"Anyone who goes up there and just stands in the quiet can literally feel the presence of things past. You almost believe you hear the men." - Albert F. Bagley Jr. One of Bainbridge's First Recruits from the NY Times.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US was faced with the monumental task of building a Navy that could be deployed in two major theaters of operation during a world war. Three massive naval training bases were immediately established to meet those needs: Sampson in New York, Farragut in Idaho and Bainbridge in Maryland.

Overlooking the Susquehanna River near the Chesapeake Bay, the base takes its name from Commodore William Bainbridge, a naval hero of the War of 1812. The Navy moved quickly to establish the base, beginning with the purchase of the Tome School buildings and 188-acre campus for $900,000. An indication of the urgency involved was that the school's staff was only given 36 hours to vacate the premises. Farms in the vicinity were added to the acreage for the training base. By the time the base was opened in October 1942, the Navy owned 1,070 acres, which would eventually expand to 1,200 acres.

The first sailors in training arrived at Bainbridge on October 18, 1942. Nineteen year old Damon Sutton of PA, was the first recruit to walk through the gate. During the next 34 years more than 350,000 men and women would follow. At its height during WWII the base ad a population of about 38,000. In the years that followed Bainbridge became home to peacetime uses such as the Naval Academy Preparatory School, Nuclear Power School and Manpower Reserve Center. During the 1950's Bainbridge served as home to the only WAVES recruit training Command in the US. The Base closed in 1976 and the Navy gave ownership of the property to the State of Maryland in 2000. For More information on the Service Schools or WAVES visit the respective links. v

This progression of aerial photographs shows Bainbridge Naval Training Center from when it first opened to how the site appears today. the first 1943 photographs the bare ground of new construction was still visible. By the 19702, the base had a more established appearance with trees and landscaping visible among the network of roads and more than 500 buildings at Bainbridge. These buildings were planned to last 25 years but were used for 34 years. Today almost all of the buildings have been demolished. One of the few that still remains is Hunter Hall WAVES Barracks, built in 1967. In addition to the former Tome School buildings that housed the Naval Academy Preparatory School, the roads and drill feilds are the other remaining landmarks.