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The word derives from an area aboard a ship, amidships, but it refers either to the location where midshipmen worked on the ship, [2] or the location where midshipmen were berthed. [ 4 ] By the 18th century, four types of midshipman existed: midshipman (original rating), midshipman extraordinary , midshipman (apprentice officer), and midshipman ...
Occasionally, a midshipman would be posted aboard a ship in a lower rating such as able seaman but would eat and sleep with his social equals in the cockpit (all Midshipman would be 'rated able' at some point in their service – it was a requirement for them to have been so before they could stand as a Mate, another requirement for promotion ...
The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that the title derives from the Anglo-Norman and Middle French "petit", meaning "of small size, small, little". [ 2 ] Two of the Royal Navy petty officer's rates, midshipman and master's mate , were a superior petty officer with a more general authority, but they remained no more than ratings.
Passed midshipman was first used in 1819, and unlike the Royal Navy was an official rank of the United States Navy. With the establishment of the rank of ensign in 1862, the ranking structure was changed. The term midshipman came to mean an officer that passed his exams, while a cadet midshipman was one that had not or was still an ...
A Midshipman was an apprentice officer who had previously served at least three years as a volunteer, officer's servant or able seaman, and was roughly equivalent to a present-day petty officer in rank and responsibilities. After serving at least three years as a midshipman or master's mate, he was eligible to take the examination for lieutenant.
Midshipman Sub-lieutenants and commissioned warrant officers wore scales (epaulettes without fringes, officially termed "shoulder straps") and the same device as a lieutenant. Epaulettes of the military branch were gold throughout with silver devices, while those of the civil branches had a silver edging and gold devices.
The midshipman theatrical company, The Masqueraders, put on one production annually in Mahan Hall. There is an intercollegiate debate team. [132] Colleges from along the East Coast attend the annual U.S. Naval Academy Debate Tournament. Midshipmen also participate in the Sandhurst Competition, a military skills event. [133]
midshipman's hitch An alternative to the Blackwall hitch, preferred if the rope is greasy. Made by first forming a Blackwall hitch and then taking the underneath part and placing it over the bill of the hook. [5] midshipman's nuts Broken pieces of biscuit as dessert. [6] midshipman's roll