Reef Points: the Naval Academy plebe's book of knowledge

Reef Points is the handbook of the Brigade of Midshipmen. Every plebe gets a copy on Induction Day (I-Day), along with uniforms and gear. Naval Academy store listing · Navy Online blog (Naval Academy Business Services)

• Current edition: Reef Points 2026–2027. It's pocket-sized (3.25 in × 5 in), comes with a waterproof cover, and runs 314 pages. Source: Store listing
• Where the name comes from: reef points are the ties that secure a reefed sail. Reefing reduces sail area in heavy wind. Source: Navy Online blog
• Carry rule: plebes must have it on them whenever they are outside their room. Source: Navy Online blog
• Official status: the Academy's Training Division lists Reef Points as a "Midshipmen Issued Text." There is no free official PDF online. Source: USNA Training references
• Where to buy: families can buy a copy from the Naval Academy store. The store says purchase proceeds support the Brigade. Source: Navy Online blog

This outline comes from a 2022 description of the book by Naval Academy Business Services. Section order can change from year to year. Navy Online: "What You'll Find in Reef Points"

1. Sailor's Creed. The book opens with it.
2. Introduction. Biographies and philosophies of senior leaders: the Chief of Naval Operations, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Superintendent, the Commandant of Midshipmen's staff, and others.
3. Mission. The Naval Academy mission.
4. The Academy. Covers:
   • the Midshipman Creed
   • Academy facts
   • the training continuum
   • rates and regulations
   • "Table Salt" (mealtime recitations)
   • "Irish Pennants" (loose facts)
   • a glossary
   • forms of address
   • uniforms
   • weapon safety
   • Theodore Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena"
5. Traditions and Customs. The class ring, Ring Dance, parades, songs and slang.
6. Naval Service. Chains of command, a snapshot of today's Navy, the Navy mission and core values, and how to salute.
7. Other Service Academies. Short histories of the other four academies.

The official Plebe Summer standard operating procedures (June 3, 2026) assign Reef Points sections day by day. Examples:

• "Yard Gouge" campus tours
• histories of the Academy, the Navy and the Marine Corps
• "The Laws of the Navy"
• "Invictus"
• the Rules of the Road
• "Qualifications of a Naval Officer"
• traditional recitations such as "How's the Cow"

COMDTMIDNINST 3120.1Y, Appendix A

The Commandant's Plebe Summer instruction (COMDTMIDNINST 3120.1Y, June 3, 2026) defines Memorize as "repeat the requirement verbatim." Under Induction Day – Prior to Reporting, it lists four items. All four are public now. COMDTMIDNINST 3120.1Y, Appendix A

The mission, as published by the Academy:

"To develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government." USNA Mission

The Honor Concept, as published by the Academy:

"Midshipmen are persons of integrity: They stand for that which is right. They tell the truth and ensure that the truth is known. They do not lie. They embrace fairness in all actions. They ensure that work submitted as their own is their own, and that assistance received from any source is authorized and properly documented. They do not cheat. They respect the property of others and ensure that others are able to benefit from the use of their own property. They do not steal." USNA Honor Concept

Chain-of-command note: officeholders change, and so can titles. Under Executive Order 14347 (September 5, 2025), "Secretary of War" may be used as a secondary title for the Secretary of Defense. Learn the version printed in your edition of Reef Points, and confirm the names on official sites the week you report. Federal Register, EO 14347

These items are scheduled for the first training days in the same instruction. You can learn them ahead of time, but use the text in the edition you're issued. COMDTMIDNINST 3120.1Y, Appendix A

• Navy Core Values (Training Day 1) "Honor…. Courage…. Commitment…." appears on the cover page of the 2025–2026 Professional Knowledge Book. USNA Pro-Book 2025–2026
• First verse of "Blue and Gold" (the alma mater), and "The Laws of the Navy," verse 5 (Training Day 1)
• Midshipman Ethos (the day before CD-1)
• Military chain of command from the Commander-in-Chief to Squad Leader (Training Day 2)
• First verses of "Anchors Aweigh" and the "Marines' Hymn" (Training Day 3)
• Sailor's Creed (Training Day 5)
• Ranks, insignia and devices, staged over Training Days 6–14:
  • Brigade of Midshipmen
  • Navy and Coast Guard officers and enlisted
  • USMC, Army, Air Force and Space Force officers
  • enlisted ranks of all services
• Code of Conduct, Articles I–VI (Training Days 11–12) This is public-domain federal text: Executive Order 10631, National Archives
• "The Laws of the Navy", staged through Training Days 16–20 It's a poem by Royal Navy officer Ronald A. Hopwood, first published July 23, 1896. It has appeared in Reef Points since the mid-1920s. Naval History and Heritage Command image notes, via ibiblio HyperWar
• "Invictus" (Training Day 21) and "The Man in the Arena" (Training Day 30)

The same schedule assigns reading from The Bluejacket's Manual (25th edition) and Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet.

Some knowledge changes every day, so it can only be learned on the Yard. The instruction directs plebes to:

• "Learn verbatim the menus of three meals in advance"
• "Know the names of the OOW, Staff Duty Officer (SDO), and MOOW for the current day"
• "Know 'the Days'"
• "Know the names of all 4-Stripers and above"

COMDTMIDNINST 3120.1Y, §603

Also on the schedule, and only learnable after arrival:

• your Alpha number, company, platoon, squad and room
• your detailers' ranks and names
• your squad and platoon members' names and hometowns
• your rifle serial number
• the Battalion's company commanders

COMDTMIDNINST 3120.1Y, Appendix A

• Master the four "prior to reporting" items word for word. They are the only items the official schedule expects on day zero.
• Use spaced flashcards. Review new cards daily, then push known cards out to every few days. A set built from official text is linked below.
• Say it out loud, standing up. Rates are recited aloud to an upperclass midshipman, so practice them that way, not just by reading.
• Chunk long pieces by line. Learn a line until it's perfect, then add the next one, the way the schedule splits "The Laws of the Navy" across days.
• Don't buy last year's book to memorize. Each edition updates names and content. The instruction says plebes may study Reef Points while at parade rest in lines, so time with the issued copy is built in. Source: COMDTMIDNINST 3120.1Y, §603
• Physical prep still matters more. Knowledge is one piece of Plebe Summer.

There's a starter deck of items taken from official Naval Academy and federal pages. It covers the mission, the Honor Concept, the Code of Conduct, the core values and the pre-reporting list. Open the deck below.

• Book edition: Reef Points 2026–2027 (Naval Academy store, checked October 21, 2026).
• Memorization schedule: COMDTMIDNINST 3120.1Y, June 3, 2026.
• Mission and Honor Concept: usna.edu, checked October 21, 2026.
• Contents outline: a Naval Academy Business Services blog post (February 24, 2022), so section order may differ in newer editions.

This page summarizes and links to the official sources. It does not reproduce Reef Points, and Academy Dreams is not affiliated with the U.S. Naval Academy. Always defer to the edition you're issued and to your detailers.