The statement is not intended to diminish the significant contributions of the many locations and individuals who laid the foundation for Naval Cryptology long before Corry Station opened its doors.

The history of Naval Cryptologic training reaches back to the On-The-Roof Gang, whose pioneering training was conducted at the Navy Main Building in Washington, D.C., in the years leading up to World War II. During and after World War II, training continued at Navy Radio Station Bainbridge Island, followed by the Naval School at Imperial Beach during the postwar period and the beginning of the Cold War. Other important training locations included 3801 Nebraska Avenue, Washington, D.C.; Goodfellow Air Force Base; Winter Harbor; and Fort Meade. Each played an important role in developing the people and capabilities that would become the foundation of modern Naval Cryptology.

The Beginning of a New Era

On January 3, 1961, Corry Station opened its doors to its first class of Communications Technicians (CTs). With the exception of language training conducted at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, this marked the beginning of the consolidation of Navy Communications Technician “A” school training at Corry Station.

Fifteen years later, another important milestone occurred. On March 26, 1976, the Bureau of Naval Personnel announced the change in title of the Communications Technician (CT) rating to Cryptologic Technician. The change aligned the designation of the enlisted Communications Technician rating with the Navy’s existing Cryptologic Warrant Officer, Restricted Line, and Limited Duty Officer communities.

This was more than a change in terminology. It formally established the identity of the Cryptologic Technician community and marked a significant milestone in the evolution of Naval Cryptologic training at Corry Station.

That same year, Rear Admiral George Patrick March, Commander, Naval Security Group, dedicated several schoolhouse buildings at Corry Station to some of the Navy’s earliest and most accomplished cryptologists: RMC Kidder, RMC Gunn, LCDR Daniels, and RMC McGregor. All were members of the legendary On-The-Roof Gang and instructors who helped establish the foundation of Navy cryptologic training.

Naming these buildings was significant. It connected the new generation of cryptologists being trained at Corry Station with the pioneers who had established the profession decades earlier. In many respects, it built a bridge between the past and the future of Naval Cryptology.

Remembering Those Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

Shortly after the schoolhouses were named, three barracks buildings were given names honoring individuals who represented a very different part of the cryptologic legacy—the men who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Today, visitors to Corry Station will see Smith Hall, Graves Hall, and Traughber Hall.

CTC Melvin D. Smith and CT1 Curtis A. Graves were killed in action while serving aboard USS Liberty. CPL Stephen L. Traughber was killed in action while serving with the 1st Radio Battalion in Vietnam.

Their names serve as a reminder that Naval Cryptology is not simply a story of technology, training, and technical achievement. It is also a story of service, sacrifice, and the men and women who placed themselves in harm’s way in support of the nation.

Corry Station Becomes the Keeper of the Legacy

Following the disestablishment of the Naval Security Group Command on September 30, 2005, many of the command’s historic cryptologic artifacts, equipment, photographs, and documents were transferred to Corry Station. These materials became part of the Command Display in Building 503.

With that transfer, Corry Station became more than a place where the Navy trained cryptologists. It also became a repository for much of the institutional memory of the Naval Security Group and the history of Navy Cryptology.

The artifacts and stories preserved at Corry Station help connect today’s cryptologists with those who came before them.

Sixty Five Years of Training

In March 2026, Corry Station “celebrated” 65 years of training Naval Cryptologists.

There is no precise historical accounting of every cryptologic enlisted Sailor and officer who passed through Corry Station’s gates. However, using a conservative average of approximately 5,000 graduates per year, the number of graduates over six decades would exceed 300,000.

That extraordinary number represents generations of Sailors and officers who went on to serve aboard ships, submarines, aircraft, at shore commands, and throughout the global intelligence community.

Carrying the Mantle

Corry Station did not train the first Navy radio intercept operators or cryptanalysts. That distinction belongs to the pioneers who came before it, including Lieutenant Laurence F. Safford and the men and women who established the Navy’s early communications intelligence and cryptanalytic capabilities.

But Corry Station inherited their legacy—and carried it forward.

For more than six decades, Corry Station has served as the Navy’s principal home for cryptologic training, educating generations of Sailors, Marines and officers while preserving the history of those who established the profession.

Corry Station may not be where Naval Cryptology began, but it is where much of its past, present, and future came together.

That is why Corry Station can rightly be called the “Cradle of Naval Cryptology.”