Navy · Navy Recruit Training
How to Address a Letter to Navy Boot Camp at RTC Great Lakes
Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes is the Navy's only boot camp, so every Navy recruit in the country trains here. The address is built around two numbers: a ship and a division. Ship in this context is a training building on the installation, not a vessel, which surprises most families the first time they see it.
The address format
Everything in brackets comes from your recruit. The city, state, and ZIP are the same for everyone training here.
Build the RTC Great Lakes address
Fill in what your recruit told you and copy the finished address. Free, and nothing you type here is sent anywhere.
Pre-filled with the usual starting rank for this branch. Change it if theirs is different.
Each ship trains on a different street at Great Lakes, and ship-to-street assignments change over time. Use the address from your recruit's Family Orientation packet.
Fill in the fields above to see the finished address.
What families get wrong at RTC Great Lakes
Ship means a building
Recruits at Great Lakes are berthed in barracks buildings called ships. A ship number in the address is a location on the installation, not a deployment, and it is a normal part of a boot camp address.
The street depends on the ship
Each ship at Great Lakes sits on a different street, and those assignments change over time. This is why the street is a field you fill in rather than something the guide fills in for you. Use the address from the Family Orientation packet or the form letter your recruit sends home.
The first letter home carries the address
Navy recruits send a form letter home early in training with their full mailing address on it. Waiting for that letter is far more reliable than assembling an address from memory of a phone call.
Would rather not mail it yourself?
Write your message and we will put it on paper, address it to RTC Great Lakes in the format above, and mail it for you. Pen on paper. Never a printed font. Letters from $5, cards from $9, no account needed.
Send Mail to RTC Great LakesCommon questions
What is the difference between a ship and a division at Navy boot camp?
The ship is the building a recruit is berthed in. The division is the training group they belong to. The address needs both, and both come from your recruit.
Why do I need to enter a street for Great Lakes but not for some other installations?
Because ship-to-street assignments at Great Lakes change over time. Filling in a street automatically would mean silently guessing, and a wrong street here misroutes real mail. Asking is safer.
Should I put a return address on the envelope?
Always. Unit assignments can change during training, and without a return address a misdirected letter is simply gone instead of coming back to you. This is the single most recommended habit in basic training mail guidance, and it is why a return address is required rather than optional on anything we send.
Can I send a package or put something inside the envelope?
Most basic training installations restrict packages, especially early in the cycle, and many prohibit enclosures like food, electronics, or anything bulky. Letters and flat photos are the safest thing to send. Check your installation's current guidance before mailing anything else.
How long does mail take to arrive?
Transit time depends on where you are mailing from, plus a few days on the installation for the mailroom to sort and distribute to the training unit. Mail is not usually handed out daily, so a letter that seems slow is very often just waiting for the next mail call.
What happens if the unit information changes during training?
It happens regularly. If mail stops getting through, ask for a current address rather than assuming anything was lost. A return address means older letters find their way back to you rather than disappearing.
Other basic training addresses
See the mailing address format for every branch and installationAddress formats here are compiled from published basic training mail guidance and are a strong starting point, not an official directory. Unit assignments change during training. Always check against whatever your recruit has actually sent home. Boot Camp Letters is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the United States Department of Defense or any branch of the armed forces.