Cadets or Midshipmen?

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G6brown

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Why are students here called cadets, and not midshipmen? Doesn't CG follow the same rank structure as Big Navy? Even USMMA students are referred to as MIDN.
 
They've been cadets since long long before USMMA existed, and not that long after USNA started.
 
The Coast Guard is a proud stand-alone service with a rich history. At some point in history, the decision was made to go with “cadets.” Not everything has to be the same as the sea service called Navy. If you look at the naval academies of other countries, it’s often a variation of cadet, such as the “cadetes” of the Peruvian Naval Academy. The USN followed most of the usage of the Royal Navy.
 
I learned this reading “The Admirals” a book about the 5 Star Fleet Admirals from WW2 that when USNA started they originally referred the students as cadets in the first few classes as the school was founded.
 
Interestingly, Britannia Royal Naval College, commonly called Dartmouth, has naval cadets, not midshipmen. I was thinking about this delightful bit of historical discussion as a respite from COVID-19, and I remembered visiting a friend on the staff there whom I knew from his exchange tour at a command in San Diego. I recalled they had cadets there. Cool place, lots of famous names.

Before the days of formal academies, it was all OJT on sail-powered naval ships. Midshipmen lived amidships, between the wardroom area where the officers lived and the enlisted berthing areas (hammocks!).

It would be interesting to know who made the decision and with what rationale. Next time I run into the Yard historian, I’ll have to ask.
 
The U.S. Navy as a service borrowed a great deal of tradition, customs and culture from the Royal Navy. USNA and USMMA each have their own unique set, with a flavoring of the Royal Navy here and there.
 
Wow very interesting. It's interesting how Dartmouth is the name of a british naval college, and an American Ivy League school.
 
Since the Coast Guard Academy was originally the Revenue Cutter School of Instruction to match the non-military RCS, Cadet was deemed a more appropriate title since Midshipman referred specifically to a Naval (i.e. military) Officer in training.
 
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