The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) was selected as a site for a Navy Training School under a Navy College Training Program established in the early 1940s. Financial arrangements for the Navy Training School were covered under a contract between the Navy and Caltech. The Navy Training School classes were held in Building 45 at the southern end of the Caltech campus. The Navy did not own or control any portion of the Cal tech campus during the time the Navy Training School operated.
Approximately 120 Navy Reserve officers reported to Caltech on 6 June 1942 for temporary active duty for the purpose of receiving classroom instruction in aeronautical engineering. The Navy Training School was designed to be a temporary program specifically for the support of the war effort. All officers at the Navy Training School received rental and subsistence allowances.
Conflicting closure dates exist for the Navy Training School. Two closing dates were mentioned in the documents reviewed: (1) 6 June 1944 and (2) "on or about 14 August 1944".