Officers Commanding Vessels.

378....Commanders of vessels violating or departing from their orders or instructions at the request of a consul, or any other person, must do so on their own responsibility, and will be held to a strict account by their superiors.

379...They shall make to the Honorable Secretary of the Navy, through the Commander-in-Chief, a full report of any action, chase, or important movement in which the vessels they command may be engaged, and will also furnish diagrams illustrating the positions and movements of the vessels, the direction of the wind, the bearing, distance, and outline of land should any be in sight, and all information which may tend to throw light on the occurrence. They will also be careful to mention all such as may distinguish themselves as defined by the act of December 21, 1861, and recommend them for medals; and will, after an action, require from the Executive Officer and officers commanding divisions, reports of the general conduct of those under their observation. (See paragraphs 291, 318.)

380....In case of the death, desertion, or capture by an enemy of any person belonging to the Navy, it shall be the duty of the Commander of the vessel, upon the books of which the name of such person may be borne, to cause his effects to be collected and delivered to the Paymaster for safe-keeping, together with an inventory of the same, to be signed by two mess mates, if they belonged to an officer, or if they belonged to any other person, by the officer of his division. He shall, also, in addition to the usual official report of the death of any person, on board the vessel under his command, cause information of the same to be forwarded to the nearest relative, or friend of the deceased, if the address of such relative or friend can be obtained.

381.... Whenever an officer may be relieved from command, he shall, before the transfer be effected, make a thorough inspection of the ship in company with his successor, and cause the crew to be exercised in his presence. He shall point out any defects, and account for them, and explain fully any peculiarities of construction or arrangements. A statement, in triplicate, of the inspection shall be drawn up, and if satisfactory, shall be signed by the officer succeeding to the command. If not satisfactory, the latter shall state in what particular it is not so, and the officer relieved shall make such explanations as he

Officers Commanding Steam- Vessels.

may deem necessary, each over his own signature. One copy of this statement shall be forwarded to the Secretary of the Navy, and one shall be retained by each of the Commanding Officers.

SECTION 6.

Officers Commanding Steam- Vessels.

382....When an officer shall be appointed to the command of a steam-vessel, he is to observe carefully the following directions, in addition to those prescribed in the next preceding section, relating to "Officers Commanding Vessels."

383....He is to use all possible diligence to make himself acquainted with the principles and construction of the engines, the intention and effect of the various parts of the machinery, the time the engines were constructed, the repairs they may have undergone, the period when the last repairs were made, and when the vessel last received new boilers.

384....As a material saving in the consumption of fuel may be produced by reducing the engine power, without reducing essentially the speed, and as occasions for this exercise of economy may frequently occur, he is to make himself acquainted with the principle and effect of the expansion of steam, and to require that the expansion gear should at all times be brought into play when the engines are not worked up to their full power.

385....In order to ascertain the capabilities of the ship under his command, he is, as soon as he proceeds to sea, to make careful and repeated trials by using the steam expansively, under every variety of wind and weather, draught of water, and other circumstances, so as to be able at all times to apply the principle of expansion, according to the nature of the service on which he may be engaged, and to calculate with accuracy the number of days the ship can be under steam without being obliged to put into port for fuel.

386....Except for experiments ordered, (and which will be necessary only when the information cannot be obtained from reports of the performances and capabilities of the ship on former occasions,) he is

Officers Commanding Steam- Vessels.

most carefully to avoid getting up, or keeping up the steam, in any case where the use of the sails alone would enable him to perform, in a satisfactory manner, the duty on which he is engaged. For the slightest neglect of this part of his instructions he will be held rigidly responsible.

387...As to the use of sails, either with or without the use of steam, or as to moderating the steam when running head to wind and sea, each Commanding Officer must be guided by his own judgment, but with the understanding that he must be prepared to justify every expenditure of fuel for steaming purposes, if cal'ed upon to do so. His judgment will necessarily be based upon a consideration of the urgency and nature of the service to be performed, of the wind and weather, and upon the difficulties of the navigation, and the qualities of the vessel; but he is to take care, first, that steam is not used at all when the service can be equally, or nearly, as well performed without it; secondly, that sail is never dispensed with when it can be employed to advantage to assist the steam; and, thirdly, that full steam power is never employed, unless in chase, or absolutely necessary, the cause for which must be reported to the Department in writing.

388... He is carefully to inform himself of the usual daily consumption of coals, and to obtain all information in regard to the most economical and efficient use of the engines and their appendages.

389. To prevent accidents by spontaneous combustion, he is to order the greatest care to be observed that the coals are not taken on board when wet, and that when on board they are kept as dry as possible. When a fresh supply is received, he is to direct that those remaining in the coal-bunkers be, as far as practicable, so stowed as to be used first.

390. He is, before leaving the port where the vessel was fitted, to cause all the spare gear belonging to the engines and machinery to be taken on board, and he is to land no part of it at any port where he may touch, without the written authority of the Commanding Officer of the station, or of the Commander of the squadron to which he belongs.

391...Whenever he joins his Commanding Officer after separation, or when he arrives at any port where there is a superior officer in com

Officers Commanding Steam- Vessels.

mand, he shall report the number of hours the vessel was under steam and under sail, and the circumstances which rendered the use of steam necessary.

392....When practicable, he shall, before going to sea, cause the boilers to be filled with fresh water.

393....He will direct the Engineer to have the flues, chimneys, and boilers cleaned whenever it may be necessary, and when repairs or cleaning are required for the engines or boilers, they are to be made, as far as practicable, by the engineers, firemen, and coal-heavers of the vessel.

394....He shall take care that the proper lanterns, to prevent collision at sea, be kept in good order and always lighted at night, except when it may be expedient to conceal all lights.

395...He is to have the force-pumps, hose, and all other means for extinguishing fires, kept constantly in order and ready for immediate use; and he is to require the utmost care to be taken at all times in the storage of stores, the use of lights and fires, and in the adoption of all other precautionary measures to prevent danger from fire.

396....He shall examine the steam-log daily, and if satisfied of its correctness, sign it every month, or oftener, should the vessel in the mean time arrive at any port.

397... The Commander of the vessel shall transmit to the Bureau of Steam Engineering, by the first safe opportunity after the close of the months of March, June, September, and December, a fair copy of the steam log-book for the preceding quarter, and whenever a steamer is placed in ordinary, for the period which has not been previously transmitted.

398....He will require the steam-engineers to conform to the orders of the officer of the deck for the time being; but they are not, except in cases of great emergency, to be ordered to perform other duties than those immediately connected with the preservation, repair, management, or supplying of the engines and their dependencies.

399...He will cause the engineers, firemen and coal-heavers, to be arranged in watches, and, when on watch, they are to be under the immediate direction of the senior engineer of the watch, and are not to be ordered on other duties than those connected with the engines,

Officers Commanding Steam- Vessels ----Executive Officer.

boilers and their dependencies, except in cases of emergency, and then the engineer on duty is to be informed, that he may adopt all necessary precautions.

400....He will cause the senior Engineer to submit for his approval, watch, fire, quarter, and cleaning bills, showing the specific duties of the engineers, firemen, and coal-heavers.

401.... He will require the senior engineer on board to examine daily the engines and their dependencies, and all parts of the vessel which are occupied by them, or by stores for their use, and to report them to the Executive Officer for inspection; to make immediate report, should any defect or danger be discovered; to give timely notice to the Commander of the vessel of the probable wants of his department, and whenever articles are received for it, to carefully examine if they are of proper quality, and report any which, in his opinion, may be objectionable.

402....He will make such regulations with regard to leave on shore that the ship will never be left without the services of an experienced engineer. He will cause a full engineer watch to be kept constantly whenever the fires are lighted, and take care that one engineer at least, with a suitable number of firemen and coal-heavers, are always on watch, even though the ship may be at anchor and the fires hauled.

SECTION 7.

Executive Officer.

403....The Line Officer next in rank to the Commander of the vessel shall be the Executive Officer.

404....He will at once make himself acquainted with all the arrangements and equipments of the vessel, and report to the Commanding Officer any defects he may discover.

405....He shall, under the direction of the Commander, have the superintendence of the general duties to be performed, and of the police, to such extent as the Commander may authorize or prescribe.

406....He shall have the quarter, watch, fire, and station bills made out and kept complete according to the orders which he may receive from the Commander, and see that copies of them, and of the laws and