The landlocked warship that trained thousands of sailors for decades in San Diego

History · Published 20 October 2026 · Updated 22 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Naval Training Center San Diego was once a bustling boot camp, housing up to 40,000 personnel at its peak. Among its most curious features was the USS Recruit, a concrete, landlocked model warship used to teach sailors shipboard procedures. Today, the base is a repurposed community known as Liberty Station.

Established in 1923 following a push by Congressman William Kettner to strengthen San Diego's military ties, the Naval Training Center (NTC) served as a primary training hub for the U.S. Navy for 70 years. The base grew organically in response to national defense needs, eventually sprawling across 550 acres with 300 buildings. Its architecture, notably the Historic Core, was designed by Frank Walter Stevenson in the Mission Revival style, creating a distinct aesthetic that remains a landmark today.

The base population fluctuated wildly with global conflicts. During World War II, it housed 33,000 men, while the Korean War saw a peak of 40,000. In 1955, the Navy completed Camp Nimitz to accommodate thousands of additional recruits, and by 1970, extensive upgrades provided new classrooms for 31 specialized schools. The base was so central to Navy life that it even featured the USS Recruit, a two-thirds scale model warship built in 1949. Affectionately called the USS Neversail, it allowed recruits to practice naval operations without ever leaving the ground.

The end of the Cold War signaled the base's decline. In 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure commission slated NTC for closure, and by 1997, all military operations ceased. The transition to civilian life was managed through a unique partnership between the City of San Diego and the Navy, which allowed for interim leasing of buildings to businesses and nonprofits. This prevented the site from falling into disrepair before its full redevelopment into Liberty Station. While the military retained a small portion of the land, the former boot camp now serves as a vibrant mixed-use community, preserving its historic structures while hosting everything from public golf courses to film sets.

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