Midshipman
The officer candidate rank held by US Naval Academy midshipmen and NROTC students, a centuries-old training grade.
Overview
Midshipmen at Annapolis and in NROTC hold a special status: sworn service members, paid, but officer candidates rather than rated sailors, graduating as ensigns or second lieutenants. The title dates to the seventeenth century Royal Navy, where midshipmen were experienced petty officers berthed amidships, between officer country and the crew, training for lieutenant commissions. Horatio Nelson entered the Navy as a midshipman. The US Naval Academy, founded 1845, adopted the rank for its cadets. Midshipmen hold naval precedence above chief petty officer and below ensign, a deliberate betwixt status.
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