Naval Academy Preparatory School
Encyclopedia
The Naval Academy Preparatory School, or NAPS is the preparatory school
for the United States Naval Academy
. NAPS is located on a hill at Naval Station Newport, RI. The mission of the school is "To enhance Midshipman Candidates' moral, mental, and physical foundations to prepare them for success at the United States Naval Academy". The student body, which is organized as a battalion is divided into three companies which are then divided into two platoons each. Each platoon from there is divided into four squads in order to carry out orders with effective results. While the students attend the NAPS they hold the rank of an E-1 which is the equivilant of a Seaman Recruit, but they claim the title of a Midshipman Candidate. A common nickname for the Midshipmen candidates is "NAPSter".
, the Naval Post Graduate School
, and the Naval Academy
are older. Informal preparatory classes began as early as 1915.
In 1918, the Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels
signed a provision to have up to 100 sailors from the fleet to be eligible for entry to the Academy. Due to the difficult nature of the Naval Academy's entrance examination, then Undersecretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt also allowed for a school to be founded to prepare Sailors and Marines for entry.
The first official classes were established at Naval Station, Newport and Naval Station, San Francisco in 1920. A year later the schools were moved to Norfolk, VA and San Diego, CA. San Diego classes were disestablished and NAPS classes remained solely in Norfolk until 1942, when the new Naval Academy Preparatory School opened in Newport, RI.
In early 1943, NAPS moved to the Bainbridge Naval Training Center, a facility of several hundred acres located above the Susquehanna River, some 40 miles northeast of Baltimore, MD. NAPS returned to Newport while the Bainbridge Center was temporarily inactive during a 15-month period around1950. When Bainbridge was reactivated in 1951 because of the Korean War, the preparatory school returned to Maryland. In August 1974, NAPS returned to its permanent home in Newport.
In the 1970s, civilian applicants began to be considered for entry and women were first admitted to NAPS in 1975 following congressional authorization of women to attend all service academies.
In 1979, NAPS began preparing prospective Coast Guard Academy students. The Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, selects students for assignment to NAPS.
In 2006, The Naval Academy Preparatory School named their newly built dormitory in honor of alumnus Colonel John Ripley. Ripley Hall is located on 197 elliot street in Newport Rhode Island.
In 2008, NAPS stopped taking Coast Guard Academy Candidates.
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
for the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
. NAPS is located on a hill at Naval Station Newport, RI. The mission of the school is "To enhance Midshipman Candidates' moral, mental, and physical foundations to prepare them for success at the United States Naval Academy". The student body, which is organized as a battalion is divided into three companies which are then divided into two platoons each. Each platoon from there is divided into four squads in order to carry out orders with effective results. While the students attend the NAPS they hold the rank of an E-1 which is the equivilant of a Seaman Recruit, but they claim the title of a Midshipman Candidate. A common nickname for the Midshipmen candidates is "NAPSter".
History
The Naval Academy Preparatory School is the Navy’s fourth oldest school; only the Naval War CollegeNaval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
, the Naval Post Graduate School
Naval Postgraduate School
The Naval Postgraduate School is an accredited research university operated by the United States Navy. Located in Monterey, California, it grants master's degrees, Engineer's degrees and doctoral degrees...
, and the Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
are older. Informal preparatory classes began as early as 1915.
In 1918, the Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels
Josephus Daniels
Josephus Daniels was a newspaper editor and publisher from North Carolina who was appointed by United States President Woodrow Wilson to serve as Secretary of the Navy during World War I...
signed a provision to have up to 100 sailors from the fleet to be eligible for entry to the Academy. Due to the difficult nature of the Naval Academy's entrance examination, then Undersecretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt also allowed for a school to be founded to prepare Sailors and Marines for entry.
The first official classes were established at Naval Station, Newport and Naval Station, San Francisco in 1920. A year later the schools were moved to Norfolk, VA and San Diego, CA. San Diego classes were disestablished and NAPS classes remained solely in Norfolk until 1942, when the new Naval Academy Preparatory School opened in Newport, RI.
In early 1943, NAPS moved to the Bainbridge Naval Training Center, a facility of several hundred acres located above the Susquehanna River, some 40 miles northeast of Baltimore, MD. NAPS returned to Newport while the Bainbridge Center was temporarily inactive during a 15-month period around1950. When Bainbridge was reactivated in 1951 because of the Korean War, the preparatory school returned to Maryland. In August 1974, NAPS returned to its permanent home in Newport.
In the 1970s, civilian applicants began to be considered for entry and women were first admitted to NAPS in 1975 following congressional authorization of women to attend all service academies.
In 1979, NAPS began preparing prospective Coast Guard Academy students. The Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, selects students for assignment to NAPS.
In 2006, The Naval Academy Preparatory School named their newly built dormitory in honor of alumnus Colonel John Ripley. Ripley Hall is located on 197 elliot street in Newport Rhode Island.
In 2008, NAPS stopped taking Coast Guard Academy Candidates.