Great Lakes, Illinois



Naval Station Great Lakes
North Chicago, Illinois
Navstalogo.jpg
Naval Station Great Lakes insignia
Coordinates 42°18′33.08″N 87°51′0.25″W / 42.3091889°N 87.8500694°W / 42.3091889; -87.8500694
In use 1911 - present
Controlled by United States Navy
Garrison Recruit Training Command
Commanders Captain John Malfitano[1]

Naval Station Great Lakes is the United States Navy's Headquarters Command for training, located in the city of North Chicago, Illinois, in Lake County. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Center, Training Support Center and Naval Recruiting District Chicago. Naval Station Great Lakes is the largest military installation in Illinois and the largest training center in the Navy. The base has 1,153 buildings situated on 1,628 acres (6.59 km2) and has 50 miles (80 km) of roadway to provide access to the base's facilities. Within the naval service, it has several different nicknames, including "The Quarterdeck of the Navy," or the more derogatory "Great Mistakes," the latter being used by disgruntled sailors who wish for nothing more than civilian life.

The original 39 buildings built between 1903 and 1927 were designed by Jarvis Hunt[2].

The Great Lakes Naval Training Center won the 1919 Rose Bowl football game against Mare Island.

The base is completely self sufficient from the civilian communities surrounding it, with its own fire department, police department, brig (jail), and maintenance departments.

One of the landmarks of the area is the large Central Administration Building. Completed in 1911, the building is made of red brick, and has a tower that stands 300 feet over the third floor of the building, dwarfing all other buildings on the base, with the exception of the Naval Hospital, located several yards to the right of the Administration Building. The large parade ground in front of the administration building is named Ross Field, and is usually the place where Pass In Review ceremonies are held every Friday during the summer months.

Contents

Major Tenant Commands

Recruit Training Command

Main article: United States Navy Basic Training
An aerial view showing a special recruit graduation "Pass in Review" Ceremony held at Ross Field, Naval Training Center Great Lakes.
Naval Station Great Lakes is located in Illinois
Location of Naval Station Great Lakes in Illinois

Since 1994, RTC Great Lakes became the Navy's only basic training facility. The Base Realignment and Closure Commission of 1993 resulted in the consolidation of recruit training to Great Lakes. Approximately 50,000 recruits pass through Great Lakes Recruit Training Command annually with an estimated 15,000 recruits onboard the installation at any time. Great Lakes RTC has been turning civilians into Sailors for over 80 years.

Training Support Center

TSC Great Lakes is the Navy's premier technical training command. It has an annual throughput of 16,000 sailors a year. TSC supports the following five learning sites:

  • Center for Surface Combat Systems (CSCS)
  • Center for Naval Engineering (CNE)
  • Center for EOD and Dive (CNEODD)
  • Center for Naval Leadership (CNL)
  • Center for Personal Development (CPD)
  • Center for Service Support (CSS)

The following rate training class A-schools are located at NTC Great Lakes:

In addition, all Navy rates that require basic electrical knowledge and troubleshooting training complete Apprentice Technical Training (ATT) school. This includes some aviation rates prior to detachment to their respective school locations. Boatswain's Mates and undesignated seamen complete Surface Common Core (SCC) Basic Maintenance Training.

BRAC 2005

Despite issuance of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list in 2005, Great Lakes NTC (Naval Training Command) and RTC (Recruit Training Command — the Boot Camp portion) are not slated for closing. Several hundred million dollars have been invested in building new barracks ("ships"), a $72,000,000 training facility, as well as numerous upgrades around the base, including a non-denominational chapel, and reception center for civilian families. It is the United States Navy's only boot camp facility. Great Lakes Naval Recruit Training Command (RTC) in Illinois is the central processing location for Naval recruits. Approximately 50,000 recruits pass through Great Lakes RTC annually with up to 25,000 recruits enrolled at the installation at any time. The main reason for Great Lakes surviving the closure, is due to the fact that it is the only Recruit Training Command within the Navy, and is the main Service School Command as well, taking over most of the schools after the closure of the two Service School Commands, and Recruit Training Centers in San Diego and Orlando.

Geographically, the station separates the affluent North Shore from the more industrial Waukegan/North Chicago area, the latter now announcing numerous redevelopments across their span for strip malls and New Urban residency communities.

The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Great Lakes Naval Training Station historic district in 1986 covering 1,932 acres (7.8 km2), 43 buildings, 14 structures, and six objects.

Museum

See also: U.S. Navy Museum #Other Navy museums

On or near the base is the Great Lakes Naval Museum, one of fifteen official U.S. Navy museums.[3]

References

  1. ^ https://www.cnic.navy.mil/navycni/groups/public/documents/document/cnicp_a135185.pdf
  2. ^ Jarvis Hunt Buildings - math.uic.edu - Retrieved July 13, 2008
  3. ^ Great Lakes Naval Museum webpage. Naval History & Heritage Command official website. Retrieved 2010-03-09.

External links

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