Midshipmen started out in the Royal Sailing Navy as novice officers. There was no Acadamy, and no OCS. A boy would go to see as a Midshipman and remain so until his superiors determined that he was qualified to become a junior Lieutenant.
As far as I know "Midshipman" is a title reserved for members of the Naval Acadamy or OCS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by frau kaleun
I'm pretty sure though that Steve mentioned there being Warrant Officers during his time in the service? Which doesn't mean they're still there, but I guess I meant "modern" navy in a broader sense than just the years since then.
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I don't know about today's navy either. Warrant Officer was technically between a Chief Petty Officer and an Ensign, but garnered all the respect of a senior officer, which a Chief already gets anyway, so I never saw what the point was (except maybe more pay).
Likewise 'Commodore'. In the US Navy 'Commodore' was a temporary title bestowed upon a Captain while he was in command of a squadron. In 1982 the official rank of Commodore was established, but in 1983 it was changed back to its original 'Rear Admiral (Lower Half)'.