On another bleak, rainy day on the Severn River Thursday, a Naval Academy color guard marched from the historic Worden Field to a fountain across campus where first class midshipmen took a celebratory dip ahead of Friday’s graduation.

The academy’s annual Color Parade honored the fall and spring color company — the 20th Company — which was given the designation for its academic, athletic and professional accomplishments during both semesters.

The Color Parade began in 1867 and is the oldest parade at the Naval Academy and the final full-dress parade for first class midshipmen. Once the parade ends, they head straight to the Radford Terrace Fountain for a triumphant swim.

Midshipman Christopher Crane of Annapolis smiled when asked if he had any other military-related obligations before he graduates.

“Nothing, this is it,” Crane said, still wearing his soaked white dress gloves. “We’re done, we’re free — last time in the uniform.”

The hour-long parade, with a series of ceremonial touches — a performance by the Naval Academy silent drill team, the Jolly Rogers, and the formal presentation of the color company pennant — forces midshipmen to stand at attention for extended periods of time.

About a dozen midshipmen collapsed during the ceremonies, but those who remained upright were met with a reward.

“Way to stay vertical,” one bystander shouted.

Leaving their patent leather dress shoes and hats in mounds, the midshipmen ran the red brick sidewalks of the Naval Academy and launched themselves into the fountain.

“I was not expecting to be that excited when I got in the fountain,” midshipman JD Bengston, of Tifton, Georgia, said. “I was pretty pumped.”

Bengston, fresh out of the fountain, was joined by midshipman Charlie Kriel of Severna Park. Kriel, still holding his rifle, assured his friends that he had removed the bayonet before entering the fountain.

The dip in the shallow fountain is a concluding event for the midshipmen who will become ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps after Friday’s graduation and commissioning ceremonies.

“Just enjoy every opportunity you have here,” Crane said when asked what advice he had for the upcoming class. “It’s a gift.”

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