NStar Articles

Young people who choose to serve their country in the United States military might enlist after high school or enter an officer candidate program after earning a 4-year college degree.  But a select few spend their high school years building an outstanding record of achievement that will make them competitive for an appointment to one of the nation’s military service academies.

Sir Winston Churchill once famously stated, “Of all the branches of the men in the forces there is none which shows more devotion and faces grimmer perils than the submariners.”

This brave fighting force is the silent service, requiring highly educated and qualified personnel to staff and operate its complex weapons systems undersea. Life aboard these platforms is demanding. Submariners forgo fresh air and natural light, working and living in close quarters to perform their critical duties beneath the seas. The submarine community and its history are celebrated each year at the Submarine Birthday Ball.

On October 10, 1845, Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft established the Naval School.  Opening with 50 midshipmen and seven professors, the original academic program required a five-year course of study. Located on the grounds of former US Army Post, Fort Severn, the United States Naval Academy has experienced incredible changes and evolved throughout its noble history.