Fleet Captain. tention of manoeuvring the fleet in detail, it shall be the duty of the Commanders of squadrons and divisions to make all the signals which may be necessary to regulate the movements of their squadrons or divisions to carry into execution any general evolution, or to preserve any prescribed position which may have been ordered by the Commanderin-Chief. 318....After battle they will forward to the Commander-in-Chief the reports of the officers commanding vessels, required by paragraph 291, accompanied by full remarks of their own. SECTION 3. Fleet Captain. 319....The Fleet Captain is to assist the Commander in-Chief in the various details and arrangements for the management of the fleet or squadron, and for maintaining it in the most efficient condition; and, to this end, he is to be embarked on board the same vessel with the Commander-in-Chief, and subject only to his orders and directions. 320....He shall keep a journal of the proceedings of the fleet or squadron, noting in general terms every circumstance of importance that may pass under his observation. 321.... He shall also keep a register of all orders issued by the Commander-in-Chief, or by his authority, and of all signals that may be made in the fleet or squadron, noting the day and hour when the former were received or transmitted, and when the latter were made. (See forms Nos. 5 and 6, appendix.) 322....He shall take care when officers are called on board to receive verbal orders, that they note in an order book, which they must bring for that purpose, the substance of the order given. 323....He will immediately report to the Commander-in-Chief any neglect or disobedience of the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. 324.. In order to expedite the administrative duties of a fleet or squadron, the following reports, returns, &c., will be transmitted by commanding officers to the Commander-in-Chief, through the Fleet Captain, who, after examination and indorsing them with such remarks as may appear to him expedient, will place them before the Commander Fleet Lieutenant ----Officers Commanding Vessels. in-Chief for his information, and, if necessary, for his action or decision. Reports of state and condition of ship; reports of defects; applications for refitting or repairs; requisitions for money, stores or provisions; all periodical returns; applications for leave, transfer, or discharge; applications for surveys; and, in general, all reports connected with the equipment, efficiency, and state of the vessels. All reports of the operation of their commands, the execution of their orders, or of the discipline of their vessels, commanding officers will transmit direct to the Commander-in-Chief. SECTION 4. Fleet Lieutenant. 325....The Fleet Lieutenant, and such other officers as may be appointed to serve on the personal staff of a Commander-in-Chief, are to act as his aids, and will assist the Fleet Captain in his duties. 326....Should there be no Fleet Captain, the duties prescribed for that officer will be performed by the Fleet Lieutenant. SECTION 5. Officers Commanding Vessels. 327....When an officer shall be appointed to the command of a vessel he shall join her forthwith, unless a particular day be designated for him to do so by the appointing authority; and, on joining her, he is to examine and ascertain her state and condition, and inform himself of the character and qualifications of the officers placed under his command. 328....If the vessel be still under the charge of the Commanding Officer of the navy yard, he will be attentive to her repair and equipment, and report to such Commanding Officer any defects or deficiencies which, in his opinion, require further attention. He will be particular in his examinations and reports at the time when it may be proposed to transfer the vessel entirely to his charge, so as to prevent any subsequent complaints in relation to neglects or deficiencies in the repairs or equipments. Officers Commanding Vessels. 329 ....He will exercise no authority or control over the repairs or equipments of the vessel before she is delivered into his charge, nor over the officers and mechanics of the navy yard, unless with the assent or direction of the Commanding Officer of the yard. 330....When appointed to the command of a vessel, he shall be furnished with a statement of her condition and her presumed or ascertained qualities, by the Commandant of the navy yard, or by the previous Commander, if the vessel be already in commission, and with drawings and plans showing the dimensions of the ship, arrangements and stowage of the holds, store-rooms, magazines, shell-rooms, shotlockers, &c. 331.... When a vessel shall be transferred by the Commanding Offi. cer of a navy yard to him for service, he shall use every exertion to complete the arrangements that may be necessary for her efficient employment at sea, and shall report weekly to the Secretary of the Navy her condition, progress of repairs, and any deficiency of officers or men, for the information of the Department. 332....After assuming the command he will be held responsible for the whole conduct and good government of the officers and others belonging to the vessel, according to the laws and regulations for the government of the Navy, and must himself set an example of respect and obedience to his superiors, and of unremitting attention to his duties. 333....When a ship shall have been put in commission, a general muster of the officers and crew shall be had for the purpose of verifying the descriptive lists, of ascertaining that the name of every man is correctly registered, and that every one has the exact uniform dress prescribed by regulations; the full dress is not to be worn during war. The Executive Officer, Surgeon, and Paymaster shall be present at such muster, and any discrepancy in the descriptive lists, or error in the transfer roll, shall be then corrected, and a certificate of such correction, approved by the Commanding Officer, shall be transmitted by him to the Department, to the rendezvous where the man was shipped, and the receiving ship from which he was transferred. On the receipt of such certificate the necessary corrections will be made. 334....He will see that a note is made upon all accounts, transfer Officers Commanding Vessels. and descriptive lists, and on all shipping articles, and enlistment returns, against the name of every person who may come under the seventh section of the act approved February 24, 1864, for enrolling and calling out the national forces. 335....He shall not exceed the number of men allowed in any rating except to make up for a deficiency in some superior rating, or by the express authority of the Secretary of the Navy, or the Commander-inChief of a squadron on foreign service. 336....Should he deem it necessary to issue other orders for the general police of the vessel than those contained in the Laws and Regulations for the Navy, he will prepare such and submit them to the Department, or to the Commander-in-Chief if serving in a squadron, for approval or modification. 337....He shall have the officers and crew stationed for the performance of their different duties, and shall exercise them as frequently as other duties will permit before going to sea; and shall cause the quarter, watch, fire, and other station bills, to be fairly made out and hung in some conspicuous place, where all persons on board may have access to them. 338....In all matters connected with the preparation of his vessel for battle, and the exercise of his crew at quarters, he shall follow carefully such instructions as have been or may be issued by the Bureau of Ordnance and approved by the Secretary of the Navy. 339....He shall require each of the Lieutenants, Masters, and Ensigns, belonging to the vessel, to procure a good sextant or octant, and some approved work containing the usual tables for ascertaining the ship's place from observations for latitude and longitude, that, in case it should be necessary to place any of them in charge of a prize or other vessel, they may have the necessary means of navigating her. 340....He will impress upon the men under his command the importance of providing, by allotment tickets, for their families during their absence from them, and will see that the tickets of those who avail themselves of the privilege are duly forwarded as provided for in the article on allotments. 341----When approaching any vessel of war at sea, he shall take care that the vessel under his command is so far cleared for action as to guard against any possible danger from surprise. Officers Commanding Vessels. 342....He will, when acting singly, hold a semi-annual inspection of his ship according to the form given in the Ordnance Instructions, and forward his report to the Bureau of Ordnance by the first. opportunity. 343.... He may, at his discretion, require the Line Officers under his command to make frequent observations and calculations for determining the latitude and longitude, and the variation of the compass, and report the results to him, and he will encourage the officers under his command to improve themselves in every branch of nautical science. 344....Whenever a Commander is removed from one vessel to another, he may take with him his clerk, Cockswain, one officers' steward, one officers' cook, and one person of inferior rating. 345....He shall deliver to the officer appointed to succeed him in command all signal books, and the originals or attested copies of all unexecuted orders which he may have received, for which he must take receipts in duplicate, sending one copy through the proper channel to the Navy Department. He will leave with his successor in command a complete muster book, and expense book, duly audited and signed by him to the time of his resigning his command. He shall leave with his successor a report of the qualities of the vessel according to such forms as may be prescribed, together with every other information which he may deem serviceable to her Commander, and he will forward a similar report to the Navy Department whenever he is removed from or resigns the command of a vessel. Whenever he is removed from or resigns the command of a vessel, he will furnish the officer succeeding him in the command with a list of the names of such of the crew who enlisted for three years as may be deemed worthy of an honorable discharge. 346...Should he find it necessary to go into a port not designated or permitted by his instructions, he will make no unnecessary stay, and will report the cause of the necessity and of any delay that may occur. 347....Should a vessel be separated from a fleet or squadron to which it belongs, the Commander must show, in the most satisfactory manner, that such separation was not caused by any neglect of his, and that he had complied strictly with all instructions which may have been given for his government in case of such separation. |