Naval commander

“ The commander-in-chief cannot too highly extol the valiant conduct displayed by the officers and men belonging to part of the squadron under his orders, in the late attack made upon the enemy’s flotilla, off Percola Point, and the intrepid gallantry with which they boarded and brought off six gun-boats, carrying heavy metal, and a complement of men nearly double their numbers ”

“ After this, by order of the officer of the deck, silence reigns. At a word from the commander the senior lieutenant begins to read the articles of war, and as he does so all heads are uncovered. Simple yet eloquent is this expression of the faith in [Pg 79] which every naval officer must live. "The commanders of all fleets, squadrons, naval stations and vessels belonging to the navy," runs the wording of the first article, "are required to show in themselves a good example of virtue, honor, patriotism and subordination." ”

“ Their practical experience in handling ships of all sizes, shapes, and speeds under a great variety of conditions is in reality much more extensive than naval officers could possibly enjoy. I was sure that they could quickly pick up steaming and turning in formation under the direction of naval officers, the convoy commander being always a naval officer. ”

“ A brave, virtuous, and good commander cannot make all those under him like himself; but his example will induce imitation among some, and act as a curb to vice among others. Great, indeed, is the responsibility of a captain of a man-of-war; indeed, of any ship where there are officers and men looking up to him. We had not been on deck long when the admiral came off in his barge from the shore, and three or four captains arrived in their gigs, as well as some military men in shore boats. ”

“ For these services the United States naval commander-in-chief received the thanks of the Panama Railroad Company, the several Pacific Mail Steamship Companies, and all the consuls and foreign merchants.
These are a few instances of which the writer is cognizant of what the navy does in time of peace. Scarcely a naval officer of moderate experience and length of service but has witnessed similar scenes in different parts of the world. They do not attract the attention of the public, and naval officers are not apt to blow their own trumpets.—March 13, 1884. ”

“ We also request that your honor will be pleased to give us a Character to the Captain who we understand is appointed to command his Majesty’s sloop Sparrow. He shall, as long as we are in the ship, find us diligent and obedient, and always ready to obey commands. We all pray, sincerely pray, for your recovery – may the Lord be pleased for to heal your Wounds quickly, that you may be able to obtain all that so good and so brave a Commander as you are is worthy of – believe us, my good Sir, that there is not a man in the Ship’s Crew that would not risk his life in your defence. ”

“ The active fleet consists of battleships, battle cruisers, cruisers of various speeds and sizes, destroyers, submarines, and aircraft. The fleet is under the immediate command of its commander-in-chief, just as the New York naval station is under the command of its commandant; but the commander-in-chief of the fleet is just as strictly under the command of the head of the admiralty or Navy Department as is the commandant. The commander-in-chief is the principal part of the naval machine that is operated in war ”

“ The consolation is, that they died in the service of their country, and in the cause of suffering humanity.
“The commander-in-chief returns his most cordial thanks to his noble colleagues, the two Rear-Admirals, for the able manner in which they directed the movements of the squadron; and to the Captains, Commanders. Officers, Seamen, and Royal Marines, who so faithfully obeyed their orders, and so bravely completed the destruction of their opponents. ”

“ It is absolutely safe to predict that the Naval Officer of 50 years hence will smile when he reads that his forefathers had to have an officer of Commander’s rank appointed to a ship solely for charge of the main engines. ”

“ As to our escort, that must be decided upon by the marine; but our transports being armed vessels, three ships of the line, one of fifty guns for the rivers, three frigates and two cutters, would appear to me to be more than sufficient. As the expedition is especially a naval one, the commander of the squadron should be a man of superior abilities; his character, his patriotism, are important points. ”

“ By the Foreign Enlistment Bill, I am liable to be deprived of my rank, as a commander in His Majesty’s navy, with the half-pay attached to it, if I accept any appointment in the service of the Greeks: and these I would willingly sacrifice, in exchange for the glory of sharing (not to say commanding) in such an expedition as I am suggesting to your lordship. ”

“ The officers are responsible for the lives of the crew and the safety of the ship. They must be ready to think and act quickly in emergencies. In hours of peril they never leave their posts.
XI.—Some Facts about the Navy of 1898.
The Constitution of the United States provides that the President shall be commander-in-chief not only of the army but also of the navy. His chief assistant in the management of naval affairs is the Secretary of the Navy, who is also a member of his cabinet. ”

“ His promotion to the rank of Commander took place in 1796, and on that occasion he was appointed to the Bull Dog sloop of war, in which vessel he returned to England at the period when our seamen were unhappily engaged in acts of open treason, the expected disastrous effects of which were prevented by the exertions of himself and those of his brother officers selected to direct the operations of a flotilla equipped for the express purpose of reducing the mutineers at the Nore to obedience. ”

“ By William Young, Esq. Admiral of the White, and Commander-in-Chief of a squadron of His Majesty’s ships and vessels to be employed on a particular service. “As there is great reason to believe that the appearance of a naval force in the Elbe might, under the present circumstances, contribute materially to inspire the inhabitants of the neighbouring coasts with confidence, and encourage them to active resistance of the French. ”

“ VII—A SEA-TALE—THE LIEUTENANT'S STANCHIONS
By way of conclusion here is a little naval comedy. [186] A minor unit of His Majesty's Navy was undergoing the process known as "fitting out." Her commander, one of the many good sportsmen who have placed their personal services and such seamanship as they have acquired as amateur yachtsmen and sailors at the disposal of the Admiralty, arrived one morning to find a score or two of dockyard workmen on board, all busy (in theory) with the multifarious tasks awaiting completion. ”

“ The Chief of the Naval General Staff directly controls the Naval Infantry Corps, a small naval air arm, the Naval War College, the military standardization services, and several training ships, transports, and surveying ships. The Commander of the Fleet Training Command at Cartagena, who supervises all fleet training centers, is also directly responsible to the Chief of the Naval General Staff. ”

“ But in the old days our claim to the empire of the sea was based on other considerations, and though nothing more important was at stake than what may be termed a question of precedence, our naval commanders, even in those periods when our navy was by no means at its best or strongest, were always prepared to enforce their claims by instant resort to arms. ”

“ He obtained the rank of commander on the 22d Sept. 1806; and an appointment to the Driver ship-sloop, on the Halifax station, about April, 1807; but was superseded in the command of that vessel, for misconduct when in presence of an enemy, on the 10th Feb. 1809 [1] . ”

“ In April, 1826, he was presented with the honorary medallion of the Royal Humane Society; and, on the 22d July, 1830, advanced to the rank of commander. We lastly find him returning home from the Cape of Good Hope station, in command of the Jaseur sloop, Sept. ”

“ This officer was educated at the Royal Naval College, made a lieutenant in Aug. 1811; and promoted to the rank of commander on the 12th Aug. 1819. He married, in 1825, Mary, eldest daughter of the Rev. ”

“ Our officers and enlisted men are learning to handle the battleships, cruisers, and torpedo boats with high efficiency in fleet and squadron formations, and the standard of marksmanship is being steadily raised. The best work ashore is indispensable, but the highest duty of a naval officer is to exercise command at sea. ”

“ The captain, of course, has to command his ship like other captains, but the secretary, who is a staff-paymaster or paymaster told off for this special duty, is the admiral's right-hand man as regards the tremendous amount of paper work connected with the command of a fleet or squadron. The flag-lieutenant is the admiral's personal aide-de-camp and so is specially to the fore, both in the big man's inspections of ships and naval establishments and in social duties and functions. ”

“ Officers, as a rule, are appointed from the Noble class. The cadre of the navy at present is 300 officers, 5138 men, and 113 cadets. The grades and corps correspond closely with those of foreign powers. But very few foreign officers are now employed in the naval service, none at all in the fleet, their duties being confined to instructional and yard superintendence. ”

“ Not a ship more than the service requires shall be kept on any particular station; and that number must be left to my judgment, as an admiral commanding the squadron detached by the commander in chief to the extent of the Black Sea. I shall, of course, keep up a proper communication with the Turkish and Russian admirals, which net captain of a man of war under my orders must, interfere in. ”

“ Before putting to sea, a ‘fleet number’ is assigned to each ship, the admiral’s ship being No. 1, the remaining numbers being distributed according to the seniority of the respective captains. If the commander-in-chief wishes his squadron to sail in one line, he makes the signal, ‘Single column in line ahead,’ by means of three ‘numeral’ flags. ”

“ XIX. If there should be a captain so lost to all sense of honour and the great duty he owes his country as not to exert himself to the utmost to get into action with the enemy, or to take or destroy them when engaged, the commander of the squadron or division to which he belongs, or the nearest flag officer, is to suspend him from the command, and is to appoint some other officer to command the ship till the admiral's pleasure shall be known. ”

“ A young officer, muscular, but agile as a leopard, who has Boldness' very eyes, and has to his credit already an admirable manoeuvre in conducting the destroyer from the arsenal to the anchorage, pays for the champagne. We drink a cup sitting around the table on which the navigation chart is spread, while the commander of the flotilla dictates, standing, to the typist the order of the nocturnal operation, which is to be issued to the commanders of the other ships. A suppressed joy shines in the eyes of all. ”

“ Though landsmen continued even after the civil war to be given naval appointments, and though a permanent corps, through the ranks of which everyone must pass, had not been formally established, a body of real naval officers—men who could handle their ships, supervise the working of the armament, and exercise military command—had been formed. ”

“ It must strike, forcibly, every British seaman, how superior their conduct is, when in discipline and good order, to the riotous behaviour of lawless Frenchmen. The squadron may be assured, the admiral will not fail, with his dispatches, to represent their truly meritorious conduct, in the strongest terms, to the commander in chief. ”

“ Whereas, at first, craft of ten guns with forty or fifty men had been considered adequate for the service, three or four years later ships were afloat with a score of heavy cannon and a trained crew of a hundred and fifty or two hundred men, ready to engage a sloop of war or to stand up to the enemy's largest privateers. In those days single ship actions, now almost forgotten in naval tactics, were fought with illustrious skill and courage, and commanders won victories worthy of comparison with deeds distinguished in the annals of the American Navy. ”

“ It is essential in this case that the periscope should not arise needlessly above water and betray the presence of the U-boat.
The commander must possess the absolute confidence of his crew, for their lives are in his hands. In this small and carefully selected company, each man, from the commanding officer down to the sailor boy and down to the stoker, knows that each one is serving in his own appointed place, and they perform their duties serenely and efficiently. ”

“ I cannot conclude this letter without assuring their Lordships that every captain, officer, seaman, and marine, have most zealously done their duty; nor will it, I hope, be thought taking away from the merits of others, in drawing their Lordships’ particular notice to the energetic exertions of the captains, officers, and men employed in the gun-boats: they have been constantly under fire, and gone through all the hardships of their situation with the utmost cheerfulness. ”

“ Upon the high poops, where floated the standard of either nation, gathered round each chief the little knot of officers through whom commands were issued and reports received, the nerves along which thrilled the impulses of the great organism, from its head, the admiral, through every member to the dark lowest decks, nearly awash, where, as farthest from the captain's own oversight, the senior lieutenants controlled the action of the ships' heaviest batteries. ”