​Great Lakes Naval Training Station

​Naval Training Great Lakes, located near Waukegan in Lake County, is the U.S. Navy’s only boot camp facility.  Approximately 40,000 recruits pass through RTC annually with up to 7,000 enrolled at any time.  The base is like a small city, with its own fire department, Naval Security Force, and public works department.  While the Great Lakes Naval Training Station continues to grow, the only United States naval vessel seen in Chicago is a single escort vessel sent for a week each summer as part of the Navy’s annual Great Lake recruiting cruise.