Midshipman extraordinary originally referred to an

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

below the

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

post captain Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from: * Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) addressed as captain ...

who was paid as a midshipman until he could find another ship. Later it referred to a

rating A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of quality, quantity, or some combination of both. Rating or ratings may also refer to: Business and economics * Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness of an individual, c ...

for graduates of the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth, who could not find a post as a midshipman.

Original usage

A midshipman extraordinary, or midshipman extra, was an officer ranked master, lieutenant, or captain, whose ship had been

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in ...

but who would be paid as a midshipman until he could find another ship. After

half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the En ...

was introduced for all officers in the early part of the 18th century, the term fell out of use.

Royal Naval College graduate

Prior to 1816, graduates of the Royal Naval College were posted to ships as midshipman ordinary which was reserved for their use. Midshipman extraordinary was revived in 1830s for graduates of the Royal Naval College who were not rated as a midshipman by their ship's captain. The

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

would appoint the volunteer midshipman extraordinary and he would replace a seaman on board the ship. By 1842, midshipmen extraordinary were merged back into the ranks of midshipmen.

Footnotes

References

* *{{citation, last=Penn, first=Geoffrey, title=Snotty: The Story of the Midshipman, publisher=Hollis & Carter, location=London, year=1957, oclc=8317840 Military ranks of the Royal Navy Naval ranks