Midshipman extraordinary
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Midshipman extraordinary originally referred to an officer in the Royal Navy below the rank of post-captain who was paid as a midshipman until he could find another ship. Later it referred to a rating for graduates of the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth, who could not find a post as a midshipman.
A midshipman extraordinary, or midshipman extra, was an officer ranked master, lieutenant, or captain, whose ship had been paid off but who would be paid as a midshipman until he could find another ship.[1] After half-pay was introduced for all officers in the early part of the 18th century, the term fell out of use.[2]