Gunboats, etc. Special-serv lee squadrons. Separate without being placed under the immediate command of the com- 205. Vessels on duty in Central American waters and on similar 206. Special-service squadrons may be organized at any time at the discretion of the department, for the performance of any duty which may be required of them, and the officer in command of such a squadron may be designated as either a commander in chief or a commander of a squadron, as circumstances may render advisable. Such squadrons may operate within the limits of command of the commander in chief of one of the principal fleets without being placed under the direct command of such commander in chief, but when so acting shall be subject to the provisions of the following article. 207. When one or more ships arrive within the limits of comforces meeting. mand of the commander in chief of the Asiatic Fleet, or in waters contiguous to those in which a flag officer is serving in command afloat, the senior officer present, if junior to the commander in chief, or to such other flag officer, shall report to him either by telegraph or mail, as may be deemed expedient. In so doing he shall report the tenor of his orders, if not secret, and if secret, he shall report the fact. He shall also report how communications may reach him. These reports shall continue from time to time, as necessary, or as required by circumstances, until such detached force has left the limits of command or the proximity of the flag officer to whom they are made. If the officer in command of the detached force is a flag officer senior in rank to the commander in chief of the fleet concerned, the latter shall make to the former the reports required by the provisions of this article. It shall be the duty of the senior in every case to keep the junior informed as to how to address and forward such reports. Ships in full commission. Ships in commission in reserve. SECTION 2.-STATUS OF SHIPS. 216. (1) Ships of the Navy will be divided into two classes, viz, in commission and out of commission. Ships in commission may be in either one of three conditions, as follows: (a) In full commission.-Ships in this condition are fully offcered and manned, and ready in all respects for service, and either under orders or liable to orders for service without previous notice. They may be temporarily disabled for repairs by order of the department, however, without changing their status. They may be attached to fleets, squadrons, or in the case of torpedo ves sels and submarines, to flotillas; or they may act singly, or under the senior officer present. They shall fly the flag and pennant. (b) In commission in reserve.-Ships in this condition shall be maintained at some designated navy yard or other suitable place, and shall be kept ready for sea on short notice. They shall have reduced complements of officers and men on board including, if practicable, an engineer officer and a carpenter, and fly the flag and pennant. The provision that they shall be ready for sea on short notice shall not be construed to prevent the carrying on of such repairs as may be necessary to keep them ready for sea, or as may be authorized by the department, but no work shall be undertaken on any of them that will render them unable to move upon the expiration of four working days after the receipt of orders, without first obtaining permission from the department. They may be assigned to fleets, or in the case of torpedo vessels and submarines, to flotillas or groups, or they may be in com mission in reserve independently. (e) In commission in ordinary.-Ships in this condition shall be Ships in commaintained at some designated navy yard under the commandant mission in ordi. and in such condition as will best tend to keep them in efficient" condition for service if needed, under detailed instructions from the department. They shall have complements of officers and men on board only large enough to enable them to be properly cared for in the condition in which ordered to be maintained; their complements shall include, if practicable, an engineer officer and a carpenter. Necessary repairs shall be conducted on them, but no work shall be undertaken on any of them without special permission from the department which would delay them longer than would be necessary to change them from the condition of in ordinary to that of readiness for sea service were no repairs in progress. They shall fly the flag and pennant; and may be assigned to fleets, or in the case of torpedo vessels and submarines, to flotillas and divisions, or be in ordinary independently. (2) Ships out of commission. Ships in this condition shall have Ships out of no personnel on board, and shall be under the full control of the com-commission. mandant of the navy yard at which they lie. They do not fly the flag or pennant. Repairs and alterations shall be carried on on board them as may be authorized by the department, or they may be simply held out of commission and not under repair awaiting the department's instruction to commission or otherwise dispose of them. 217. The relations between the commanding officers of ships in Commadants commission in reserve and the commandants of the navy yards at and commandwhich they lie shall be the same as those which exist between com-ships in commismanding officers of ships in commission at navy yards and the com-sion in reserve mandants of such yards. If organized in forces, squadrons, flotillas, or divisions, the relations between the commanders thereof and the commandants shall be the same as though they were in full commission. SECTION 3. ORGANIZATION OF THE FLEET. 226. The word "Fleet" shall denote the aggregation of forces of various classes of vessels in one organization under one command. A "force" is the major subdivision of a fleet. It is composed of all the vessels of the fleet that are of the same type or class or that are assigned to the same duty.sal Scout Force (including battle cruisers, armored cruisers, and Cruiser Force (including gunboats). Destroyer Force.bacnmug Submarine Force. Mine Force. Train. A fleet may consist of the following vessels: (a) One ship as flagship of the commander in chief. (b) Battleship divisions consisting normally of two sections of two battleships each. Battleship di. vision. rons will be under the immediate command of the commander of the' battleship force. (e) Battle and armored cruiser divisions consisting normally of two Bections of two vessels each. force. Battle cruiser division. force. and armored cruiser squadrons will be under the immediate command of " the commander of the scout force. sels each (except in case of battle cruisers and armored cruisers). Scout division. force. divisions will be under the immediate command of the commander of Cruiser divi (e) Cruiser divisions, including gunboats, consisting normally of two sion. Squadron force. submarine divisions flotilla. Three divisions will normally compose a squadron. All of the cruiser divisions will be under the immediate command of the commander of the cruiser force. Destroyer and (f) Destroyer and submarine divisions consisting of two sections of three vessels each. Normally three divisions of these vessels will compose a flotilla, but a flotilla may consist of only two divisions. All of the flotillas will be under the immediate command of the commander Force part of of the destroyer or submarine force, depending upon the class of vessels which compose the flotilla. A tender shall be assigned to each flotilla destroyers and of destroyers and to each division of submarines, except in the case of the small submarines, when one tender may be assigned to 12 submarines. When practicable a flagship shall be assigned to each flotilla of destroyers. fleet. Tenders for submarines. Mine force and train. Squadron flotilla numbers. C. N. R.7. Department as fleets, etc. (g) The mine force and the train, which will be organized under the direction of the commander in chief according to the classes and duties of the vessels composing them. Vessels of the mine force and those of the train shall be under the immediate command, respectively, of the commander of the mine force and the commander of the train. 227. (a) The number of squadrons or flotillas in one force is not limited. (b) The department will assign vessels to fleets, forces, squadrons, signs vessels to flotillas, and divisions, but such assignment shall not be interpreted to limit the discretion of the commander in chief in making at any time a provisional distribution of his command for strategic or tactical purposes. Fleets special. (c) Fleets made up of vessels not suitable for tactical grouping may be organized so as best to meet special situations. Titles. 228. (a) The title of the commander of any subdivision of the fleet Subdivisions shall be formed by prefixing the title Commander to the name of the subdivision of the fleet he commands. of fleet. C. H. R.7. Adminis Examples: Commander Battleship Force. Commander Battleship Squadron Two. (b) The flow of administrative command is normally from the comtrative commander in chief through the force commanders; from the force command, flow manders through the division commanders of the battleship force and scout force, and from the force commander through the squadron commanders or through the flotilla commanders of all other forces. Tactical command, flow of. Home yards. (c) The flow of tactical command is normally from the commander in chief through the force commanders; from the force commanders through the squadron or flotilla commanders; from the squadron or flotilla commanders through the division commanders. (d) While the normal flow of command shall be as indicated above, nothing shall be held to interfere with the right of a flag officer to communicate directly with any subdivision or vessel under his command. 229. Each division of ships shall be assigned to some particular navy yard for repairs and as a base, which yard shall be known as the "home yard" of that division. Other vessels shall be assigned to home yards, as may be deemed expedient. Destroyer and 230. (1) The officer ordered to command the destroyer or submarine C. N. R. 7. force or flotilla shall not be assigned to the immediate command of any submarine vessel of his command. forces. Commander. and submarine (2) Destroyer and submarine forces shall be composed of as many Composition of flotillas of destroyers and submarines, respectively, as may be found destroyer advisable, and each flotilla shall be under the command of a flotilla forces. commander who shall fly his pennant on a flagship specially designated by the department. and destroyer submarine flo (3) Each destroyer and submarine flotilla shall be composed of three Composition of divisions, and each division shall be under the command of a division commander, who shall also command the vessel to which he is attached, tilla. and shall occupy a position analagous to that of a division commander in the fleet, except as modified in Art. 228 (b) and (c). (4) The tender assigned to each submarine division will furnish Quarters quarters for the submarine crews and officers. on ten submarine (5) The tenders shall be the bases of the flotillas and divisions, all SECTION 4.-RESERVE FORCE. 236. (1) The vessels in commission in reserve that are so assigned Composition. shall be named "Reserve Force, United States shall constitute a part of the general command of the commander in chief of the fleet within whose geographic limits they are stationed. Fleet." They Each reserve force shall be under the immediate command of a commander reserve force, United States Fleet. (2) Torpedo vessels and submarines in reserve shall constitute a part of the general command of the commander in chief. They shall be under the immediate command of the respective force commanders of Title of commander. mander force. (3) The commander reserve force shall be charged with and be Duties responsible for all details of control and administration of the vessels under his command. He shall keep the commander in chief constantly informed as to the efficiency and availability of the vessels of the reserve force and of their personnel, and of the readiness of his command for mobilization. He shall correspond directly with the department. The reserve force shall be available for special assignment by the department. comreserve Names of sub divisions of re- (4) Subdivisions of a reserve force shall be named by the numbers they would have should they join the active fleet. (5) The commander of the reserve force shall use every effort to keep Readiness for that, as far as material is concerned, the vessels will be in efficient the vessels under his command in complete readiness for battle, so battle. condition to join the active fleet upon four days' notice. state of efficient training, particularly in those ratings which require (6) He shall keep the personnel of the reduced complements in a special experience or long-continued training, time to time, as circumstances permit, for exercise cruises, gunnery direct. shall be organized and maintained in accordance with instructions 237. Torpedo vessels and submarines in commission in reserve issued by the Secretary of the Navy. Establishment of districts. 241. All matters pertaining to the operation of naval districts shall be under the cognizance of the Chief of Naval Operations, and in immediate charge of a line officer, not below the rank of captain, assigned to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, as "Director of naval districts." 242. The sea and lake coasts are divided into naval districts with limits and headquarters as indicated in the subjoined table. Districts. Headquarters. No. Commandants of districts. C. N. R. 5. Limits. 243. Each naval district shall be in charge of the "Commandant of (designated) Naval District," who shall be responsible to the Chief of Naval Operations for (a) The efficient local defense of the district in accordance with the approved war plan. (b) The maintenance of an efficient information service in accordance with instructions which shall be prepared by the Office of Naval Intelligence. (c) The maintenance of an efficient communication service in accordance with instructions which shall be prepared by the office of communications. (d) The promotion of the military interests of the United States generally within the limits of his authority. 244. The commandant of a naval district shall have the assistance of an "Assistant district commandant," who shall be an officer not below the rank of commander, whose sole or paramount duty shall be in connection with naval district matters. The district commandant shall also be provided with such additional staff as may be required for the efficient administration and operation of the naval district. 245. Communications to the department relating to naval districts shall be addressed to "The Chief of Naval Operations (Naval Districts)." All orders and instructions to naval districts shall be issued through this office. 246. (1) The Hydrographer, officers in charge of branch hydrographic offices, and the Director Naval Communications shall cooperate with the commandants of naval districts in the collection and exchange of information. (2) The commandants of naval districts will control, via the district communication superintendents, the radio stations in their districts, for purposes of administration and operation. The Pacific coast communication superintendent will be attached to the office of the commandant of the 12th naval district. |