US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

30 Amphibians Came To Conqzzer
50-caliber guns; her secondary battery of eighteen 3-inch 5C)-caliber guns
and twelve 3-pounders. This vast array of 44 topside guns caught the eye
immediately. There was a promise of plenty for a young man with a first-rate
mind and a strong body to learn and do. And it can be assumed that Captains
Charles A. Gove and Charles C. (“Squinchy” ) Rogers, both of the
Class of 1876, and both later Flag officers, were quite determined that the
four or five past midshipmen in the Milwaukee’s officer allowance would
carry their share of the load.
Looking back on his four years at Annapolis, Admiral Turner said: “I
liked the Naval Academy. Most of those in my class who didn’t were
young.” ‘5
PAST MIDSHIPMAN
In 1908, midshipmen successfully completing the course at the Naval
Academy were ordered to sea duty in a semi-probationary status for two
years before being eligible for a Presidential commission as ensigns in the
United States Navy. They were oflicers in a qualified sense, were titled
“Past Midshipman” and were subject to much rotation in their divisional
assignments on board ship. They received continued close supervision in
endless hard work, minor personal consideration, and tantalizingly small
pay ($1,400.00 per year). Their rewards included a possible rearrangement
of relative standing on the naval list with their classmates, based on per-
formance of duty when promoted to ensign, denial of the normal ten percent
increase of pay for officers serving at sea, and denial of permission to marry.
This last feature of a past midshipman’s life was the most distasteful to
Past Midshipman Turner. In his senior year at high school, he had fallen in
love with a schoolmate, Harriet (Hattie) Sterling.sG ‘ he had reported to his mother having
taken to the June Ball a “‘Miss Ethel Naylor of Baltimore, a perfect beauty with the most wonderful
eyes.”