Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, is the site of the United States Navy’s largest recruit training command. It occupies about 1,600 acres (660 hectares) along Lake Michigan, 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Chicago. The station houses a Naval Hospital and a Naval Supply Depot. The training command provides basic naval training and advanced training in various technical schools. Leading Chicago merchants bought the land in 1905 and gave it to the government. The Navy commissioned the station in 1911.
