Office of the Superintendent/Directives: Orders Issued by the Superintendent, 1907-1979: Finding Aid
Published in July 2021
Summary Information
- Publisher: United States Naval Academy. Special Collections & Archives.
- Publisher Address:
589 McNair Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5029, USA
Phone: 410-293-6922
https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/index.php - Call number: RG 405.2.2 Entry 54
- National Archives Identifier: 2990356
- Location: Special Collections & Archives Department - Archives
- Title: Office of the Superintendent/Directives: Orders Issued by the Superintendent
- Dates: 1907-1979
- Size: 3.34 linear feet
- Container Summary: (7 manuscript boxes, 2 half-manuscript boxes
- Creator: United States Naval Academy. Superintendent
- Language(s) of material: English
- Abstract: This entry consists of printed, or otherwise duplicated directives of the Superintendent of the academy.
History of the Office of the Superintendent
The plan of the Naval School at Fort Severn, Annapolis, Maryland, approved by the Navy Department August 28, 1846, provided that a Superintendent of the school be appointed by the Secretary of the Navy from a list of officers of a rank not higher than commander. The Superintendent was to have responsibility for the general management of the institution, including overseeing the course of study, professors, and other personnel connected with the Academy. He could appoint and remove all persons employed at the Academy except those for whose appointment or discharge special provision was made by the laws or regulations of the Navy or the Academy. He had general charge of the buildings, grounds, and ships belonging to the Academy. The Superintendent also formulated the code of rules and regulations for the internal government of the school to be submitted to the Secretary of the Navy for approval. After 1867, officers were assigned by the Navy Department to the Academy to serve as assistants or aides to the Superintendent. The Office of the Superintendent as described in the 1846 plan remained relatively unchanged throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Officers of ranks higher than commander, however, have served in the position.
Description of Contents
This entry consists of printed, or otherwise duplicated directives of the Superintendent of the academy.
Arrangement
The Office of the Superintendent/Directives: Orders Issued by the Superintendent are organized into the following three series:
- Series 1: ORDERS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, 1907-1920
- Series 2: NAVAL ACADEMY ORDERS AND INSTRUCTIONS, 1911-1972
- Series 3: SPECIAL ORDERS, 1923-1979
Access and Use
Access
Access is unrestricted.
Copyright and Permission
Generally, materials produced by Federal agencies are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. Any non-government publications held herein may still be subject to copyright. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.
Other Finding Aid(s)
National Archives Catalog entry available electronically at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/2990356.
Acquisition and Appraisal
Custodial History
RG 405 Records of the United States Naval Academy is the property of the National Archives and Records Administration. The materials are housed at the United States Naval Academy, William W. Jeffries Memorial Archives, an affiliated archive, as per a Memorandum of Agreement between the National Archives and Records Administration and the United States Naval Academy.
Related Materials
Related Archival Material
Many, but not all of these orders, memoranda and notices are duplicated in entry 51: "Orders, Circulars, Memoranda, and other Issuances of the Superintendent, 1870-1928" (NAID: 2990338). For earlier orders, see entry 45: "Orders of Superintendent Cornelius K. Stribling, 1850-1852" (NAID: 2990281); entry 46: "Orders of the Superintendent, 1851-1865" (NAID: 2990283); entry 47: "Orders for the Suspension of Acting Midshipmen, 1856-1862" (NAID: 2990285); entry 48: "Press Copies of Orders Issued by the Superintendent, 1865-1874, 1886-1888" (NAID: 2990289); entry 49: "Orders of the Superintendent, 1874-1886" (NAID: 2990325); entry 50: "Orders Issued by the Superintendent, 1890-1905" (NAID: 2990329); entry 52: "Printed Orders, Circulars, and Notices, 1900-1903" (NAID: 2990354); and entry 53: "Orders, Memoranda, and Notices, 1905-1910" (NAID: 2990355). Other orders, circulars, notices, memoranda, and directives issued by succeeding superintendents may be found in entries 55-58.
Materials Cataloged Separately
No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.
Processing and Other Information
Preferred Citation
Office of the Superintendent/Directives: Orders, Memoranda, and Notices, RG 405.2.2 Entry 54
Special Collections & Archives Department
Nimitz Library
United States Naval Academy
Selected Bibliography
The following sources were consulted during preparation of the historical note:
Sweetman, Jack. The U.S. Naval Academy: An Illustrated History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute Press, 1979.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Samuel Limneos in June 2021. Finding aid written by Samuel Limneos in June 2021. Historical Sketch and Scope and Content Note adapted in part from Inventory of Records Group 405 by Geraldine N. Phillips and Aloha South, 1975.
Subject Headings
Name and Subject Terms
- Midshipmen -- Moral and ethical aspects -- United States
- Midshipmen -- United States
- Naval education -- United States
- United States Naval Academy
- United States Naval Academy -- Administration
- United States Naval Academy -- History -- 20th century
- United States Naval Academy -- Students -- Discipline
- United States Naval Academy. Superintendent
Genre Terms
- Memorandums
- Orders (military records)
- Rules (instructional materials)
Contents List
Series 1: ORDERS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, 1907-1920 Boxes 1-2
Series DescriptionORDERS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT addresses subjects including: reorganization and change of leadership of academic departments; rules for use of public grounds, goods, recreational facilities, and buildings; pest control; holidays; mail delivery; changes to academy regulations; uniforms; automobiles and yard parking; infantry and artillery target practice; dental and medical services; itineraries and instructions for annual summer practice cruises; the academy's Board of Visitors; graduation exercises and ceremonies; use of academy sailing boats; civilian employee accidents and safety; the official naming of academy roads, buildings, and fields; lectures by visiting officers; gate access privileges for officers, civilian employees, and workmen; supply inspections; instructions for intercollegiate crew regattas; visitor seating and conduct at sporting events; implementation of the academy's physical exercise program; change of command instructions; rating midshipman efficiency; vaccinations, quarantines, and other restrictions to prevent spread of disease; sick call procedures; privileges extended to midshipmen; midshipman and naval officer deaths and funeral arrangements; disciplinary infractions, including cheating and hazing; findings of boards of investigation; punishments; Naval Hospital ambulances; the yard commissary; the academy's officers' mess; the library; official visits of foreign naval officers and dignitaries; naval courtesies and traditions; reserve officer corps training; officer promotions; and fire-fighting directives and participation in local fire-fighting operations. Also included are June Week and Naval Academy Band programs, and copies of All Navy (ALNAV) dispatches issued by the Secretary of the Navy during World War I.
Series ArrangementArranged chronologically and thereunder numerically.
Volume 544: Orders Issued by the Superintendent, 1915 January 8-1916 December 9
Orders of note include Superintendent W. F. Fullam's January 25, 1915 directive officially establishing the names of the various buildings, roads and walks of the academy's new Flagg footprint; a February 11, 1915 directive for the visit of Admiral Dewa Shigeto of the Imperial Japanese Navy; a March 26, 1915 directive memorializing Antoine J. Corbesier, academy swordmaster from 1865-1915, upon his death; An April 14, 1915 directive for the 50th Anniversary of the death of Abraham Lincoln; June 14, 1915 directive requiring 2nd, 3rd, and 4th class midshipmen to submit hand-written oaths of allegiance on the first day of each calendar month.
Volume 547: Orders Issued by the Superintendent, 1917 January 9-1918 June 20
Includes orders pertaining to the establishment and graduates of the reserve officer training school on the academy grounds. Other orders of note include copies of various ALNAV (All Navy) radiograms from the Secretary of the Navy related to wartime conditions; Liberty Loan drives; and protection against disclosure of naval intelligence.
Series 2: NAVAL ACADEMY ORDERS AND INSTRUCTIONS, 1911-1972 Boxes 3-5
Series DescriptionNAVAL ACADEMY ORDERS AND INSTRUCTIONS, consists of annually-issued directives of a permanent nature. The records from 1911 to 1938 are entitled Naval Academy Orders. The records from January 1939 to 1952 are entitled Naval Academy Standing Orders. In July 1952 the Naval Academy adopted a new instruction filing and classification system, a predecessor of the present Standard Subject Identification Code (SSIC) system, for release of directives, policies, and guidance material. From 1952 to 1953 the academy retained the old Naval Academy Order system under a general Instruction 5000.1 administration header. During the 1954 academic year, numbered instructions annually issued from the Superintendent's Office replaced the functions of Naval Academy Standing Orders to document matters of permanent nature or reference value. The orders address various subjects including: leaves of absence; holiday routines; the library; protection of confidential information; wartime five-mile prohibition zones around naval installations; warnings against hazing; personnel management of civilian employees, faculty, and officers; June Week exercises; practice cruises; awards and medals; Army-Navy football; the Naval Academy Band; class standing and merit rankings; change of command for academy superintendents; midshipmen, faculty, and staff deaths and funerals; midshipman financial obligations, balls and hops, and sports awards; midshipmen turned back for misconduct and academics; midshipman discharges; midshipman extracurricular clubs; the Naval Academy honor concept; officer and midshipman uniforms; quarantines to restrict spread of diseases; postal mail procedures; annual examinations and the academic calendar; flight training; boards convened to investigate cheating (gouging) incidents; athletic competitions and intercollegiate sports; visits to the academy by distinguished visitors; establishing and maintaining personal service reputation; yard recreational facilities; alcoholic beverages; organization of academic departments; the academy's outdoor swimming pool; impact of congressional legislation on naval academy regulations; traffic regulations; participation in presidential inaugurations; office equipment; handling and transmission of classified material; control of photography; control of pets within the academy grounds; changes to the academy watch stander system; material resources conservation; equal opportunity and affirmative action programs; the academy budget board, library policy board, and the objectives review board; academy representation at meetings of the Society for Engineering Education; and the development and implementation of the academic validation program, elective overload program, majors' program, and graduate education programs. Interfiled throughout the orders are station directories, organizational, reporting and correspondence manuals, and ephemera related to academy prizes and award ceremonies.
Series ArrangementThe first volume in this series contains a master copy of orders arranged numerically by order number. The rest of the orders from 1911 to 1953 are arranged either numerically by order number or chronologically by date of issue. Instructions issued after 1953 are arranged chronologically.
Volume: Naval Academy Standing Orders, 1939 January 3-1949 September 28
This volume consists of what was likely a master copy book containing original and subsequent changes to Naval Academy standing orders maintained by the Superintendent's Office. There is a typed numerical title index in the beginning of the volume. The records are roughly arranged by order number, with no intelligible chronological sequence.
Instructions, 1963 January 4-November 25
Includes Naval Academy, and Navy Department modification of certification workflows for hiring and promotion of civilian personnel, and other internal personnel policies and procedures, in accordance with President Kennedy's Executive Order 10980 establishing the President's Commission on the Status of Women.
Series 3: SPECIAL ORDERS, 1923-1979 Boxes 6-9
Series DescriptionSPECIAL ORDERS, contains orders of a transient nature highlighting specific events and occurrences. Beginning on April 15, 1950 Special Orders were released by the Superintendent for all Class "A" offenses, carrying over 40 demerits, against midshipmen. Hereafter, a substantial number of the orders relate to midshipman misconduct. Other subjects addressed include: changes to academy regulations; chapel services; the organization, to the company-level of the Brigade of Midshipmen, including midshipman-officer details to the rank of Petty Officer Second Class; midshipman, faculty, and staff deaths; quarantine restrictions; midshipman subscriptions and allowances for academy entertainments, sports, publications, and clubs; holidays; public entertainments, hops and balls; annual June Week activities and schedule; annual physical examinations of officers and midshipmen; midshipman misconduct, and revisions to prescribed punishments; midshipman academic and professional deficiency; midshipman, civilian and military employee leave; midshipman liberty; midshipman Practice Cruise itinerary; marksmanship range training and qualifications; officer duties and accessory details; the Officers' Mess; uniforms; visits to the academy by distinguished visitors; the academic calendar and textbooks; extra instruction; Engineering Experiment Station tests; dress parades; maintenance of buildings and grounds; awarding of athletic letters and numerals; prizes and awards; inter-company competition for the regimental flag; the superintendent's annual issuance of letters of commendation to select midshipmen; attendance at Army-Navy football games; congratulatory messages from various naval installations, ships, and commands for Navy victories in the annual Army-Navy football game; traffic regulations and automobile privileges; and regulations and academic calendar for the Reserve Midshipmen's School. Interfiled throughout the special orders are dispatches and ephemera related to athletics, graduations, and June Week.
Series ArrangementArranged chronologically and thereunder numerically.