Contact Information
Training Center Cape May is the most important training center for all the recruits and aspirants to the United States Coast Guard. The center is obviously operated by the US Coast Guard and commanded by Captain William G. Kelly. It is the one and only recruiting center in the United States of America. As for the training sessions, it is the most popular one. Most of the other similar facilities are slowly losing their activities, so most aspirants orientate their attention towards this place. It is located in Cape May, in the southern part of New Jersey.
Mission
Training Center Cape May hosts multiple schools and ranges for training, but also the recruiting office. The institution represents the first step in every aspirant’s life. Whenever someone hopes to join the United States Coast Guard, this place is the first one to attend. Once accepted in, this is where the first training sessions are held. At the same time, the recruits are trained in all the operations the US Coast Guard conducts, whether they imply lighthouse maintenance, ice patrolling, environmental actions or search and rescue (SAR) missions. As the basic courses reach to an end, each recruit must pick a particular specialization. This is when the more intense programs begin. This is the time when each recruit must pick the right path. One of the most popular courses is the Direct Entry Petty Officer one, which is strictly created to turn regular students into some of the finest petty officers in the branch.
The recruiting office and the training missions are not specifically created for the young aspirants only. Training Center Cape May may also support third parties or particular agencies. They have to follow the same steps. They may opt for individual or group based sessions.
History
The place Training Center Cape May is currently on has a long history in the military field. The place was initially used by the United States Navy. It was a refuge site during the American Revolutionary War. It hasn’t really changed its mission during the 19-th century. The US Navy decided to turn it into a training center for the defensive coastal operations in 1917. Every building on site was renovated and used with different purposes. The site was completely burnt down in 1918 due to an accident. This unhappy event didn’t demoralize the US Navy. Instead, it motivated the officials to raise an even more powerful and modern center, with some of the best facilities for those times.
When World War I reached to an end, the officials built the largest hangar in the world to design some advanced aircrafts. The idea was to build something lighter than air. However, the prototype crashed during the first testing flight, so the project was abandoned and this technique was never implemented. The United States Coast Guard took over the facility in 1924 and commissioned it as Training Center Cape May. Its objectives and mission changed for a few times throughout the history before it was actually turned into a recruiting and training center.
