In 1898, the United States Congress declared war against Spain. In an effort to get Spain out of Cuba, President William McKinley was authorized to use all land and naval forces, as well as militia to enforce Congressional demands. At this time, the naval forces in the State of Ohio became the Ohio Naval Militia (ONM). The Ohio Naval Militia participated in the war, fighting as part of the 10th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
On 20 April 1917 the USS Dorothea Ship's Company at Cleveland, part of the ONM, was the first Ohio National Guard unit activated for service in the First World War. In 1936, a new Naval Militia Armory, located in Bayview Park in Toledo and built by the W.P.A. was dedicated. It served the needs of the ONM until 1947 when it was taken over by the newly-formed U.S. Naval Reserve.
Currently the Ohio Naval Militia is headquartered at the Camp Perry Joint Training Center in Port Clinton, Ohio. It consists of a communications and operations center, office space, training facilities, a workshop, and barracks. |