Army and Navy Uniforms and Insignia How to Know Rank, Corps and Service in the Military and Naval Forces of the United States and Foreign Countries

CHAPTER II

Chapter 27,389 wordsPublic domain

SERVICE, CORPS AND RANK

The armed forces of the United States of America provided by the statute law of the land pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution are embraced within two grand divisions, the land forces and the sea forces, under the supreme command of the President as Commander-in-Chief.

These two grand divisions are subdivided into various services according to the duties required of them and the laws establishing and maintaining them.

_The Land Forces._—The land forces of the United States are made up of the regular army or as it is sometimes called the “standing army,” the organized land militia when called into the service of the United States which is practically the same as the so-called national guards of the several states, and such volunteers and drafted men as may be authorized by the Congress from time to time as occasion demands.

In times of peace the Army consists of the regular army, but in case of an invasion or threatened invasion of the territory of the United States or of rebellion or threatened war against the constituted government of the nation, this force may be augmented by calling the organized militia into service and further augmented if necessary by the employment of volunteers or drafted men, with the authorization of the Congress.

The land forces, however raised, are also divided into the Mobile Army and the Coast Artillery. The mobile army is intended for active offensive operations against the enemy and is so called on account of the fact that for its duties it requires the greatest degree of mobility possible, while the coast artillery is intended to man and fight the fixed and movable elements of land and coast fortifications including land mines, submarine mines and torpedo defenses pertaining to the fortifications.

These two groups frequently assist each other, the mobile forces protecting the flanks and approaches to the fixed defenses, and the latter being used as turning points or supporting points to the lines of the mobile forces.

The Army is divided into various arms or corps according to the duties required, as follows: infantry, cavalry, field artillery, coast artillery corps, engineer corps, signal corps including aviation section, quartermaster corps, ordnance corps, judge advocate’s corps, inspector general’s corps and medical corps. Each of these arms or corps has a distinctive badge to be worn on all uniforms and a distinctive color for the facings and trimmings of dress uniforms, as described and illustrated in Chapter IV.

For purposes of administration and control under war conditions the mobile land forces are organized into Field Armies, the basis of the organization being the Division. The division as prescribed in the United States Army is an organization containing all of the arms and services necessary for independent action.

A field army may be divided into army corps, each such being composed of two or more divisions.

Divisions are subdivided into brigades, which are in turn subdivided into regiments. A regiment of infantry is usually composed of three battalions of four companies each; a regiment of cavalry of three squadrons of four troops each; and a regiment of field artillery of two battalions of three batteries each. Engineers are formed into regiments according to the special requirements of their duties. The Coast Artillery is organized into companies, the number of companies in any one command depending upon the size of the forts to be garrisoned.

Signal Corps troops are organized into companies and larger organizations according to the duties assigned to them.

The Quartermaster Corps is charged with providing the supplies required and with the transportation of both men and supplies.

The Medical Corps has charge of the hospitals and the personnel required by them both at the permanent stations and in the field, and for this purpose the corps is organized into ambulance companies and field hospitals.

Chaplains are assigned to regiments and other organizations as may be required.

Veterinarians, who are commissioned officers, are assigned to the cavalry, field artillery and quartermaster transport trains, and also have charge of such veterinary hospitals as may be required at permanent posts or in the field.

The command of the Army is exercised by the President as Commander-in-Chief through the medium of the Secretary of War and the Chief of Staff, the latter officer having the rank of General and taking the place of the former Commanding General of the Army.

The General Staff Corps of the Army, consisting of commissioned officers detailed from the various branches of the Army for a term of four years’ service, is charged with the duties of effecting under the direction of the Chief of Staff the coordination and harmonious cooperation of all branches of the military service, both line and staff, in the execution of the military policies of the Government in peace and war.

The administration of the Army and the War Department is effected under the Secretary of War through the Chief of Staff by various bureaus or offices, as follows: the Coast Artillery under a chief with the rank of Major General; the Adjutant General’s Department under an Adjutant General with the rank of Major General, which is the department of records, orders and correspondence of the Army and the Militia; the Judge Advocate General’s Department, under a Judge Advocate General with the rank of Major General, which is the legal department of the Army; the Inspector General’s Department under an Inspector General with the rank of Major General; the Quartermaster Department, under a Quartermaster General with the rank of Major General, which has charge of supply and transportation; the Medical Department, under a Surgeon General with the rank of Major General; the Corps of Engineers, under a Chief of Engineers with the rank of Major General; the Ordnance Corps, under a Chief of Ordnance with the rank of Major General; and the Signal Corps, under a Chief Signal Officer with the rank of Major General.

_The Sea Forces._—The sea forces of the United States consist of the regular Navy, the Marine Corps, the Naval Militia of the several States and territories when mustered into the service of the United States, and the Coast Guard and Lighthouse Service when transferred to the jurisdiction of the Navy Department in time of war or when war is imminent, including in each case both the vessels and the personnel pertaining to them, afloat and ashore. The vessels of the Coast and Geodetic Survey and of the Bureau of Fisheries may also be transferred to the jurisdiction of the Navy in time of war.

The vessels of the Navy are organized into fleets which are divided for purposes of administration and tactics into forces, squadrons, divisions, and sections.

A “Fleet” is an aggregation of vessels of various classes in one organization under one command.

Fleets are subdivided into “Forces,” each “Force” being made up of the vessels of a fleet that are of the same class or type that are assigned to perform the same duty.

A “Force” is subdivided into “Squadrons,” and in turn, a “Squadron” is subdivided into “Divisions,” and a “Division” is subdivided into “Sections.”

A “Section” consists of two vessels of the larger classes or three vessels of the smaller classes; a “Division” normally consists of two “Sections,” and a “Squadron” usually consists of two “Divisions,” although the numbers in each subdivision may be varied to suit special occasions or duties.

A squadron of torpedo vessels is called a “Flotilla,” in deference to long established custom.

A completely organized Fleet is composed of a Battleship Force, a Scout Force, a Cruiser Force, a Destroyer Force, a Submarine Force, a Mine Force and a Train Force, the latter consisting of the supply ships and repair vessels and transports and being usually referred to as the “Train.”

The Navy is administered ashore by a bureau system, consisting of a number of bureaus and offices having charge of the various activities required for the building and upkeep of the fleets at sea, and all directed by the Secretary of the Navy through the Office of Naval Operations, the Chief of Naval Operations with the rank of Admiral being the senior or ranking officer of the Navy.

The bureaus are the Bureau of Navigation, whose Chief has the rank of Rear Admiral, and which has charge of the issuing and enforcing of orders to officers and enlisted men and the keeping of the records; the Bureau of Ordnance, whose Chief has the rank of Rear Admiral, and which has charge of the design, manufacture and repair of guns, torpedoes and ammunition; the Bureau of Construction and Repair, whose head is the Chief Constructor of the Navy and has the rank of Rear Admiral, and which has charge of the designing, construction and repair of all of the vessels of the Navy; the Bureau of Steam Engineering, whose head is the Engineer in Chief of the Navy, with the rank of Rear Admiral, and which has charge of the designing, construction and repair of the engines and boilers in the ships of the Navy; a Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, whose head is the Paymaster General of the Navy, with the rank of Rear Admiral, and which has charge of the purchase and issue of supplies and provisions for the Navy and the paying of the officers and enlisted men; the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, whose head is the Surgeon General of the Navy, with the rank of Rear Admiral, and which has charge of the hospitals ashore, the hospital ships, and the health and sanitation of the Navy both afloat and ashore; the Bureau of Yards and Docks, whose Chief has the rank of Rear Admiral, and which has charge of the designing and construction and repair of the buildings and docks at the shore establishments of the Navy; and the Office of the Judge Advocate General, whose head is the Judge Advocate General of the Navy with the rank of Captain, and which has charge of the courts-martial and legal affairs of the Navy.

For purposes of command and organization afloat and ashore the officers of the Navy are divided into the “Line,” composed of the officers holding the military command in the various ranks, and of a number of “Staff Corps,” composed of officers who have charge of the various coordinate duties.

These “Staff Corps” are the Medical Corps, the Pay Corps, the Chaplains, the Corps of Naval Constructors, the Corps of Civil Engineers and the Professors of Mathematics. Prior to 1899 there was also a separate Corps of Engineers, but in that year this corps was consolidated with the Line and since that time the only officers holding the ranks of Chief Engineer, Passed Assistant Engineer and Assistant Engineer in the Navy are officers of the old Engineer Corps who are now carried on the Retired List of Officers.

_The Marine Corps._—The Marine Corps is a distinct military organization normally forming an integral part of the Navy, but when the President so orders any portion of the corps may be detached for service with the Army, and in every war in which the United States has been engaged the marines have fought as a part of the crews of the fighting ships of the Navy, as landing forces and expeditionary forces with the Navy and also on detached service with the Army.

The Marine Corps is commanded by a Major General Commandant whose station is at Headquarters of the Corps in Washington, and who is assisted by a staff consisting of an Adjutant and Inspector’s Department, a Quartermaster’s Department and a Paymaster’s Department, each headed by a Brigadier General.

The officers of the Adjutant and Inspector’s Department perform the duties that are performed in the Army by the Departments of the Adjutant General and the Inspector General; the Quartermaster’s Department has charge of the supplies, provisions, transportation and the construction and maintenance of barracks and buildings; and the Paymaster’s Department has charge of the accounts and pay of the officers and enlisted men of the Corps.

Detachments of the marines are stationed at all of the Navy Yards and Naval Stations of the United States both at home and abroad, and they also serve as Legation Guards for American Legations in countries where such guards are considered necessary, as expeditionary forces with the Fleet and for the protection of Americans and their rights in foreign countries during revolutions and disorders, on detached duty with the Army as circumstances require in time of war, and aboard the battleships and cruisers of the Navy as a part of the crew, their special duties aboard ship being as crews for the Torpedo Defense batteries of guns of intermediate caliber and rapid-fire guns.

The Marines of a Fleet are organized into a regiment for duty as a landing force, the detachment from each ship forming one of the companies, and the Colonel commanding the regiment serves on the Staff of the Admiral in command of the Fleet.

When assigned to shore duty the Marines are organized into permanent companies, these companies being combined into provisional battalions, regiments and brigades according to the service or duty required.

The Marine Detachment or company serving on board a ship of the Navy is paraded as the guard of honor when such a guard is turned out to receive the President, the ruler of any foreign country, or any lesser officer or official entitled to such honors.

_The Coast Guard._—The Coast Guard was established by act of Congress in January, 1915, which provided that the then existing Revenue-Cutter Service and Life-Saving Service should be combined into one service to be known as the Coast Guard, which shall constitute a part of the military forces of the United States and which shall operate under the Treasury Department in time of peace and operate as a part of the Navy, subject to the orders of the Navy Department, in time of war, or at other times when the President shall so direct.

In time of peace the Coast Guard is charged with the enforcement of the revenue laws as applying to sea-borne commerce, with giving aid to vessels in distress at sea, with the protection of the seal fisheries, and with maintaining and operating the life-saving stations along the coasts of the United States and its insular possessions. In time of war or when so directed by the President it acts as a part of the Navy, and the ships and personnel of the service become to all intents and purposes a portion of the regular navy.

_The Lighthouse Service._—This service is charged with the duties of establishing and maintaining the lighthouses and other aids to navigation, such as buoys and beacons and range marks on shore, that are required for the safe navigation of the waters adjacent to our coasts, the harbors and the channels leading to them, and the inland waterways.

In normal times the Lighthouse Service is operated under the Department of Commerce, but by act of Congress of August, 1916, the President is authorized to transfer the stations, vessels, equipment and personnel of the service, as may be required, to the jurisdiction of the Navy Department or to that of the War Department.

When so transferred to the Navy Department or to the War Department, the Lighthouse Service becomes for the time being a portion of the Navy or of the Army, as the case may be, and its officers and men are subject to the laws and regulations of the service to which it is so transferred.

_The Coast and Geodetic Survey._—This branch of the government service is charged with surveying the harbors and waters contiguous to the coasts of the United States and the insular possessions thereof and the lakes and inland waterways contained therein, and with making charts from such surveys for use in navigation.

The service is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce, but in time of war its vessels may be transferred to the Navy Department and their crews taken into the naval service, in which case they become subject to the laws and regulations of the Navy.

RANK, TITLE AND PRECEDENCE

Rank in its military sense is the character or quality bestowed upon the men of the military and naval services which carries with it the eligibility to exercise command or authority over other members of the services within the limits prescribed by law and regulation. Rank is divided into many different grades to mark the relative positions of the persons upon whom it is conferred and to limit the extent of the authority carried with it.

In all of the services of the United States, “Commissioned Officers” are those who have received a commission from the President “by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States”; and “Appointed Officers” are those who are appointed by the President or by his order but who are not “commissioned” and confirmed by the Senate.

In the Army the “Appointed Officers” are Aviators, Army Field Clerks, Field Clerks Quartermaster Corps, and Cadets at the Military Academy.

In the Navy the “Appointed Officers” are Warrant Officers and Midshipmen.

In the Marine Corps the “Appointed Officers” are Warrant Officers.

In the Army and Marine Corps “Noncommissioned Officers” are selected enlisted men who are appointed to the various ranks of enlisted authority by orders from their proper military commanders.

“Petty Officers” in the Navy are appointed enlisted men corresponding to noncommissioned officers in the Army and Marine Corps.

The “Title” of an officer is the name of the rank or grade in which he holds a commission, the formal term by which he is officially addressed in communicating with him, although custom sanctions some variations from this general rule.

In the Army and the Marine Corps all commissioned officers, line and staff, have positive rank in the several grades, and it is customary to address them when communicating orally with them by the name of the rank they hold, the variations being that all General Officers (Generals, Lieutenant Generals, Major Generals and Brigadier Generals) are commonly addressed as “General,” that Lieutenant Colonels are addressed as “Colonel,” and that all subalterns (First Lieutenants and Second Lieutenants) are addressed as either “Lieutenant” or as “Mister.”

In the Navy it is customary to address officers of the Line (the command branch of the service) by the name of their rank, and to address officers of the Staff Corps either by the name of their rank or as “Mister,” for all except officers of the Medical Corps, who are usually addressed as “Doctor.” The exceptions to this rule are that all Flag Officers (Admirals, Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals) are usually addressed orally as “Admiral,” and that Lieutenant Commanders, Lieutenants and Ensigns are often addressed as “Mister.”

It is customary to address the Warrant Officers of the Navy and Marine Corps as “Mister.”

The precedence of the commissioned officers and other officers of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps is determined first by the grade or rank which the officers hold by virtue of their commissions or appointments, and if of the same grade or rank, then by the date of commission or appointment in the grade. There are certain exceptions to this latter rule in the case of some grades in the Staff Corps of the Navy.

The precedence of the warrant officers, noncommissioned officers and petty officers of all the services is determined upon the same principle, the seniority of the different grades and the relative seniority of the grades in different services being determined by regulations and orders, and the precedence in each grade being determined by the dates of the warrants or appointments.

The accompanying table shows the rank and title of each grade in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, all of the grades having the same relative rank being on the same horizontal line.

TABLE OF RELATIVE RANK OF OFFICERS IN THE NAVAL AND MILITARY SERVICES OF THE UNITED STATES

-------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMISSIONED OFFICERS --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- Army | Navy | Marine | Coast |Public | | Corps | Guard |Health | | | |Service --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- None |Admiral of | None | None | None | the Navy | | | --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- General |Admiral | None | None | None --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- Lieutenant |Vice | None | None | None General | Admiral | | | --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- Major |Rear |Major | None | None General | Admiral | General | | --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- Brigadier |Commodore |Brigadier | None |Surgeon General[A] | |General | | General --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- | | |Captain |Assistant Colonel |Captain |Colonel | Commandant| Surgeon | | | | General --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- Lieutenant |Commander |Lieutenant |Senior |Senior Colonel | |Colonel | Captain | Surgeon --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- |Lieutenant | | |Surgeon Major | Commander | Major |Captain |Passed | | | |Assistant --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- Captain |Lieutenant |Captain |First |Surgeon | | | Lieutenant| --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- First |Lieutenant, |First |Second |Assistant Lieutenant | Junior | Lieutenant | Lieutenant| Surgeon | Grade | | | --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- Second |Ensign |Second |Third | None Lieutenant | | Lieutenant | Lieutenant| --------------+-----------------+-------------+ | |Chief Boatswain, | | | |Chief Gunner, | | | |Chief Machinist, | | | |Chief Carpenter, | | | |Chief Sailmaker, | | | |Chief Pharmacist,| | | |Chief Pay Clerk | | | --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- APPOINTED OFFICERS --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- Aviator, |Midshipman at | None |Cadet and | Signal Corps | the Naval | |Cadet | Cadet at the | Academy, | | Engineer | Military | Annapolis, Md. | | at the | Academy, | | |Coast Guard| West Point | | | Academy, | | | |New London,| | | | Conn. | --------------+-----------------+-------------+-----------+--------- WARRANT OFFICERS --------------+-----------------+-------------+----------+--------- Army Field |Boatswain, |Marine Gunner|Boatswain,|Interne Clerk |Gunner, |Quartermaster|Gunner, |Pharmacist Field Clerk |Machinist, | Clerk |Machinist,|Clerk Quartermaster|Carpenter, | |Carpenter,| Corps. |Sailmaker, | |Keeper, | |Pharmacist, | |Master’s | |Pay Clerk, | | Mate | |Mate | | | | | | | | | | | --------------+-----------------+-------------+----------+---------

[A] In accordance with an Act of Congress of October 6, 1917. Brigadier Generals of the Army and Marine Corps take relative rank with Rear Admirals of the lower half of the grade of Rear Admiral.

The personnel of the Army, as provided by statute law, consists of commissioned officers, appointed officers, noncommissioned officers and privates as follows, according to grade or rank:

OFFICERS

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS 1. General. 2. Lieutenant General. 3. Major General. 4. Brigadier General. 5. Colonel. 6. Lieutenant Colonel. 7. Major. 8. Captain. 9. First Lieutenant. 10. Second Lieutenant.

APPOINTED OFFICERS 11. Aviator, Signal Corps. 12. Cadet. 13. Field Clerk, Field Clerk Quartermaster Corps.

ENLISTED MEN

NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND PRIVATES 14. (a) Sergeant major, regimental; sergeant major, senior grade, Coast Artillery Corps; (b) quartermaster sergeant, senior grade, Quartermaster Corps; master hospital sergeant, Medical Department; master engineer, senior grade, Corps of Engineers; master electrician, Coast Artillery Corps; master signal electrician; band leader; (c) hospital sergeant, Medical Department; master engineer, junior grade, Corps of Engineers; engineer, Coast Artillery Corps.

15. Ordnance sergeant; quartermaster sergeant, Quartermaster Corps; supply sergeant, regimental.

16. Sergeant major, squadron and battalion; sergeant major, junior grade, Coast Artillery Corps; supply sergeant, battalion.

17. (a) First sergeant; (b) sergeant, first class, Medical Department; sergeant, first class, Quartermaster Corps; sergeant, first class, Corps of Engineers; sergeant, first class, Signal Corps; electrician sergeant, first class, Coast Artillery Corps; electrician sergeant, Artillery Detachment, United States Military Academy; assistant engineer, Coast Artillery Corps; (c) master gunner, Coast Artillery Corps; master gunner, Artillery Detachment, United States Military Academy; band sergeant and assistant leader, United States Military Academy Band; assistant band leader; sergeant bugler; electrician sergeant, second class, Coast Artillery Corps; electrician sergeant, second class, Artillery Detachment, United States Military Academy; radio sergeant.

18. Color sergeant.

19. Sergeant; supply sergeant, company; mess sergeant; stable sergeant; fireman, Coast Artillery Corps.

20. Corporal.

21. (a) First Class Private; (b) Private.

The personnel of the Navy, pursuant to the provisions of the statute law, consists of commissioned officers, appointed officers, warrant officers, petty officers and seamen, in the various grades as follows:

OFFICERS OF THE NAVY

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE LINE 1. Admiral of the Navy. (This rank is now vacant. By special act of Congress it was conferred upon Admiral George Dewey on March 2, 1899, and held by him until his death on January 16, 1917. The rank is the same as that of Admiral of the Fleet in foreign navies and that of Field Marshal in foreign armies.) 2. Admiral. 3. Vice Admiral. 4. Rear Admiral. 5. Commodore. (This rank was abolished for the active list by act of Congress on March 3, 1899, and since that date has been held by officers of that rank on the Retired List of the Navy only.) 6. Captain. 7. Commander. 8. Lieutenant Commander. 9. Lieutenant. 10. Lieutenant Junior Grade. 11. Ensign. 12. Chief Boatswain. Chief Gunner. Chief Machinist. (The commissioned officers of these three titles are of the same grade; they rank next after ensigns.)

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE MEDICAL CORPS 1. Medical Director with the rank of Rear Admiral. 2. Medical Director with the rank of Captain. 3. Medical Inspector with the rank of Commander. 4. Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. 5. Passed Assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. 6. Passed Assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant. 7. Assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant. 8. Assistant Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade. 9. Dental Surgeon with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade. 10. Chief Pharmacist.

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE PAY CORPS 1. Pay Director with the rank of Rear Admiral. 2. Pay Director with the rank of Captain. 3. Pay Inspector with the rank of Commander. 4. Paymaster with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. 5. Passed Assistant Paymaster with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. 6. Passed Assistant Paymaster with the rank of Lieutenant. 7. Passed Assistant Paymaster with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade. 8. Assistant Paymaster with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade. 9. Assistant Paymaster with the rank of Ensign. 10. Chief Pay Clerk.

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE CORPS OF NAVAL CONSTRUCTORS 1. Naval Constructor with the rank of Rear Admiral. 2. Naval Constructor with the rank of Captain. 3. Naval Constructor with the rank of Commander. 4. Naval Constructor with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. 5. Naval Constructor with the rank of Lieutenant. 6. Assistant Naval Constructor with the rank of Lieutenant. 7. Assistant Naval Constructor with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade. 8. Chief Carpenter. Chief Sailmaker.

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE CORPS OF CIVIL ENGINEERS 1. Civil Engineer with the rank of Rear Admiral. 2. Civil Engineer with the rank of Captain. 3. Civil Engineer with the rank of Commander. 4. Civil Engineer with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. 5. Civil Engineer with the rank of Lieutenant. 6. Assistant Civil Engineer with the rank of Lieutenant. 7. Assistant Civil Engineer with the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade. 8. Assistant Civil Engineer with the rank of Ensign.

_Chaplains_ hold the relative rank of Captain, Commander, Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant or Lieutenant, Junior Grade, according to length of service.

_Professors of Mathematics_ hold the rank of Captain, Commander, Lieutenant Commander or Lieutenant according to length of service. This corps was established to provide especially trained mathematicians for duty as astronomers at the Naval Observatories and as Instructors at the Naval Academy, but pursuant to the act of Congress of August 29, 1916, no further officers are to be commissioned in this corps.

In the days of sailing ships officers having the title of Sailmaker were provided for the then important work of superintending the manufacture of sails, but since the advent of steam and electricity this branch has been discontinued and only a few are still borne on the official register. The commissioned officers of this branch have the title of Chief Sailmaker and relative rank the same as that of Chief Boatswain, Chief Gunners, Chief Machinists, Chief Carpenters, Chief Pay Clerks and Chief Pharmacists, that is, they rank with but next after Ensigns.

MIDSHIPMEN

Midshipmen are appointed officers undergoing the course of instruction at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. Each senator, representative and delegate in Congress has the appointment of three midshipmen to be at the Naval Academy at any one time, the President is empowered to appoint two midshipmen and the Secretary of the Navy is empowered to appoint one hundred midshipmen each year to be selected from enlisted men of the Navy and Marine Corps who are not over the age of twenty years.

The Corps of Midshipmen consists of four classes, the First Class corresponding to “seniors” at universities, the Second Class corresponding to “juniors,” the Third Class corresponding to “sophomores,” and the Fourth Class corresponding to “freshmen.”

The regular course of study is four years although the President was authorized by the act of Congress of March 4, 1917, to reduce the course to three years for a period of two years from the passage of the act, owing to the urgent need of more officers in the Navy.

WARRANT OFFICERS

Warrant officers form an intermediate class between the commissioned officers and the enlisted personnel. They receive appointments from the President but are not confirmed by the Senate. They are appointed by selection from the most efficient and deserving enlisted petty officers. After six years’ service as warrant officers, if found qualified, they are commissioned by the President, “by and with the advice and consent of the Senate,” as Chief Boatswains, Chief Gunners, Chief Machinists, Chief Carpenters, Chief Sailmakers, Chief Pharmacists and Chief Pay Clerks, as the case may be, to take rank with but next after Ensigns.

The Warrant Officers of the Line are as follows:

Boatswain Gunner Machinist

The Warrant Officers of the Staff are as follows:

Carpenter Sailmaker Pharmacist Pay Clerk

All warrant officers take rank and precedence next after commissioned officers, their relative rank among themselves being determined by date of appointment.

Warrant officers are eligible to be commissioned as Ensigns after passing the prescribed examination, in which case they are advanced to higher rank in the same manner as other Ensigns commissioned after graduation from the Naval Academy. In this manner a young man who proves himself worthy of the honor may rise from the lowest enlisted grade to be an Admiral.

ENLISTED MEN OF THE NAVY

The highest grade of enlisted men in the U. S. Navy is that of Mate. Mates are rated by authority of the Secretary of the Navy from seamen of over two years’ service. They have no relative rank, but take precedence over all other enlisted men. They wear a uniform like that of warrant officers with a distinctive insignia as later described.

The classes of enlisted men in the Navy corresponding to the “noncommissioned officers” of the Army and Marine Corps are styled “Petty Officers.”

All of the enlisted men of the Navy are divided into branches according to their principal duties, the different grades in these several branches being as follows:

CHIEF PETTY OFFICERS

------------------------+------------------------+----------------- SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH ------------------------+------------------------+----------------- Chief Master-at-Arms | Chief Machinist’s Mate.| Chief Yeoman. Chief Boatswain’s Mate. | Chief Electrician. | Hospital Steward. Chief Gunner’s Mate. | Chief Carpenter’s Mate.| Bandmaster. Chief Turret Captain. | Chief Water Tender. | Chief Commissary | | Steward. Chief Quartermaster. | | ------------------------+------------------------+-----------------

PETTY OFFICERS, FIRST CLASS

--------------------+----------------------+-------------------- SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH --------------------+----------------------+-------------------- Master-at-Arms, | Machinist’s Mate, | First Musician. first class. | first class. | Boatswain’s Mate, | Electrician, | Yeoman, first class. | first class. | first class. Turret Captain, | Boilermaker. | Commissary Steward. first class. | | Gunner’s Mate, | Coppersmith. | Ship’s Cook, first class. | | first class. Gun Captain, | Blacksmith. | Baker, first class. | | first class. Quartermaster, | Plumber and Fitter. | first class. | Sailmaker’s Mate. | | Carpenter’s Mate, | | first class. | | Water Tender. | | Ship Fitter, | | first class. | | Painter, | | first class. | --------------------+----------------------+--------------------

PETTY OFFICERS, SECOND CLASS

-------------------+--------------------+----------------- SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH -------------------+--------------------+----------------- Masters-at-Arms, | Machinist’s Mates, | Yeoman, second class. | second class. | second class. Boatswain’s Mates, | Electricians, | Ship’s Cooks, second class. | second class. | second class. Gunner’s Mates, | Carpenter’s Mates, | second class. | second class. | Gun Captains, | Printers. | second class. | Oilers. | Quartermasters, | Ship Fitters, | second class. | second class. | | Painters, | | second class. | -------------------+--------------------+-----------------

PETTY OFFICERS, THIRD CLASS

--------------------+----------------------+---------------------- SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH --------------------+----------------------+---------------------- Masters-at-Arms, | Electricians, | Yeoman, third class. | third class. | third class. Coxswains | Carpenter’s Mates, | Hospital Apprentices, Gunner’s Mates, | third class. | first class. third class. | Painters, | Quartermasters, | third class. | third class. | | --------------------+----------------------+----------------------

SEAMEN, FIRST CLASS

SEAMEN, SECOND CLASS

SEAMEN, THIRD CLASS

--------------------+----------------------+----------------- SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH --------------------+----------------------+----------------- Apprentice Seamen. | Coal Passers. | Landsmen. | Landsmen. | --------------------+----------------------+-----------------

MESSMAN BRANCH

---------------------------------+------------------------------- Stewards to Commanders in Chief. | Wardroom Cooks. Cooks to Commanders in Chief. | Steerage Stewards. Stewards to Commandants. | Steerage Cooks. Cooks to Commandants. | Warrant Officers’ Stewards. Cabin Stewards. | Warrant Officers’ Cooks. Cabin Cooks. | Mess Attendants, first class. Wardroom Stewards. | Mess attendants, second class. | Mess Attendants, third class. ---------------------------------+-------------------------------

The personnel of the Marine Corps, in accordance with the provisions of the statute law, consists of commissioned officers, warrant officers, noncommissioned officers and privates, in the various grades as follows:

OFFICERS OF THE MARINE CORPS

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE LINE AND STAFF

1. Major General Commandant. 2. Brigadier General. 3. Colonel. 4. Lieutenant Colonel. 5. Major. 6. Captain. 7. First Lieutenant. 8. Second Lieutenant.

WARRANT OFFICERS

Marine Gunner. Quartermaster Clerk.

ENLISTED MEN OF THE MARINE CORPS

1. Sergeant Major. Quartermaster Sergeant. 2. First Sergeant. Gunnery Sergeant. 3. Drum Major. 4. Leader of Band. 5. Second Leader of Band. 6. Sergeant. 7. Corporal. 8. Principal Musician. 9. Musician first class. 10. Musician second class. 11. Musician third class. 12. Drummer. Trumpeter. Private.

The personnel of the Coast Guard, in accordance with the statute law, consists of commissioned officers, appointed officers, warrant officers, petty officers and seamen as follows:

OFFICERS OF THE COAST GUARD

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE LINE

1. Captain Commandant. 2. Senior Captain. 3. Captain. 4. First Lieutenant. 5. Second Lieutenant. 6. Third Lieutenant.

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF ENGINEERS

1. Engineer in Chief. 2. Captain of Engineers. 3. First Lieutenant of Engineers. 4. Second Lieutenant of Engineers. 5. Third Lieutenant of Engineers.

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF CONSTRUCTION BRANCH

1. Constructor (with rank of first lieutenant).

APPOINTED OFFICERS

Cadet Undergoing three years course of instruction at the Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut. Cadet Engineer.

WARRANT OFFICERS

Master’s Mate. Keeper. (In charge of Life-Saving Station). Boatswain. Gunner. Machinist. Carpenter. Sailmaker.

ENLISTED MEN OF THE COAST GUARD

The enlisted men of the Coast Guard have ratings, or grades, similar to those of the Navy, as follows:

------------------+----------------------------+------------------- SEAMAN BRANCH | ARTIFICER BRANCH | SPECIAL BRANCH ------------------+----------------------------+------------------- Master-at-Arms. | Electrician. | Yeoman. No. 1 Surfman. | Electrician, first class. | Ship’s Writer. Signal | Machinist, first class. | Bayman (nurse). Quartermaster | Carpenter, first class. | Cabin Steward. Wheelman. | Sailmaker, first class. | Wardroom Assistant Master | Oiler, first class. | Steward. at Arms. | Blacksmith, first class. | Cook. Quartermaster. | Plumber, first class. | Cadet’s Cook. Coxswain. | Painter, first class. | Steerage Cook. Seaman. | Electrician, second class. | Bugler. Surfman. | Carpenter, second class. | Boy, first class. Ordinary Seaman. | Oiler, second class. | Boy, second class. | Electrician, third class. | | Fireman. | | Coal Heaver. | ------------------+----------------------------+-------------------

The personnel of the Lighthouse Service pursuant to statute law consists of the officers and enlisted men in the following grades:

FOR SERVICE AFLOAT IN LIGHTSHIPS AND TENDERS

Captain Master Mess attendant Master and Pilot Chief Engineer First Officer Engineer Second Officer Assistant Engineer Third Officer First Assistant Engineer Cadet Officer Second Assistant Engineer Mate Cadet Engineer Second Mate Wireless Operator Mate and Carpenter Machinist Quartermaster Oiler Seaman Fireman, first class Deck hand Fireman, second class Shipkeeper Steward Cook

FOR SERVICE ASHORE AT LIGHTHOUSES

Keeper Assistant Keeper Laborer Assistant Laborer

COMMAND

Since rank and grade carry with them the corresponding responsibilities and duties appropriate to the office it is necessary to know the commands to which the various grades are ordinarily assigned in order to properly understand the meaning of rank and grade.

In the Army the commands considered appropriate for the officers of the various grades are as follows:

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS

General Two or more Field Armies operating together. Lieutenant General A Field Army. Major General A Corps or a Division. Brigadier General A Brigade. Colonel A Regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Second in Command of a Regiment. Major A Battalion of Infantry or Artillery or a Squadron of Cavalry. Captain A Company of Infantry, a Battery of Artillery or a Troop of Cavalry. First Lieutenant } Junior Officers of a Company, Second Lieutenant } Battery or Troop.

NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS

Sergeant Major, Regimental The senior or highest noncommissioned officer of a regiment. Sergeant Major, Battalion The senior noncommissioned or Squadron officer of a battalion of infantry or artillery or of a squadron of cavalry. First Sergeant The senior noncommissioned officer of a company, battery or troop. Color Sergeant The noncommissioned officer who carries the national flag, or colors, of a regiment. Sergeant The noncommissioned officer who acts as the right and left guide of a company, battery or troop, or of a subdivision of such a unit. Corporal The noncommissioned officer who acts as a squad leader.

The duties of the corresponding grades of noncommissioned officers as given in the list on pages 30 and 31 are explained to a great extent by their titles.

The Privates are the enlisted men of the rank and file who form the great body of the fighting force of the Army in all of its arms and branches.

In the Navy the commands usually assigned to the Line officers of the various grades are as follows:

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS

Admiral Command of a Fleet. Vice Admiral Second in command of a Fleet. Rear Admiral Command of a Force or a Division. Captain Command of a First Class ship. Commander Command of a Second Class ship or Second in command of a First Class ship. Lieutenant Commander Command of a large Destroyer or a Gunboat, second in command of a Second Class ship, or head of a Department in a First Class ship. Lieutenant Command of a small Destroyer or a river Gunboat, second in command of a large Destroyer or a Gunboat, or Division Officer of a First or Second Class ship. Lieutenant, Junior Grade Command of a Torpedo Boat or Submarine, or Division Officer of a First or Second Class ship. Ensign Command of a small submarine, Division Officer of a First or Second Class ship or Destroyer, or Junior Officer on a Ship.

WARRANT OFFICERS

The duties assigned to the Commissioned Warrant Officers and Warrant Officers aboard ship are as follows:

The Chief Boatswain or Boatswain attached to a ship has general charge of all of the rigging, anchors, chains, hawsers, boat gear and tackles of the ship and is responsible for the condition of such stores.

The Chief Gunner or Gunner attached to a ship is assigned to ordnance duty under the Gunnery Officer and has charge of the ordnance stores and ammunition and the repairs to guns and their gear.

The Gunner assigned to Electrical duty has general charge of the electrical plants and wiring of the ship and the stores pertaining thereto.

The Chief Carpenter or Carpenter attached to a ship has charge of the repairs to the structure of the ship which are made by the ship’s force and the stores for this purpose, including paint.

The Chief Sailmaker or Sailmaker has charge of the sails and awnings and the repairs to them.

The Chief Pay Clerk or Pay Clerk is the assistant to the Paymaster in the Commissary and Supply Department of the ship.

The Chief Pharmacist or Pharmacist is attached to the Medical Department of a ship and has charge of the medical stores and their issue under the orders of the Surgeon.

PETTY OFFICERS

Petty Officers in the Navy correspond to the noncommissioned officers of the Army, and they are divided into three general Branches, the Seaman Branch consisting of the deck force which mans the guns of the battery and performs the strictly “sailor” duties; the Artificer Branch composed of the engineering force, the electricians, the carpenters and the painters; and the Special Branch made up of yeomen, or clerical force, the commissary stewards, cooks and bakers, the hospital nurses and the bandsmen.

As a rule the special duties of each of the Petty Officers are indicated by their titles, or “ratings,” as it is styled in the Navy, as given in the list on pages 37-40, but a few words of explanation may not be amiss.

Masters-at-Arms are the policemen of the ship; boatswain’s mates are the petty officers who assist the boatswain and see that the orders of the officer of the deck are carried out in the different parts of the ship; turret captains are the petty officers who have charge of the turret guns crews under the Division Officer; gunner’s mates are the petty officers who assist the gunner and see to the repairs of the guns of the battery and have charge of the issue of powder and shell from the magazines to the guns; gun captains are the petty officers in charge of the individual gun crews; quartermasters are the petty officers who stand the watch at the wheel and steer the ship under the orders of the Officer of the Deck; machinist’s mates are the petty officers on duty at the engines and machinery; water tenders see that the proper amount of water is kept in the boilers, and the duties of the other petty officers are as indicated by their “ratings.”

The ordinary enlisted men are apportioned to the three branches in the same manner as the petty officers, the Seaman Branch having seamen gunners especially trained for duty at the guns, seamen, ordinary seamen and apprentice seamen under training; the Artificer Branch having firemen who tend the fires under the boilers, coal passers who transfer the coal from the bunkers to the firerooms and landsmen or untrained men; and the Special Branch having the musicians of the band and buglers, and the lower ratings of cooks, bakers and hospital men.

In the Marine Corps the commands considered appropriate for the officers of the different grades are as follows:

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS

Major General Commandant In command of the Marine Corps, at Headquarters, Washington, D. C. Brigadier General A Brigade. Colonel A Regiment of Infantry or Artillery, or as Fleet Marine Officer of a Fleet. (In command of the Fleet Regiment of Marines when it is landed for service on shore). Lieutenant Colonel Second in Command of a Regiment of Infantry or Artillery, or as Fleet Marine Officer. Major A Battalion of Infantry or Artillery. Captain A Company of Infantry or a Battery of Artillery, or in command of a Marine Detachment of a First Class ship. First Lieutenant Junior Officer of a Company or Battery, or in command of a Marine Detachment of a Second Class ship. Second Lieutenant Junior Officer of a Company or Battery or of a Marine Detachment of a First Class ship.

WARRANT OFFICERS

Marine Gunners perform duty in the Marine Corps analogous to that performed by Gunners in the Navy.

Quartermaster Clerks perform duties as assistants to the officers of the Paymaster and Quartermaster Departments of the Marine Corps corresponding to the duties of Pay Clerks in the Navy.

NONCOMMISSIONED OFFICERS

The noncommissioned officers of the Marine Corps perform duties ashore similar to those performed by noncommissioned officers of infantry and artillery in the Army and also perform duties aboard ship similar to those performed by certain of the petty officers of the Navy.

The Marine Detachments assigned to some of the smaller ships of the Navy are commanded by First Sergeants.

Gunnery Sergeants are assigned duties afloat similar to those performed by Gunner’s Mates in the Navy, while on shore their duties are normally in connection with the care and repair of the guns of the artillery, both heavy and light.

In the Coast Guard in times of peace when the service is operating under the Treasury Department the duties of the various grades of officers are as follows:

COMMISSIONED OFFICERS

Captain Commandant In charge of the service at the Headquarters in Washington, D. C. Senior Captain In charge of a Division of the Service. Captain Command of a Cruising Cutter. First Lieutenant Command of a Harbor Cutter or Executive Officer of a Cruising Cutter. Second Lieutenant } Watch Officer on a Cruising Cutter. Third Lieutenant }

Engineer Captains and Lieutenants perform engineering duty on the cruising and harbor cutters in accordance with their rank.

WARRANT OFFICERS

Keepers are in charge of the Life-Saving stations all along the coast of the United States, while the other warrant officers, Boatswains, Gunners, Machinists and Carpenters, perform duties of the same nature as the corresponding ranks in the Navy.

The petty officers and seamen perform the duties as indicated by their “ratings,” similar to those performed by men of like “ratings” in the Navy.

In the Lighthouse Service the appropriate commands and duties performed by the officers and men in the various ranks and ratings are as indicated by their titles and ratings, these duties in general being similar to those performed by the officers and men of various grades in the other Sea Services in so far as these duties apply to the peculiar needs of the Lighthouse Service afloat and ashore.