The Herndon Monument on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy is a 21 ft grey granite obelisk. It was erected in memory of Captain William Lewis Herndon, who died during the sinking of his ship, SS Central America, on September 12, 1857 while helping to evacuate passengers and crew. All women and children and many of the men aboard were saved by a nearby ship during the storm.

Description

The monument is a 400 x granite obelisk presented to the Academy by the class of 1860. The sculptor is unknown.

Inscriptions

On the monument's base, facing the Naval Academy Chapel, is a plaque: "Commander William Lewis Herndon 1818-1857 Naval Officer - Explorer - Merchant Captain In command of the Central America, home-bound with California gold seekers, Captain Herndon lost his life in a gallant effort to save ship and lives during a cyclone off Hatteras, September 12, 1857. "Forgetful of self, in his death he added a new glory to the annals of the sea" - Maury" Maury is Matthew Fontaine Maury, Herndon's co-worker (from 1842 to 1846), brother-in-law, and cousin. To the right on the obelisk from the plaque, in raised block letters, is "HERNDON.". On the opposite side of the obelisk, also in raised letters, is "September 12, 1857.".

Ship's bell

Central America′s ship's bell — discovered in her wreck in 1988 and donated to the Naval Academy as a gift in August 2021 — was positioned next to the monument and was dedicated in a ceremony on May 23, 2022.

Herndon Monument Climb

The monument is the site of the annual Herndon Monument Climb, known colloquially as the "plebes-no-more" ceremony. First-year students at the academy, known as plebes or freshmen, are expected to work together to scale the monument, with the goal of replacing a plebe "dixie-cup hat" on top with an upperclassman combination cover. Prior to the climb, the monument is normally greased by upperclassmen with as much as 50 pounds of vegetable shortening, though some years have opted for no grease. This campus tradition marks the official end of the plebe year. It is a Naval Academy tradition that the midshipman who replaces the dixie cup hat will be given the Superintendent's combination cover or shoulder boards. Legend says that he or she will be the first of his or her class to make Flag Rank, although in reality, this has not yet occurred. The academy began recording times in 1959. In 1962 Midshipman 4th Class Ed Linz scaled the monument with the aid of a cargo net. Using such devices is now banned. The record was set in 1969 when Midshipman Larry Fanning made the climb in 1 minute and 30 seconds. However, the monument was not greased. Midshipman 4th Class Michael J. Maynard of the Class of 1975 scaled the monument in 20 minutes in 1972, believed to be the fastest time since the tradition of greasing the monument began. Before the 2010 Herndon Monument climb, Superintendent Vice Admiral Jeffrey Fowler publicly indicated dissatisfaction that year with the risk of injury associated with the climbing tradition. Vice Adm. Fowler ordered the Brigade of Midshipmen not to slather the monument with lard "to improve the safety of the event". However, his successor, Vice Admiral Michael Miller, reinstated the tradition in 2011, citing that "[c]onducting the ceremonial climb in the same manner as so many previous classes helps to instill spirit and camaraderie among plebes and better links them to the many classes that have gone before them. The Herndon Monument climb serves as a useful event in reinforcing teamwork, organization and leadership."

Table of recorded times