Office of the Superintendent/Administrative Records: Reports of Instruction Received and Duties Performed at Sea by Cadets and Ensigns, 1882-1886: Finding Aid

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 series contains reports of instruction received and duties performed at sea by cadets and ensigns. It contains printed forms completed with the following information concerning the cadet or ensign for each quarter: name of the ship on which instruction was received and duties performed; number of hours ship was at sea; number of hours spent in charge of deck, fireroom, or engine room; and description of the character of instruction or duties assigned.

Cadets fulfilling two years of sea duty following four years of study at the academy received the instruction and performed the duties documented in these volumes. One of the provisions of the act of August 5, 1882 included that cadet midshipmen and cadet engineers be assigned the same duties aboard the ship in order that both groups acquire thorough knowledge of navigation, gunnery, seamanship, and steam engineering.

Arrangement

Arranged by class and thereunder by academic department and branch, and thereunder alphabetically by midshipman surname. Name indices are included in each volume.

Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

Use of materials is unrestricted.

Other Finding Aid(s)

National Archives Catalog entry available electronically at: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/3039667.

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

Contemporary and later reports evidencing naval cadet performance at sea may be found in entry 101: “Abstracts of Quarterly Reports of Naval Cadets at Sea, 1883-1897” (NAID: 3039673); and entry 103: “Sea Service Records of Midshipmen During Summer Practice Cruises, 1904-1916” (NAID: 3049246).

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Office of the Superintendent/Administrative Records: Reports of Instruction Received and Duties Performed at Sea by Cadets and Ensigns, 1882-1886, RG 405.2.3 Entry 100

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 April 2023. Finding aid written by Samuel Limneos in May 2023. 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 -- United States
• Naval education -- United States
• United States Naval Academy - Students
• • United States Naval Academy -- History – 19th century

Genre Terms

• Reports