castle was purchased by The Navigators in 1953. The Navigators was founded in 1933 by the evangelist
Dawson Trotman, who mentored
United States Navy sailor Lester Spencer aboard . Due to those efforts, 135 additional sailors on Spencer's ship became Christians before it was sunk at
Pearl Harbor. By the end of
World War II, thousands of men on ships and bases around the world were learning through The Navigators. The collegiate ministry of The Navigators was founded in 1951 at the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln. This ministry was established by a group of students in the
Sigma Nu fraternity house who, along with Trotman, decided to spread their outreach onto the college campus.
Move to Glen Eyrie In 1953, The Navigators acquired its current headquarters location at
Glen Eyrie through the
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's sale of the then-vacant property to Trotman's organization. The 330-acre Eagle Lake property was included in the purchase, on the condition that it be used for youth work. In 2014, over 4,700 campers participated in Eagle Lake Camps. The main administrative center for the Navigators is situated towards the northeast region of Glen Eyrie's territory. It serves as the main hub for coordinating their various activities and operations.
MRFF lawsuits The Navigators organization was cited in a lawsuit against the
United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) by
Michael L. "Mickey" Weinstein of the
Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) in 2005. The lawsuit alleged that Darren and Gina Lindblom, assigned to the USAFA through The Navigators, were favored by the Air Force to the exclusion of other religious groups in violation of the
Establishment Clause of the
United States Constitution. This lawsuit was dismissed. Additional lawsuits by the MRFF have named The Navigators in similar complaints of alleged
proselytizing in the military. In Korea, The Navigators sued six former members of the MRFF for
libel in 2011. The case was initially dismissed, and again dismissed on appeal. ==Overseas Groups==