USS Recruit, San Diego

About USS Recruit

USS RECRUIT is a landlocked training ship built to two-thirds the scale of a Dealey-class destroyer escort and commissioned in 1949. Visitors explore the vessel's interior to learn how Navy recruits trained in shipboard fundamentals including navigation, gunnery, and basic naval procedures. The structure measures 225 feet from bow to stern, standing 41 feet tall from mast tip to asphalt, and features standard naval rigging and a 3-inch gun. In 1982, the ship was reconditioned as a training guided-missile frigate, increasing its length to 233 feet. From 1949 to 1989, over 50,000 recruits annually learned how to follow orders and maneuver through the vessel at the Naval Training Center. The ship earned the playful nickname USS Neversail because it never touched water. Designated a California State Historic Landmark in 2005 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, USS RECRUIT remains the only surviving training structure of three built by the Navy after World War II. It is located in San Diego.