Navy The President of the United States is the commander-in-chief of the navy. Its affairs are administered by the Navy Department, of which the Secretary of the Navy is the head. The Assistant Secretary of the Navy performs such duties as may be assigned him by the secretary, the most important being the supervision of naval stations in insular pos sessions the Marine Corps, War College, build ing of ships in navy yards and fitting of vessels for sea. 'The navy is governed by the Articles for the Government of the United. States Navy, and statutes of Congress, orders of the Presi dent and secretary and a code called Regula tions for the Government of the Navy of the United States.
The business of the Navy Department is diS_ tributed as the secretary deems expedient among eight bureaus. The Bureau of Yards and Docks controls docks and buildings in Navy Yards. The Bureau of Equipment provides coal, all equipments of ships and electrical ap pliances afloat, and supervises the Hydrographic Office and distribution of charts therefrom, the Naval Observatory, Nautical Almanac and Compass offices. The Bureau of Navigation promulgates orders, regulates details of officers and enlistment of men, supervises the Naval Academy and all naval educational institutions, the Naval Home, keeps the service records and looks after discipline. The Bureau of Ordnance has charge of armor and armament of all kinds and mechanism thereto pertaining, besides gov erning the Torpedo Station, naval proving grounds and shore magazines. The Bureau of Construction and Repair designs, builds and re pairs ships and supervises docking them. The Bureau of Steam Engineering designs, builds and repairs steam machinery. The Bureau of Supplies and Accounts buys provisions, cloth ing, small and contingent stores and keeps the accounts of officers and men. The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery looks after the health of the force and controls all laboratories, naval hospitals and dispensaries. The office of the Judge-Advocate General of the Navy is inde pendent of the bureaus and takes charge of courts-martial and courts of inquiry, examines claims against the department and attends gen erally to its legal work There are already certain permanent boards of naval officers which take part in the admin istration. The General Board, presided over by the admiral of the navy, considers questions of naval policy and strategy and advises the secretary. The Board of Inspection and Survey inspects and reports on the efficiency of ships in commission. The Lighthouse Board controls the lighthouse establishment. For the distribu tion of navy yards and naval stations see NAVY YARDS. The navy provides vessels and officers for the Commission of Fish and Fisheries and for the nautical schools of Massachusetts and New York. It also maintains naval attaches at the United States embassies and legations at London, Paris, Saint Petersbu, Berlin, Rome, rg Vienna, Tokio and Peking. Jointly with the Treasury Department it manages the lighthouses and provides officers for their inspection.
Officers are commissioned or warranted. Commissioned officers belong either to the ((line or to the ((staff?) The grades of line officers are admiral, rear-admirals, captains, commanders, lieutenant-commanders, lieuten ants, lieutenants, junior grade, ensigns and mid shipmen. The staff officers include the Medical Corps, consisting of medical directors, medical inspectors, surgeons, passed assistant surgeons and assistant surgeons; the Pay Corps of pay directors, pay inspectors, paymasters, passed as sistant paymasters and assistant paymasters. There are chaplains of various grades, profes sors of mathematics, naval constructors, civil engineers and the admiral's secretary. All line officers, excepting those appointed from the war rant officers, are graduated from the United States Naval Academy (q.v.). Promotion up to rear-admiral is by seniority only— subject to physical and professional examination at each step. The office of admiral is personal and ex pires with the individual holder. The staff offi cers are promoted by seniority in their several corps. The warrant officers include boatswains, gunners and carpenters, in each of which corps there are two grades, chief sailmakers, warrant machinists, pharmacists and mates. The great majority are appointed from the enlisted force. Chief warrant officers rank with but after en signs. Promotion in the warrant grades is by seniority.
Enlisted citizens of the United States can be enlisted. The recruit must be able to write and speak English, have no physical dis abilities, nor be a deserter or a minor under 14 years of age. The age limits vary with the rating— thus on first enlistment, a landsman must be between 18 and 25, unless he has a mechanical trade, when he can enlist up to 35, which is for all ratings the maximum. The enlistment term is two years no enlistments for special service are allowed. Re-enlistment requires proof of creditable discharge. En listed men are classified into chief petty officers, petty officers of the first, second and third classes and seamen of the first, second and third classes. They are again classified into the seaman branch, artificer branch, special branch and messmen branch. The seaman branch in cludes such petty officers as boatswains' mates, gun captains and the like, and ordinary sea men, landsmen, together with the three classes of naval apprentices. The artificer branch in cludes all the machinists, electricians, carpen ters, firemen and coal passers, the special branch, the stewards, hospital attendants and musicians, and the messmen branch, the cooks, stewards and mess attendants. Petty officers are appointed by captains of ships from the en listed force. Two years' service at sea is re quired for rating as ordinary seaman and four years for seaman. Gun pointers are selected for merit and any one is eligible who shows the necessary natural aptitude. Those who become expert receive as high as '$10 per month in ad dition to their regular pay.