Midshipman Year

The final year of Officer Training for most Cadets.[1] They are promoted to Midshipman, and given a Warrant that will legally allow them to issue orders.

They are then sent to an Academy Ship or specific warships for final evaluation and “polishing”. Since there are not enough dedicated Academy Ships, many of the larger battle ships, carriers and other big units take on one or several such teams. Cadets that serve their final and third year aboard a ship are traditionally not called Cadets but Midshipmen. A ship may receive just one team, or up to the 60 teams the Devastator has serving aboard at all times.

Midshipmen are normally sent out in teams of ten when possible. (See nine + one). To foster a competitive environment, each of these Midshipmen teams pick a Team color, a Team leader (Dorm eldest) and a Team name. Achievements, awards and scores are counted not only for the individual but for the team as whole.

Many COs, especially Stahl, are noted for “The Big Test”, where an extremely promising Midshipman is designated as Acting Captain and placed in actual command of the ship. This is a make or break position for the Midshipman. Failure does not mean dismissal from the Navy, but will mean that Officer will be very unlikely to ever command a warship.



[1] Cadets not selected for a "Midshipman Year" are not dismissed from the Navy. They receive a full year of intensive training in their chosen specialty instead. (i.e., security, tactical, comms and etc.)