Uniforms ==
Midshipmen at the academy wear service dress uniforms similar to those of U.S. Navy officers, with shoulder-board and/or sleeve insignia varying by school year or midshipman officer rank. All wear gold anchor insignia on both lapel collars of the service dress blue jacket. Shoulder boards, worn on summer white, service/full dress white, dinner dress uniforms, and the shirt of the service/full dress blue uniform have a gold anchor and a number of stripes indicating year or rank. Midshipman officer (also first class) shoulder boards have a small gold star in place of the anchor and have 1 through 6 horizontal stripes indicating their rank.
On the working blue uniform shirt collar, a freshman (Midshipman Fourth Class or "plebe") wears no collar insignia, a sophomore (Midshipman Third Class or "youngster") wears a single fouled anchor on the right collar point, a Junior (Midshipman Second Class) fouled anchors on each collar point, and a Senior (Midshipman First Class or "firstie") wears fouled anchors …