) on the shore of Lake Michigan, one hour north of Chicago, Illinois. The base was established in 1911. When United States President Theodore Roosevelt signed an order allowing construction of the Great Lakes Navy Base, he told the Navy to make it the largest and best Navy training facility in the world. In the early 21st century, it was home to several critical Navy training programs.
In 1994, the Great Lakes Navy Base became the sole command facility for training recruits in the United States Navy. Approximately 37,000 sailors graduate from the recruit training center each year. During training at “Boot Camp” in Great Lakes, recruits learn about military history and customs and prepare themselves physically and mentally for the demands of military service.
Near the end of their training, recruits visit Battle Station 21. This training facility at the Great Lakes Naval Bases simulates life and work on a Navy ship. During their 12-hour evaluation, recruits respond to fire, flood, and simulated personal injury. This serves as the final exam for recruits before they graduate as sailors.
After “boot camp,” many sailors go to the Training Support Center at the Great Lakes Navy Base. It includes the Navy’s technical training schools, where sailors learn the skills they need to do their job. The base is also home to the Naval Hospital Corps School, which trains sailors to become hospital trainees. These soldiers continue to work in military hospitals, aboard ships, and with units of the Navy.
The Great Lakes Navy Base is an integral part of the history of the Navy and the history of Illinois. During World War I, approximately 100,000 sailors trained at the Great Lakes Navy Base. The base pioneered racial integration in the Navy. The first African-American recruits showed up for training there in 1942. In 1944, the first African-American officers on the base were commissioned.
At any given time, approximately 25,000 people work, live and train at Great Lakes Navy Base. As of 2010, it had more than 1,100 buildings, including all 29 of the original buildings, designed by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt and erected between 1903 and 1927. All 29 original buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States.
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