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In 1940, Henry Ford agreed to use land at the Rouge and build the Navy Service School for use of the U.S. Navy. The school opened 40 days after construction started in January 1941, with 150 men and Captain E.S. Stoker U.S.N. serving as the head of the school.

[Aerial View of  Navy Service School at Ford Rouge Plant, Dearborn, Michigan, 1945 / THF98939]

The school was established to train aviation machinists, machinists mates, metal smiths, ship's fitters, and diesel engineers. Instruction was conducted by Ford Motor Company employees at the Henry Ford Trade School in the B building and various parts of the Rouge plant, but the men were under the command of Navy officers. Each day consisted of classwork and machine work from 7:30-3:30, with students spending 32 hours per week on machine work and 8 hours per week in the classroom. Two men were assigned to each machine, one with one month of experience, the other was new to the machine and learned from the instruction and the more experienced student. Students were scattered across the Rouge complex working in different areas of the factory, even on the Ford Fleet ships docked at the plant. The school graduated an average of 2000 men every three months. Each training session, about 600-900 students were enrolled in a special course on airplane engine maintenance at the Aircraft Building and some students who show promise were enrolled in an additional 3 month diesel engine course. The school also trained cooks and bakers for the Navy.

[Navy Service School Classes at Ford River Rouge Plant, Dearborn, Michigan, 1941-1945 / THF98923]

After class was dismissed each day, the men's time was there own and there were multiple areas available for recreation. The school had a reading room, recreation hall with tri-weekly movies, and a dance floor for USO parties. There were eight barracks which held 250 men each, an administration building, steam plant, commissary, hospital and dental clinic, two powerhouses, athletic field, and their own fire truck and firefighters. The mess hall held 960 per sitting in two shifts and next to mess hall students had a canteen and soda fountain available for their use. The school's last class completed training in December of 1944 and a total of 22,303 students graduated in total. 

[Soda Fountain at the Navy Service School, Ford Rouge Plant, 1941-1945 / THF114411]

Bibliography

Archival

• Acc. 2010.70 US Naval Service Training School Collection
  • box 1 Notebook, “PB4Y-1”, circa 1942, Notebook, “B24-“, circa 1942, “The Flying Instructor’s Manual”, circa 1942, “Ford Motor Company Aircraft School” Manual, circa 1942
     
• Acc. 435 Charles C LaCroix Records
  • box 11 Navy Service School
  • box 37 Naval Training School
     
• Acc. 479 OH Husen Records
  • box 2 Map of U.S. Naval Training School, Dearborn, June 1943
     
• Acc. 285 Henry Ford Office Papers
  • box 2529 KNOW-KNY KNZ (includes Mr. Ford's personal letter to Frank Knox, Secretary of the Navy Commending Commander E. S. Stoker of Rouge Navy School)
  • box 2595 Naval Training School - Rouge
  • box 2637 Christmas Dinner Guests (from U. S. Navy School - Rouge)
  • box 2638 COF-COHEN, A-F (includes letter of thanks from Commander A. M. Cohan of Naval Training School - Rouge)
  • box 2769 Naval Training School
  • box 2906 Naval Training School, Dearborn
  • box 2953 Rouge; General, 1947 (includes Memo re: Naval Training Station School, 1948-1949)
  • box 3019 United States Government - General - (includes re: Navy Certificate of Appreciation awarded to Henry Ford)
     
• Acc. 6 Edsel B Ford Office Papers
  • box 150 DO-DU (includes John Downes, progress on Navy buildings)
  • box 160 DETROIT (includes City of Detroit Recreation Dept., housing and recreational plans for Navy personnel at Rouge)
  • box 161 DO-DY (includes John Downes, Navy Service School at Rough Plant)
  • box 164 NA-NE (includes Navy Department comments on Ford Navy Service School)
  • box 166 UNITED STATES (includes U.S. Navy Service School, FMC establishes Recreation Building for Navy personnel at Rouge location)
  • box 168 CA-CE (includes W.L. Calhoun, promoted to Vice Admiral and description of Navy Service School at Rouge)
  • box 171 NA-NE (includes FMC’s contribution to Rouge Naval Training expenses)
     
• RC. 17 Menu Collection
  • box 1 1941 Memorial Day 1941 [U.S. Navy Service School, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan]
     
• Acc. 833 General Photographs Series
  • box 88 Navy Service School – Rouge Plant (5 folders, 239a - 240a)
  • box 89 Navy Service School – Rouge Plant (5 folders, 240b - 241c)
  • box 90 Navy Service School – Rouge Plant (5 folders, 241d - 242d)
  • box 91 Navy Service School – Rouge Plant (6 folders, 243a - 244b)
  • box 92 Navy Service School – Rouge Plant (6 folders, 244c - 245d)
     
• Acc. 1660 Photographic Vertical File
  • box 112 Ford, Henry - World War, 1939-1945 - Military Training - Navy Service School

Vertical File

• Ford Motor Company / Plants / North America / Michigan / Dearborn / Rouge / Naval Training School
• Naval Training School
   

Ford News

• Naval Training Station Built At Dearborn, 21:1:16:1-3
• The Navy Goes To School (Henry and Edsel Ford turn school over to Navy). 21:11:282+:1-2
• Navy Service School Commissioned... (Ford property & training). 21:2:39+:1-3
• Training Mechanics For Uncle Sam (Anny & Navy training school & Ford "rolling classrooms"), 21:6:145+:1-2
• Navy Service School (Training at Ford facilities at no cost), 21:3:70+:1-3
• Defense Progress At Dearborn (Tour of Navy Service School). 21:12:311+:1-3
• Host at luncheon for Ford officials at new Navy Service School. 21:10:259:1-2
• Colors At The Navy Service School, 21:11:281:1-2