SECTION I. OFFICERS IN GENERAL.

223, Officers shall be promoted or nominated in the first instance, as the case may be, to the undermentioned ranks by commission given by the Admiralty:-

2. The following shall be promoted by warrant given by the Admiralty :-

3. Officers appointed by Orders.- Officers shall be promoted or nominated to all other ranks by order of the Admiralty, or, in the case of Midshipmen and Clerks, by order of their Captains. Except as specified in footnote, commissions will not be issued to officers on promotion to such ranks, but their promotion will be notified to them by the Admiralty, and published in the " London Gazette." See 228 (Appointment of other Officers).

* Commissioned Warrant Officer.

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4. Retired Rank.- Commissions will not be issued on promotion to retired rank of any description.

NOTE.-Officers holding commissions on the 25th March 1901, will receive a second commission when next promoted, after which no other commission will be given them except as laid down in clause 1.

224. Flag Officers.- Flag Officers shall be appointed by the Admiralty in pursuance of His Majesty's pleasure, and shall hoist their flags only in pursuance of orders from the Admiralty, except in the cases provided for by Article 183.

2. Honorary Admirals of the Fleet or Honorary Admirals, when afloat and in naval uniform, may fly the distinguishing flag of their rank on board one of His Majesty's ships, should they desire to do so.

The flag when hoisted in the presence of His Majesty's ships is to be, saluted as indicated in Article 69 ; and the honours and marks of respect due to the rank are to be paid as provided for by Articles 131, 137, and 140.

225. Captain of the Fleet.- When an Admiral of the Fleet hoists his flag a Captain of the Fleet may be appointed to assist him ; a Captain of the Fleet may also be appointed to assist any other Flag Officer in command of a fleet or squadron whenever from its size and importance the Admiralty may consider it necessary.

226. Commodore of First Class.- Commodores of the First Class shall be appointed by the Admiralty, or, when any exigency of the public service may render it absolutely necessary to constitute an officer of that rank, by a Commander-in-Chief abroad.

2. This rank may be assumed as provided for in Article 2044.

227. Captains and Navigators o! the Fleet.- The Captain of the Fleet, Chief of the Staff, and officer required to do duty as Navigator of the Fleet, shall be appointed by the Admiralty; vacancies for these appointments occurring abroad may be filled up temporarily by the Commander-in-Chief under whom they may be serving until the pleasure of the Admiralty is known.

228. Other Officers.- Other officers will be appointed by or received on the verbal or written order of the Admiralty, or the verbal or written order of any other their superior officers duly authorised to appoint. These orders will be signified to officers in such manner as the Admiralty may at any time think proper.

2. Clerks.- Assistant Clerks are to be rated Clerks by their Captains on being found qualified (form S. 432). A duplicate of the certificate is to be forwarded to the Admiralty.

3. Secretaries and Flag-Lieutenants are to be nominated by the Flag Officers or Commodores with whom they are to serve, and appointed by the Admiralty; but if abroad by the Commander-in-Chief.

4. Chaplains qualified for the duty of Naval Instructor may be appointed as Chaplains only.

5. Assistant Paymasters in charge.- Assistant Paymasters, who are to be responsible for the Accountant Officer's duties, will be appointed as Assistant Paymasters in Charge, but officers who entered the Service in or after the year 1909 will not be eligible for such appointment until they have passed the examination for Paymaster. (Appendix X., Part IX.)

229. Officers waiting disposal.- The undermentioned officers when waiting disposal and not ordered to be borne elsewhere are to be entered on the book of the General Depôt at Sheerness-Chatham, Portsmouth, or Devonport, as the case may be :

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The case of an officer of any of the above ranks, except commissioned warrant officers or warrant officers, who may have been invalided,, will be specially dealt with by the Admiralty. Officers discharged or sent home for misconduct are not to be entered on ship's books without the authority of the Admiralty.

The depôt selected by a supplementary officer is to be reported to the Admiralty.

2. Under the same conditions, Chief and other Gunners, Royal Marine Gunners, and Warrant Armourers, are to be borne in the gunnery schools at Chatham, Portsmouth, or Devonport. Chief and other Torpedo Gunners and Boatswains, Commissioned and Warrant Telegraphists, and Commissioner) and Warrant Electricians, are to be borne in the torpedo schools at Sheerness, Portsmouth, or Devonport. Signal Boatswains are to be borne in the general depôt at Chatham, Portsmouth, or Devonport, under the orders of the Superintendent of Signal Schools. Chief and Head Schoolmasters are to be borne on the book' of H.M.S. " Impregnable."

3. The depôt selected by a warrant officer on promotion is to remain his depôt during the remainder of his service, and is not to be changed without Admiralty authority. See 1129 (Disposal of Officers on Paying off).

SECTION II. OFFICERS AUTHORISED TO MAKE APPOINTMENTS, &c.

230. Commander-in-Chief.- A Flag Officer, or a Commodore of the First Class who is appointed Commander-in-Chief of a station, and who is senior in rank to the officer he is to supersede, shall be entitled to all the advantages of Commander-in-Chief from the period of his arriving within the limits of the station, and assuming the command ; but unless the required declaration of liability be signed by him he can have no claim to freight money. His predecessor shall enjoy the other advantages only of a junior officer, from the date of his successor coming within the limits of the station, which advantages are

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to cease, as relates to the station when he (the junior officer) finally parts company to quit the station. When the succeeding Flag Officer, or Commodore of the First Class, is a junior officer, he shall be entitled to the advantages only of a junior officer, from the date of his arrival within the limits of the station until the command be transferred to him, and- the senior officer either finally parts company to quit the station, or permits the junior officer to part company from him, after which the advantages of the Commander-in-Chief are to devolve on the succeeding officer.

231. Acting Appointments.- When a vacancy for a commissioned officer occurs in the complement of a ship, which for service reasons should be filled up immediately, and there is no officer of the same rank available, the Commander-in-Chief, or in his absence the senior officer present, shall order a suitable commissioned officer, of the rank next below that of the officer dead or removed, to act in the vacancy; but a Surgeon is not eligible for appointment as Acting Staff Surgeon unless he has passed the qualifying examination for Staff Surgeon.

In a ship in which alternative ranks are allowed, e.g., Captain or Commander, Commander or Lieutenant, &c., the acting appointment is to be in the lower rank, regardless of the rank of the officer dead or removed.

In a vacancy for Fleet Surgeon, Fleet or Staff Paymaster, Engineer Commander, Chief Gunner, Chief Boatswain, Commissioned Telegraphist, Chief Carpenter, Chief Artificer Engineer, Commissioned Mechanician, Commissioned Electrician, or Chief Schoolmaster, the officer is only to be appointed to act as Staff Surgeon, Paymaster, Engineer Lieutenant (Senior List), Gunner, Boatswain, Warrant Telegraphist, Carpenter, Artificer Engineer, Warrant Mechanician, Warrant Electrician, or Head Schoolmaster respectively.

In selecting men for appointment as acting warrant officers on a foreign station preference is to be given to men who hold the necessary qualifications under Articles 301 and 337 in the case of Acting Gunners and Acting Torpedo Gunners, 302 and 306 in the case of Acting Boatswains and Acting Carpenters respectively, 338 in the case of Acting Warrant Telegraphists, 307 in the case of Acting Artificer Engineers, 308 in the case of Acting Warrant Mechanicians, 310 in the case of Acting Warrant Electricians, and 311 in the case of Acting Warrant Armourers.

2. Commissioned warrant officers, warrant officers, and subordinate officers are not eligible for acting appointments to fill vacancies in other ranks.

3. In the event of the death or invaliding of the Boatswain of a ship in which a warrant officer for quarter-deck duties is borne, such warrant officer is to be temporarily appointed boatswain of the ship, unless special reasons exist to the contrary, the vacancy thus created being filled by an acting appointment.

4. Except as regards advancement to acting warrant officer, chief or other petty officers and men are not eligible for acting appointments as officers.

232. Death of Commanding Officer.- On the death of an officer in command of a ship, elsewhere than in a port of the United Kingdom, and not in the presence of a senior officer, the following acting ranks are to be assumed and acting promotions made:-

1. Captain.- If the deceased be a Captain, the Commander, if any, shall take command of the ship as Acting Captain, and shall order the senior Lieutenant to act in his stead, and a Sub-Lieutenant to act as Lieutenant ; but if there be no Commander, the senior Lieutenant will take command as Acting Commander, and order a Sub-Lieutenant to act as Lieutenant.

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2. Commander.- If the deceased be a Commander, the senior Lieutenant shall take command as Acting Commander, and shall order a Sub-Lieutenant to act as Lieutenant.
3. Lieutenant.- If the deceased be a Lieutenant and there is no other Lieutenant, the senior Sub-Lieutenant shall take command as an Acting Lieutenant.
4. Other Officer.- If the command of the ship should devolve upon any other officer or person he is not to assume any rank superior to that which he held at the time when the command so devolved upon him.

2. Senior Officer rejoining.- An officer assuming a command in any of these circumstances is not entitled to retain it in the event of any officer senior to him belonging to the same ship joining or rejoining her; but in such case the senior officer so joining or rejoining is to assume the temporary command, and may supersede the temporary appointments made by his junior officer on board, should he consider it necessary.

233. Acting Orders, how and when cancelled.- All temporary command assumed or appointments made under the authority of Articles 231 and 232 are to remain in full force and effect until cancelled or altered by the Admiralty or .by the Officer Commanding the station ; but if the ship in which the vacancy occurred was under the command of a senior officer at the time and he shall decide in special circumstances to make any change, he will in such an' exceptional case report fully his reasons to the Commander-in-Chief for the information of the Admiralty, but no other senior officer is to interfere therewith.

234. Removal of Officer in Command.- A Captain, Commander, Lieutenant, or other Officer Commanding, is not to be removed without his consent by any superior officer from the command of the ship or vessel to which he has been properly appointed, nor obliged by such superior officer to change with the Captain, Commander, Lieutenant, or other officer of any other ship, except in circumstances which render the removal of such officer. essentially necessary for the public service, which circumstances are to be reported to the Admiralty with as little delay as possible ; but the Captain of a ship bearing the flag of a Flag Officer, or the broad pendant of a Commodore of the First Class, may be removed to another ship, and the Commander-in-Chief may appoint to succeed him, if he should consider it necessary, such other .Captain as he or the Flag Officer or the Commodore shall select ; arid one of the senior Captains commanding a smaller ship may be removed to the command of any ship of a higher class becoming vacant if the Commander-in-Chief shall deem it expedient.

235. Appointment of Half-pay Officers.- An officer on half-pay shall not be appointed to a ship, nor shall he have any commission, order, or employment whatsoever given him by a Commander-in-Chief or by any other officer, without express authority from the Admiralty ; but officers of the Military Branch under the rank of Commander, and all officers of other branches whose ships may be captured or lost, may be appointed to vacancies without such authority, if acquitted by court-martial abroad ; and any such officers who had been dismissed their ships by sentence of court-martial, or who, after being invalided, had sufficiently recovered before an opportunity had offered of sending them home, may also be appointed or ordered to do duty without such express authority, should the exigencies of the Service require it. Every such case is however, to be reported by separate letter.

236. Death during War.- During a period of war, the Admiralty will issue such special regulations as may seem to be required in respect to vacancies caused by death on foreign stations.

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