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CHAPTER V.

A COMMANDER IN CHIEF.

SECTION 1.-ON ASSUMING COMMAND.

263. (1) The title "commander in chief," when occurring in naval laws, regulations, and other documents, shall be held to refer to the officer designated as such in his orders from the Navy Department, or to the officer who succeeds him as provided for in article 285, paragraphs 1 and 2, of these Regulations.

(2) The duties, prerogatives, and honors of a commander in chief commence on the date of hoisting his flag and continue until it is finally hauled down.

Title.

Period of duty.

264. A commander in chief shall, upon the date of assuming To command, announce the fact in a general order to the fleet or his staff. squadron, setting forth the authority for his assumption of command. At the same time, or as soon thereafter as may be practicable, he shall announce the officers who are to serve upon his staff, both personal and fleet.

announce

265. He shall, as soon as possible, make himself familiar with To become fathe condition and capabilities of the ships of his command, and miliar with his thoroughly inform himself as to the qualities of their officers and command, crews, armament, speed under different circumstances, economy of service, and capacity for warlike stores; as to the skill, capacity, judgment, and aptitude of their several captains, and as to such other matters as may be necessary in order to enable him to make the best selections of officers, men, or instruments for the perform ance of any important public duty.

To become fa

266. He shall make himself familiar with the facilities for making repairs and obtaining supplies at the various ports within the miliar with his limits of his station, and with the climatic and sanitary condition station.

of the latter, in order that the service of ships may be directed as far as possible with a view to their economic administration and

efficient condition.

267. He shall use every exertion to equip the ships of his com- Equipment mand expeditiously and keep them ready for service. If he dis- and condition of covers any defects in the ships, their armament, or equipment ships. whereby they are rendered unfit for their destined service he shall report the details of such defects to the Secretary of the Navy.

orders.

268. (1) He shall regulate exercises and sanitary duties in gen- Routine, ineral instructions to the ships of his command. These instructions structions, and must be in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the Navy, the orders emanating from the Secretary of the Navy, and the usages of the naval service.

(2) Copies of all standing orders, instructions, and routine issued to a fleet or squadron shall be forwarded to the Secretary of the Navy.

Inspection.

Circumstances

SECTION 2.-GENERAL DUTIES.

269. (1) The commander in chief shall inspect every ship of his command as follows:

(a) As soon as practicable after assuming command, or after a ship has joined his command.

(b) Semiannually from the date of the first inspection.

(c) Immediately before the departure of a ship from his command, if not inspected within the previous six months.

(d) At such other times as he may deem necessary.

(2) The inspections prescribed in this article, except the last, shall be conducted in a careful and deliberate manner, and full reports according to prescribed forms, with such additional information as may be important, shall be made to the Secretary of the Navy. The additional inspections provided for under (d) may be more or less complete, and may be reported or not, at his discretion.

270. (1) He shall take into consideration the length of time a affecting the con- ship has been in commission, and mention any special circumstances dition of a ship that may have interfered with routine drills and duties, such as long-continued special service, exposure to inclement or enervating weather, or prevailing sickness.

reported on.

Report to be governed by general knowledge of the ship.

(2) He shall be governed in making out his report by the ability and readiness of a ship to perform any service or duty required, so far as these qualities depend upon the efforts of her personnel, and by his observation, if sufficiently extensive, of her proficiency at drills, accuracy at target practice, and other important qualities. (3) He shall examine particularly into the means taken to preserve condition of the the hull, decks, steam machinery, boilers, guns and their carriages, ship. masts, riggings, sails, and stores. He shall not fail to mention in his report any neglect on the part of the captain or any other officer to maintain the ship in the most efficient condition possible.

The efficient

Exercise at

guns.

Closing watertight doors.

Improvements suggested.

Sanitary condition.

Laws and regu

(4) He shall satisfy himself that all guns are sufficiently exercised to keep their crews efficient, and are fully prepared for service whenever the ship is cleared for action.

(5) He shall make a most strict and careful inquiry and report as to the observance of the regulations in respect to closing watertight doors.

(6) He shall examine into and report on any suggestions of the captain, or any of the other officers, calculated to increase the efficiency of the ship.

(7) He shall examine into and report on the general sanitary condition of the ship.

(8) He shall satisfy himself that the laws and regulations governlations enforced. ing the Navy, the particular instructions from the Navy Department, and the usages of the naval service are enforced.

Officers' messes and privileges.

The clothing

the crew.

(9) He shall inquire into the orders relating to smoking, and ascertain if officers' messes are in a satisfactory condition and conducted with fairness to all officers and according to regulations, and shall cause any outstanding mess debts to be reported to him. In the administration of his command he shall endeavor to provide for the comfort of officers.

(10) He shall inspect a part of the bedding and the clothing of the and bedding of crew, or all of it should he deem it necessary, and inform himself of its condition, reporting if it is not satisfactory in regard to cleanliness, material, pattern, and quantity, and if any but the prescribed uniform is worn.

ments
crew.

arrangeof the

(11) He shall inquire into the condition of the provisions for the Provisions and crew and the details of the mess arrangements, reporting any just mess causes of complaint, or any special circumstances entitled to commendation. He shall satisfy himself that the monthly payments of money to the crew are regularly made and that leave to visit the shore is frequently granted to deserving men, and in all cases in accordance with the Regulations.

He

(12) He shall inquire into and report on the general condition of the ventilating apparatus, electric lighting plant, and other special appliances for preserving the health and comfort of the crew. shall ascertain whether these appliances are kept in constant use, and, if not, he shall report the reasons.

(13) He is fully authorized to examine and inquire into any other subject bearing upon the order, discipline, and efficiency of the ship, or upon the proper observance by all on board of the laws, regulations, and customs of the naval service.

Special appliances for preserv

ing the health of the crew.

To inquire into any subject bear

and

ing upon order, discipline, efficiency. Delegation of

(14) He shall not delegate the inspection of a ship to another unless absolutely necessary. If so delegated, the officer selected must be inspection. under his command, and senior to the captain of the ship inspected. This officer shall conduct the inspection in the same manner, so far as possible, as the flag officer. With this end in view and for his assistance he may, by permission of the latter, be accompanied by any member of the fleet staff that he may select, who are his juniors. His report shall be made to the flag officer.

Inspection of

271. He shall make careful and frequent inspections of the naval hospital and other places provided for the sick within the limits of hospitals. his command, and report their condition to the Secretary of the Navy. If unable to perform this duty himself, he shall direct one of the captains under his command to perform it. He shall require reports from the officer in charge of the hospital as often as may be necessary in order to keep himself fully informed of the condition of the sick.

272. (1) He shall assemble at least twice a year all or as many Squadron exerof the ships of his command as the nature of their duties will permit, and shall make cruises in squadron for exercise.

(2) He shall send the ships to sea singly for several days in each quarter in order to exercise officers and men in working ship.

(3) He shall require the ships to perform such exercises in port as may be for the best interests of the service.

(4) He shall give the ships every possible opportunity for exercise, so as to render them efficient in all respects.

cises.

Exercise at sea.

port.

Exercise in

Exercise in

general.

Target prac

(5) He shall require the allowance of ammunition of all arms for target practice to be expended in accordance with the instructions tice. ssued from time to time relating thereto, and he shall permit no omissions of regular target practice, unless for urgent reasons, which he must report to the Secretary of the Navy.

(6) He shall, if posssible, arrange for ships to land their crews for drill and for practice at target with small arms and artillery.

Drills and target practice on shore.

Exercises of

shore.

(7) He shall, if practicable, cause the crews of ships to be landed and exercised at camping, bivouacking, and marching, carrying the crew provisions, ammunition, and other supplies necessary for a force that is to be self-sustaining, and equipped for occupying a hostile country.

(8) He shall require frequent exercises with the boats of the squadron and satisfy himself that they are in a condition to perform any service likely to be required.

on

Condition of

boats.

Signals.

To encourage emulation.

Extent of drill.

Ships to visit

limits of com

mand.

(9) He shall require a detail of officers and men of every ship to become expert in the various methods of night and day signaling.

(10) He shall encourage a spirit of emulation in the instruction of officers and men in all that pertains to their profession.

(11) He shall, in regulating the extent of drill, take into consideration the condition of ships and make relaxation in favor of those that excel.

273. He shall, so far as the public service will permit, require all commercial the ships to visit all the ports within the limits of his command ports within the where American commerce extends, unless otherwise directed by the Secretary of the Navy. He shall not send a ship beyond such limits except upon some urgent duty, which shall be reported at once. 274. He shall not permit ships to remain in port for long periods of time, unless some public exigency requires it.

Long delays in port forbidden.

Shifting flag.

275. He may shift his flag to any ship under his command, reporting to the Secretary of the Navy his reasons for so doing, and Officer to com- he may designate any captain of his squadron to command the ship mand flagship. to which he shifts his flag, having due regard to the rank of the two officers to be changed, and provided the change is to be permanent. 276. He shall direct the course to be steered by the fleet or squadron when at sea, and is responsible for its safe conduct

Course to be steered.

Time signal.

Passengers.

277. He shall, when in company with other ships, have a time signal made at 7 a. m.

278. (1) He shall, in the waters of the United States, permit passengers on board the ships of his command only upon written permission from the Secretary of the Navy.

(2) When in foreign waters, passengers shall not be embarked on board ships of his command without his express authority or that of the senior officer present.

To regulate 279. He shall, when in squadron, issue orders regulating the leave when in extent of leave of absence which may be granted to officers and squadron. men to visit the shore, and shall, when in squadron, allow no officer to be absent on leave for more than twenty-four hours, without written permission from himself.

Correspond

ence.

Commander in

280. He shall be careful to observe, and to require others of his command to observe, the regulations in regard to correspondence. He shall also be governed by the following rules:

(a) He has the sole right to correspond directly with the Navy chief only to cor- Department concerning any official matter connected with the fleet ing his com- Or squadron.

respond concern

mand.

ports of
ments to the Sec-

General re- (b) He shall correspond regularly with the Secretary of the Navy, move- and, by means of general reports, keep him fully informed of the retary of the movements of the fleet or squadron. These general reports shall not be considered as taking the place of separate letters on separate subjects.

Navy.

The condition

(c) He shall frequently state the condition and probable requireand require- ments of the ships of his command.

ments of ships.

Keeping the ships efficient.

Report any in

(d) He shall make any suggestions that he may deem important in relation to furnishing the ships with supplies and keeping them in an efficient condition.

(e) He shall at once report any contagious or infectious disease of fectious disease. a grave character that may break out in any of the ships of his

command.

(f) He shall make monthly reports of the distribution and employ- Monthly ment of the ships of his command.

re

port of duties of ships. Probable move

(g) He shall, so far as is practicable, report the probable movements of ships, giving such information as may be necessary to ments of ships. enable the Department to maintain telegraphic communication with them.

(h) He shall each year transmit to the Secretary of the Navy in time to reach Washington by the 1st of October, a report for publication, covering all subjects necessary for a complete military review of his command and its operations during the preceding fiscal year, and especially the following

(ha) The movements of all ships, and character of work performed; the amount of coal consumed, and the cost thereof.

(hb) The general condition and efficiency of all ships; a description of all military drills; a full description of all target practice; an account of all torpedo practice; and a detailed description of all tactical maneuvers with the lessons of war they are intended to illustrate.

(he) The discipline of the command with a summary of enlistments, discharges, desertions, courts-martial, and petty punishments.

(hd) The sanitary condition of the command, with the percentage of sick, number of deaths, and number sent to hospitals and invalided home.

Yearly report.

ments.

281. He shall forward to the Secretary of the Navy any sugges- Suggestions tions for the improvement of navy yards or ships, or upon any other for improvesubject connected with the Navy, that he may deem important. Such suggestions shall be accompanied by plans and estimates when practicable.

Temporarily

282. During the temporary absence of the commander in chief from his command afloat, the same rules shall obtain as those pro- absent. viding for the temporary absence of a flag officer from his command afloat in article 41.

Relinquishing

283. He shall not relinquish his command without the consent of the Secretary of the Navy, unless condemned by medical survey. command. 284. When relieved of command, he shall turn over to his suc- When relieved cessor all original records of his official correspondence, original let- of command. ters, documents, or papers concerning the ships or ships' companies of his command, or authenticated copies of the same; the original or authenticated copies of all unexecuted orders; all general regulations and orders he may have issued from time to time; all documents received for his guidance; and such other official correspondence and information concerning his command and station as may be of service to his successor. He shall forward to the Secretary of the Navy copies of all important unexecuted orders. If he returns to the United States in a ship of the Navy before being relieved, or is detached without a relief, the above correspondence and papers shall be disposed of as may be directed by the Navy Department.

285. (1) Should the commander in chief die, become incapacitated, or leave his station permanently, before being relieved by a successor appointed by the Secretary of the Navy, the senior line officer in the fleet or squadron shall succeed him, and shall have authority as if appointed commander in chief, in terins, by the Navy Department. He shall continue, as such, until duly relieved by orders from proper authority, or by a line officer senior to himself

Incapacitated.

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