Chicago Navy Memorial Foundation

The Memorial‘s story-telling elements will commemorate and educate the public about important facts such as these: Two Navy Pier–based aircraft carriers trained and qualified18,000 Navy and Marine Corps carrier pilots during World War II. Navy Pier served as home of the Naval Air Technical Training Center, training over 60,000 Navy aircraft technicians during World War II. Navy Pier served as the area’s exhibition center for Navy War Loan drives, raising billions for the war effort. During World War II, over 500,000 Navy Sailors received their initial training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Today, approximately 40,000 Navy recruits receive their initial training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center annually. Great Lakes led the first integration of African-American Sailors into the Navy — including the first thirteen black commissioned officers. Chicagoland’s factories were key to World War II vistory — aircraft, ships and war materiel were produced here in enormous quantities. Four United States Navy ships have been named USS Chicago—including one sunk in World War II with the loss of 63 Navy Sailors

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