Midshipmen are not only heroes of the cult film

After the release in 1988 of the film directed by Svetlana Druzhinina "Midsquerades, forward!" Many people had the conviction that a beautiful foreign word, standing in the title, means approximately the same as the musketeer. That is, midshipmen are dashing young handsome men who constantly fight at swords, beautifully jump on horses and their active participation in palace intrigues influence the course of history. Filmed in the future films about the continuation of their adventures only confirmed this opinion. But this proud word has its own history, which does not need to be decorated with the forces of historical writers.

Midshipmen are who?

Garde de marine is a naval rank that was established by the founder of the Russian fleet Peter the Great in place of the name "navigator" and borrowed from the French language. This happened in 1716 when translating the classes that prepared future naval commanders from the Moscow School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences, which existed for about 15 years, to a new capital. In St. Petersburg, on their basis, the Maritime Academy was established.

According to Peter, this title was intermediate: the midshipmen became those who successfully mastered the necessary theory, but because of the lack of practical skills and experience is not ready for full-time service as a naval officer. The title was awarded to graduates of the Academy before their release to the fleet, where they received practical skills in maritime affairs and in the command of the personnel of naval crews. Depending on the length of service, they were divided into senior and junior.

"In battle - like soldiers, in the course of - like sailors"

The staff of the first midshipmen in the young Russian fleet was determined in the number of 300 people. Wearing a special form - the uniform of the Preobrazhensky regiment, they received a content equal in sum to the content of soldiers in the Guards, which also distinguished them from ordinary sailors. But in service they, according to the Charter, were used as the lowest ranks, having similar official duties.

Attitude to the carriers of such a title on the part of the crew was complicated. They could not understand: the midshipman is who? They comprehend the practice of maritime service from the very bottom, tear the deck and climb the masts, setting sails, along with ordinary sailors. At the same time, they had to undergo daily training from naval officers for navigation, ship management, artillery shooting and combat training with a musket. They were obliged to regularly keep a "track record", which was used to monitor their preparation. With the assiduous attitude of the midshipman to the service and to practical training, the commanders issued "approving attestation", which was an admission to the exam for midshipmen. In other words, midshipmen are, as they say, neither fish nor meat, and, until they passed the final test, could not be considered full-fledged naval officers.

The Gardemarin Company

After Peter's death, the deeds of his beloved brainchild - the Russian Navy - began to gradually decline. The number of midshipmen was also reduced. This led to the fact that they were consolidated into one company at the Maritime Academy, and it was several times transferred from Petersburg to Kronstadt and back. In the winter, the midshipmen studied at the academy, in the summer they practiced on ships, but more often because of the small number of warships served at ports on non-commissioned (sergeant) posts. Now the midshipman was allowed to take the exam for the midshipman title not earlier than 7 years after the service, only after participating in 3 campaigns and only with the presence of an officer's vacancy.

In 1752, the Maritime Academy and the midshipman company were abolished and became part of the established Naval Gentry Cadet Corps. Now the future naval officers studied for three years. Elizavetinsky midshipmen are graduates of cadets, and those who studied in the first two were called cadets. Later midshipmen began to call students of all special - engineering, artillery, etc. - naval courses. The naval midshipman's naval rank was abolished.

Reforms of the training system for naval officers

This situation lasted almost a century. By the middle of the XIX century, the command of the Russian Navy became clear that it was unreasonable to give an officer's rank to a young man immediately after school hours. First, a separate company of midshipmen was created in the Black Sea Fleet, in Mykolayiv, and in 1860 a new rank was introduced. The then midshipmen are a kind of return to the Petrine roots. The purpose of their establishment in the Navy was the need to give young people-graduates of the Naval Cadet Corps and the Nikolayevsky Midshipman Company-official and naval practices.

According to their status naval midshipmen corresponded to army ensigns. They wore an officer uniform and received a special monetary maintenance. After two years of service, on the recommendation of the command, they were admitted to a practical examination for the midshipman's rank.

This continued until 1882, when the title of midshipman was again returned to the students of the senior course of the Marine Corps, who were recruited in a long maritime expedition on a special vessel. After the graduation, the students passed the final test and became midshipmen. Subsequently, the title of midshipman was given to students of secondary and special courses with the prefix "junior".

In 1906, after the defeat of Russia in the war with Japan, the direct appropriation of the title of young graduates was replaced by their release into the fleet as ship midshipmen and their yearly voyage on combat ships. Every year, a specially formed training detachment of several ships left for the Mediterranean. The examination for a junior naval officer took place upon return from such a campaign.

In Soviet times, the title of midshipman was abolished.

Current situation

Today's midshipmen - what is it? Most often this is the name of students of special educational institutions such as the capital's First Marine Cadet Boarding School or pupils of Nakhimov's schools. But this is happening, rather, traditionally and informally.

Not so long ago, there was information about the preparations for shooting the next sequel to the cult film, so you can be sure that this proud word will live in our language and beyond.