ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The norm for the Red Sox when they depart Fort Myers is to head to Boston or an opponent’s home for the start of the regular season.

Last year the Red Sox played two exhibition games in baseball-starved Montreal. This year, it was Nationals Park, where the game was postponed on Friday, and the Naval Academy on Saturday, where some 1,000 midshipmen in their dress blues jammed into quaint Max Bishop Stadium to watch the Red Sox and Nationals in the Naval Academy Baseball Classic.

It appeared as big a thrill for them as it was for the players, who left feeling they had created some lasting memories on the final day of spring training.

The entire morning was a whirlwind of activity involving both teams as they attended a breakfast with the midshipmen, followed by a lengthy tour of the Academy and the boarding of a training ship. Members of both teams admired the architecture of Memorial Hall, where history’s great admirals were pictured on the walls of this cavernous space.

A mural with the words “Don’t Go Down with the Ship’’ faces you as you walk in. There are elaborate chandeliers, marble floors and walls. The Nationals and Red Sox players gathered to take photos. Their tour moved on to the mess hall, where 4,500 naval cadets are fed in precision time with all manner of protocol to follow to get through their meal efficiently and quickly.

“This is really neat,’’ said Robbie Ross Jr. “It’s great to be able to tour this and then play a game here. It break things up for us, something different, and it pays respect to these men and women. It’s great for our teams to be able to play in front of them and hopefully give them some enjoyment.’’

Dustin Pedroia, among others, was more than happy to sign autographs. He posed for photos. He joked and kidded with the men and women in uniform.

“What struck me was the camaraderie among the midshipmen; the banter you heard at breakfast. It reminded me of what we do as a team and players,’’ said Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton. “We just respect them for defending our country.’’

The players got a kick out of the gadgets on the ship. Sox third base coach Brian Butterfield pushed the button that blew the ship’s horn.

The players got to take turns riding on the armored Hummers on the grounds. Reliever Robby Scott pulled the trigger of a weapon atop the vehicle.

The players appeared to appreciate the entire experience on such hallowed ground.

“We had a unique opportunity to play here and it was a pretty cool thing,’’ Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “Any time you come into one of the armed forces academies there’s always a bit of a mystique. It’s powerful just in its perception as you get the feel walking around it. I hope that one thing our players take from it was that they had an opportunity to see behind the scenes a little bit.

“We talked about that coming out of Florida. We knew it was going to be a little bit out of the norm for a special occasion like this. We were certainly flexible and the fact is to show some kind of support in a very small way to those who are in the academy here and giving their service. This is a special day for all of us.’’

The players loved the flyover before the national anthem.

It was a special day for midshipmen Nick Ramzi, a St. John’s of Shrewsbury graduate, and Evan Maranto of Cumberland, R.I., who had some fun replicating the postgame outfield dance done by Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts, and Andrew Benintendi.

It was special day for the Buck family, formerly of Mansfield, Mass., who were among the few who were able to get tickets to the game.

Roger Buck, who will turn 90 in November, is a 1945 graduate of Mansfield High and a Naval Academy graduate. His son, Bruce (Class of 1977), also played baseball on this field. They are the only father/son captain tandem in Navy history.

“It’s exciting for me and my dad to be part of this,’’ said Bruce Buck. “My dad grew up in Mansfield with my mom and I spent a couple of years there when Dad was stationed in Boston. We come back for other games here, but this is a special day.’’

Roger Buck is a retired captain and Korean War veteran, who served 26 years as a Surface Warfare Officer.He played shortstop under Navy coach and former major-leaguer Max Bishop, for whom the stadium was named.

He was also one of Bishop’s assistant coaches in the 1950s after returning to the Academy as a company officer. He is an avid Red Sox fan. Bishop played second base for the Sox in 1934 and ’35, the final two years of his 12-year major league career.

Buck used to take the train with the team to play Harvard and Yale, and once played against Yale first baseman George H.W. Bush. Buck actually presented Bush with a box score of the game.

There were many special moments. The midshipmen waving their white hats created quite a mosaic. You could tell there were plenty of Red Sox fans among the cadets.

It was a day when baseball, the military, and a sense of national pride intertwined.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.