Office of the Superintendent/Administrative Records: Abstracts of Quarterly Reports of Naval Cadets at Sea, 1883-1897: 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 entry contains abstracts of quarterly reports of naval cadets serving two years of sea duty after completing four years of study at the academy. The Navy Department established the system of four years of training followed by two years of sea duty in 1882 and continued it until 1912. On the completion of sea duty, the Navy Department assigned the cadets to fill the lowest grades of commissioned officers of the line of the Navy or Marine Corps, or to fill vacancies in the Engineer Corps.

For each quarter abstracts of quarterly reports provide the following information: name of ship on which cadet served and name of commanding officer; ratings of "excellent" to "bad" for performance of duties as deck or division officer or in engine room and fireroom; and rating for attention to duty and conduct. The remarks column includes such information as the date on which the cadet reported for duty, date of transfer or detachment, and typically comments relating to the cadet's performance of duty.

The end of each abstract also includes the date on which the cadet was commissioned, appointed, or assigned to the line of the Navy, Marine Corps, or Engineer Corps, or the date of resignation or discharge.

Arrangement

Arranged by year of completion of the four-year course at the academy and thereunder alphabetically.

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/3039673.

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 100: “Reports of Instruction Received and Duties Performed at Sea by Cadets and Ensigns, 1882-1886” (NAID: 3039667); entry 102: “Quarterly Reports of Fitness of Naval Cadets and Midshipmen, 1900-1905” (NAID: 3046679); 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: Abstracts of Quarterly Reports of Naval Cadets at Sea, 1883-1897, RG 405.2.3 Entry 101

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