The first United States Naval Reserve Midshipman's school conducting V-7 training was established on board the converted battleship
USS Illinois (BB-7) in
New York City during the spring of 1940. Others followed at
Columbia University,
Cornell University,
Northwestern University,
University of Notre Dame,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and
Smith College. Enrollment closed in August 1945.
V-7 program The V-7 program of voluntary training for officer candidates was announced on June 26, 1940, by President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Its goal was to rapidly train 36,000 young officers needed to meet the demands of a vastly expanding naval fleet being built up in preparation for U.S. entry into
World War II. By March 1941, eighteen months into the global conflict and nine months before
Pearl Harbor, the Navy had only 18,000 officers. Most were stationed in the
Far East, where the lack of a U.S. Army presence left the Navy to bear the full burden in the event of war.
Schools in the 1940s or 1950s. During the spring of 1940, U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipman School,
Prairie State, was opened on board the converted battleship
USS Illinois (BB-7) in
New York City with Captain John J. London in command. The first class in the midshipmen program produced 264 new officers during the early days of
World War II before the U.S. was involved, 232 of whom reported for active duty. The V-7 course at Columbia provided the fictional setting for the early chapters of the World War II novel
The Caine Mutiny.
University of Notre Dame Starting in April 1942, the
University of Notre Dame hosted six classes of the 30-day indoctrination school, with each class composed of 1200. In October 1942, the indoctrination school became a full-fledged Naval Reserve Midshipman School, with a complete 4-month course. The program was hosted in
Morrissey Hall,
Lyons Hall,
Howard Hall, and
Badin Hall. The Navy also built a drill hall on the campus. Captain H. P. Burnett was the commanding officer of the school. The school terminated in November 1945, after ten 4-month courses and over 10,000 officers trained. Starting in July 1943, Notre Dame would go on to also host a
V-12 Navy College Training Program.
Cornell University The Naval Indoctrination School at Camp MacDonough in
Plattsburgh, New York, opened on March 6, 1944, with a capacity of 2,500 and Commander Chauncey M. Loutrit in command. It conducted the one-month class required prior to attending a midshipman's school. ==See also==