USNTC Bainbridge, MD

• Establishment During WWII: US Naval Training Center Bainbridge was established in 1942 in Port Deposit, Maryland, to rapidly train recruits for the U.S. Navy during World War II. • Named After a Hero: The center was named after Commodore William Bainbridge, a hero of the War of 1812 and an early commander of the U.S. Navy. • Massive Scale: At its peak, USNTC Bainbridge could accommodate up to 40,000 recruits at one time, making it one of the largest training centers in the United States. • Women's Naval Training: The facility was also home to the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), providing basic training to thousands of female sailors during WWII. • Hollywood Connection: In 1955, scenes for the film "Mister Roberts," starring Henry Fonda and Jack Lemmon, were filmed on location at USNTC Bainbridge. • Cold War Role: After WWII, the center continued to train Navy personnel throughout the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Cold War era. • Medical Training Hub: Bainbridge hosted the Naval Hospital Corps School, one of the Navy's major medical training programs, graduating thousands of hospital corpsmen. • POW Camp: During WWII, the base also held a prisoner-of-war camp for German sailors captured in the Atlantic. • Closure and Legacy: The training center was officially closed in 1976, but its alumni association remains active and the site is remembered for shaping the lives of hundreds of thousands of sailors. • Environmental Cleanup: After closure, the site underwent extensive environmental remediation due to decades of military use, and portions have been repurposed for civilian use, including educational and commercial purposes.