Day 48 Pt 2

The church is another beautiful structure on campus. (Pic 1) John Paul Jones' tomb is housed in the basement. Despite the popular belief that he is the "father of the Navy" - he wasn't - George Washington is. However, the Navy reveres him for his courage and conquests. (Pic 2) A Naval graduate retrieved his body from Paris and brought it to the Academy in the early 1900's. After we were done with the tour, we visited the museum, which is a source of great pride to the school. It's not there just to display artifacts or tell the history of the Navy, it is there to inspire students to become leaders - great leaders like the ones immortalized in the museum. There is so much, it's impossible to relate all that we saw. They have the largest collection of model ships in the world - an entire floor is dedicated to them. One area is reserved for "bone ships". These were carved by French POW's during the Napoleonic Wars. The prisoners would save the bones from their meager meals and carve these amazing sailing vessels. (Pic 3) The detail is phenomenal. The English would let them sell them on the streets outside of the prison. We ended our visit with a delectable lunch at the Officer's Club - very quiet and dignified. (Pic 4) We had the best crab cakes and crab soup since we hit Maryland. Tomorrow is the parade and fireworks. Hoping Arthur and the storms steer clear of us.