"Welcome aboard!" After their first glimpse of the massed buildings at Bainbridge, the sight that greeted new arrivals was the main gate located off Route 222. A sign warned drivers to dim their headlights and show passes as they approached the sentry box. Visitors had to sign in at the "quarterdeck" located beside the sentry box. For new recruits passing through the gate may have caused a few butterflies as they realized they were beginning their Navy Career.

When former Bainbridge personnel reminisce about their days at the base there always seems to be a story about the good times at Fiddler's Green - the enlisted personnel club. There was dancing almost every night with some of the biggest names of the day such as Count Basie providing entertainment. Another popular spot was the Acey Ducey Club where, as described in the 1969 base guide " It also serves as a meeting place for the intellectual crowd. Topics under discussion were women, politics, beer, the Navy, wold problems, WAVES, religion etc. The Officers Club was located in a more country club setting - the Monroe House on the former Tome Campus .

Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie School of design. Saint Paul's Chapel was memorable for its unique architecture. Though the chapel could seat 400, religious services were held there for many faiths on a staggered schedule, as were non denominational services. During the 1960s, the Chaplains office was staffed by two Catholic and three Protestant chaplains.

The primary mission of Bainbridge NTC was to prepare men & women for navy careers. in the early days, the main role was to train "boots" for duty at the height of world war. by the end of WWII, 244,277 recruits underwent basic training at Bainbridge. over time the mission changed to focus on skilled training for those who had completed boot camp. the base was transferred to care taker status in 1947 and reactivated in 1951 to equip the navy for the Korean war. in that year, several new schools

opened including Nuclear Power School, Naval Recruit Training for WAVES and Yeoman School. 1951 also marked the return of the NAPS and the reopening of the Naval Hospital. Although it graduated its last male recruits in 1957, the training center became home to Navy administrative duties including distribution and assignments for personnel throughout 70,000 posts in the US. Service records were maintained for the 600,000 recruits by the 315 employees of the Naval Reserve Manpower Center, allowing the Navy to quickly mobilize forces during the Cold War. Housing many essential functions this became many recruit’s first stop on arrival.

The massive outdoor entertainment complex with 8,000 was built in just three months during 1942 and remained in use for 34 years. The theater hosted events from musical acts to religious services. The soaring structure arched high above an open air stage where groups such as The Andrews Sisters, Bob Hope, The Mamas & the Papas , Gary Puckett & the Union Gap entertained crowds seated on benches in the bowl shaped complex. The benches closest to the stage had backs and were reserved for officers, while the others were backless.

Sports were a focus of Bainbridge Life through the years. Individual sports included shooting, golf bowling, swimming football, and briefly fencing lessons during 1943, as they were thought to help with coordination and dexterity. Swimming was a popular sport and naval survival skill. Football was another popular sport, but the ever-changing roster was a challenge for its coaches. Charlie Justice was among the 1944 roster of famous greats. The facilities in later years were used by various civilian and military sports teams. The biggest game of the 1960s, featured NAPS vs. the Military Academy Prep School. The Bainbridge football mascot was a goat – named Seaweed.

The base was divided into four regiments - each occupying a separate training camp. During the 1940s & 50s Bainbridge had capacity to train 20,000 recruits in the four regiments. Like the base, each regiment was named after a Naval Hero. In addition to Camp Barney (4th Regiment), there was Camp Rodgers (1st Regiment) , Camp Perry (2nd Regiment) and Camp James ( 3rd Regiment housing female recruits). All the regiment camps contained its own barracks, drill hall, "grinder" or drill field, mess hall and laundry. Recruits learned the basics of Navy Life and stood at attention through more than one inspection. In aerial photos the drill fields of each camp are recognizable for their open spaces.

Unique to Bainbridge the USS Commodore, was a large-scale wooden training vessel located on dry ground. Nicknamed the “Neversail”, the mock ship had all the features of a regulation Navy vessel, including deck guns, pilot house, whale boats and mooring lines, so sailors could practice seafaring skills. The ship was also used for general practice drills. It became one of the more memorable sights for the school children who visited.

When WWII began, young women were just as eager to serve - and all hands were needed as the nation mobilized for war. To meet this need, in August 1942 the first female officers in Naval history were sworn into the first all female branch of the Navy - known as the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, or WAVES. Although they could not serve aboard combat ships and aircraft - they filled vital roles in administration, support and operations of the Navy. 1951 marked the first class of women who attended the ten week training program. The Waves had their own training camp at Camp Rodgers, and studied subjects such as ships & aircraft, Navy history & citizenship, military drill and physical training. During the 50's Bainbridge was the only WAVES training center. Hunter Hall - the WAVES barrack was dedicated in 1967, and housing up to 450 recruits simultaneously, remains one of the only buildings standing at Bainbridge.

The Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 gave women permanent military status, although the name WAVES continued use throughout the Bainbridge era. The last graduated in May 1972 and training moved to Florida . For more information click here.