Dave Darrin's First Year at Annapolis: Two Plebe Midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy

In Short

This 1910 juvenile novel follows Dave Darrin and Dan Dalzell through their grueling plebe year at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. The boys face relentless academic standards, physical conditioning, secret midnight fistfights to defend their honor, and targeted sabotage from jealous classmates. Guided by high personal ethics, they endure hazing, survive a life-threatening boat collision on the Chesapeake Bay, clear their names of false accusations, and earn the respect of upperclassmen and Academy officers. The book remains a vivid period snapshot of early twentieth-century military pedagogy, naval traditions, and traditional American boys' adventure fiction.

The Story

Dave Darrin and Dan Dalzell arrive at Annapolis nervous but determined, leaving behind their home town of Gridley to realize their dream of becoming naval officers. After passing their physical examinations, they are quartered in Bancroft Hall as fourth-class midshipmen, or plebes. The transition is immediate and punishing. Upperclassmen subject them to rigorous hazing, including bizarre psychological teasing from "youngsters" and demands for instant obedience. Simultaneously, the academic workload—dominated by advanced mathematics, mechanical drawing, French, and seamanship—proves far more demanding than anything they experienced in high school.

Early in the year, classmate Midshipman Farley accuses Dave of turning in a group of midshipmen who snuck off grounds to eat in town. Refusing to let the insult pass, Dave challenges Farley to an off-grounds fistfight under the traditional midshipmen's honor code. Dave decisively wins the fight, but the rift remains until Farley investigates the matter himself and discovers Dave was completely innocent. The true instigators are Midshipmen Henkel and Brimmer, who nurse an intense malice toward Dave and scheme to ruin his career.

Henkel sneaks into Dave's room to disarrange his bedding and basin, causing Dave to receive repeated demerits for untidiness on the official conduct report, or "pap." Farley and his roommate set a watch and catch Henkel in the act, reporting him to the commandant of midshipmen, Commander Jephson. Henkel lies on his honor as a midshipman, but Farley's testimony exposes him, leading to Henkel's dismissal from the Academy. Brimmer then attempts another scheme, conspiring with a local shopkeeper named Tony to lure midshipmen into illegal gambling and frame Dave as an informant. Dave discovers the plot, confronts Brimmer in an alleyway, and physically bests him, exposing the scheme to their peers.

Beyond internal rivalries, the plebes face physical danger on the water. During a seamanship exercise in ten-oared cutters, Dave commands a sailboat that is rammed by a runaway motorboat, the John Duncan, in the Chesapeake. The sailboat founders, throwing the crew into the bay. Dave demonstrates heroic composure, staying with a trapped classmate, Midshipman Page, and diving beneath the sinking vessel to rescue him. Commander Jephson personally commends Dave's modesty and bravery after reading the official reports.

As the academic year draws to a close, Dave is given command of a cutter crew that includes first-class upperclassmen who failed their rowing drills, including Midshipman Henley, one of his former hazers. Dave manages the crew with strict fairness and military professionalism. On graduation day, as the senior class receives its diplomas, Dave and Dan officially transition from plebes to "youngsters," saluting their former upperclassmen as newly commissioned officers and looking forward to their first summer practice cruise aboard navy battleships.

How It Unfolds

Reporting to Bancroft Hall Dave Darrin and Dan Dalzell arrive in Annapolis, pass their entrance medical examinations, and encounter the regimented routines and upperclass hazing of the Naval Academy.

The Field of the Code Falsely accused of reporting classmates for breaking curfew, Dave defends his honor by fighting Midshipman Farley in a secret, bare-knuckle match behind the old government hospital.

The Academic Grind The plebes struggle under the immense academic workload of mathematics, navigation, and engineering, discovering that falling below a passing grade means immediate dismissal.

Exposing the Saboteur Midshipman Henkel secretly vandalizes Dave's quarters to accumulate demerits on Dave's record, but Midshipman Farley sets a trap and catches Henkel, leading to Henkel's dishonorable expulsion.

Collision on the Chesapeake While leading a sail training exercise, Dave's boat is rammed by a motorboat, forcing Dave to risk his life by diving under the sinking hull to save a trapped classmate.

Becoming Youngsters After successfully commanding a boat crew that includes upperclassmen who failed rowing drills, Dave and Dan pass their final examinations and advance to their second year.

The People

• Dave Darrin wants to master naval science, maintain his moral integrity, and graduate from Annapolis as an officer. Stood in the way by academic rigor, upperclass hazing, and deliberate sabotage by envious rivals, he responds with cool judgment, physical courage, and absolute honesty, eventually earning the respect of the entire brigade and the academy leadership.
• Dan Dalzell, Dave's loyal high school chum and roommate, wants to survive his plebe year without getting "unsat" or accumulated out of the academy by demerits. Struggling against a tendency to talk out of turn and take things lightly, he faces strict discipline and tough math courses, growing into a reliable midshipman.
• Midshipman Farley initially wants to punish the person he believes betrayed his secret outing into town. Blinded by hasty anger, he challenges Dave, but upon realizing his error, he publicly apologizes, works tirelessly to uncover the true culprit, and becomes one of Dave's firmest friends.
• Midshipman Henkel wants to ruin Dave's Academy standing to satisfy a bitter personal grudge. He uses lies and covert vandalism to frame Dave, but his willingness to violate the midshipman honor code ultimately results in his own undoing and expulsion.
• Midshipman Brimmer wants to organize secret, illegal card games in town and frame Dave for snitching to the authorities. His cowardly schemes collapse when Dave physically confronts him in an alley, forcing Brimmer to flee in disgrace.

In Its Own Voice

"If my voice on the bridge is anything like the voice I develop in Recreation Hall," grimaced Dalzell, "it'll start a mutiny right then and there."

Dan expresses his frustration with the repetitive vocal and command drills required of the new candidates.

"A day's work here is fully three times as hard as the severest day back at the High School."

Dave reflects to Dan on the unrelenting academic workload demanded of plebes during their first term.

"You didn't expect me, sir, to include any praise of myself, in my official report?"

Dave explains to Commander Jephson why his official written account omitted his heroic rescue of a drowning classmate.

What It's Really About

Underneath its episodic schoolboy adventures, the novel explores the transformation of headstrong teenagers into disciplined military officers. It argues that physical courage is meaningless without unyielding personal integrity, self-control, and loyalty to one's comrades. The plot repeatedly contrasts two models of masculinity: the genuine honor represented by Dave Darrin—who obeys regulations, owns his actions, and fights only when provoked on matters of principle—and the false honor of characters like Henkel and Brimmer, who rely on deceit, social posturing, and covert malice. The narrative insists that the Naval Academy's strict system of demerits, drills, and academic pressure acts as a necessary fire, burning away civilian arrogance to reveal true leadership character.

Why Read It Today

This novel appeals to readers who enjoy classic school-story fiction, naval history, or vintage turn-of-the-century boys' adventure books. Reading it offers an entertaining look into the historic traditions, slang, and daily routines of the United States Naval Academy during the early twentieth century. The narrative moves at a brisk pace, filled with period slang like "touge," "pap," and "frenching," alongside energetic accounts of seamanship, boxing matches, and dorm-room pranks.

Modern readers should be prepared for the story's uncritical period attitudes, melodramatic moral starkness, and dated portrayals of minor characters, such as the stereotyped Greek shopkeeper Tony. The technical descriptions of early 1900s naval drills and the dense institutional jargon may occasionally slow the narrative down for general audiences. Nevertheless, the core dynamic between Dave and Dan—their warm friendship, humorous banter, and shared dedication to doing what is right under pressure—gives the story a durable, cozy charm that lingers well after the final chapter.