It is located in Rio de Janeiro, on Villegagnon Island just inside of Guanabara Bay.

The Company of Midshipmen was installed in the building of the Naval Arsenal of Lisbon.

In 1823, one year following the independence of Brazil, the faculty and the students of the Academy of the Midshipmen had to choose either the Brazilian or the Portuguese nationality.

The Brazilian Imperial Academy of Midshipmen become the School of Navy (Escola de Marinha), in 1858.

To celebrate its foundation, every year the Navy promotes the traditional Naval Academy Regatta, the largest sailing race in Latin America.