U.S. Navy midshipmen arrive at Nautical Mile in return to annual tradition

Visitors from three U.S. Navy sailboats arrived Thursday at the Nautical Mile in Freeport, which they will call home for a few days in a return to an annual tradition canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.

About 26 U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen arrived from Annapolis, Maryland, Village Mayor Robert Kennedy said.

"I used to teach the midshipmen, so it’s exciting to see these future officers come in," said Kennedy, a U.S. Navy veteran who was aboard the USS Vulcan (AR-5) and the USS Shreveport. "When they bring ships, a lot of residents and visitors come to the village to look at them."

The tradition dates back 22 years in which the midshipman sail 280 miles from Annapolis to the village.

The midshipmen are training for service as officers in the U.S. Navy, village officials said.

Long Islanders can see the sailboats — typically 65-foot tall and 44-foot-long — docked at the Freeport Esplanade through Saturday.

The village will hold a barbecue for the midshipmen, who range from 19 to 22 in age, on Saturday before they depart to Annapolis on Sunday.

With Howard Schnapp