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Circular No. 58 The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty having had under their consideration the present regulations for the Examination of Masters and Second Masters of Her Majesty�s Fleet, as defined by art. 21, chap. 2, p. 22, and art. 25, chap. 2, p. 25, of the printed Instructions, have been pleased to direct that on and after 1st of January next, the following regulations will be adopted, viz.:- All officers passing for the rank of Master or Second Master (or officers from the Merchant Service who are candidates for these ranks, under the Queen�s Regulations, art. 6, chap. 3, p. 24) shall be examined in Seamanship, either at home or abroad, by one Captain or Commander, and three Masters ; and after having received a Certificate of having passed such Examination, they shall undergo their Examination in Navigation at the Royal Naval College (instead of the Trinity House), under the same regulations and at the same period, as Midshipmen passing for Lieutenant ; but the examination for Pilotage is to be conducted at the Trinity House, under the rules and regulations at present in force, but subsequent to the above mentioned examinations. Having completed the above examinations they will be considered eligible for the rank of Master in the Royal Navy, provided they shall have served the time required by the Queen�s Regulations. The Seniority of Second Masters (or of Candidates for the rank of Master) is in future to reckon from the date of their passing in Seamanship for that rank, provided they shall subsequently pass in Navigation at the Royal Naval College, on the first or second Examination day following, either of which days they are at liberty to select; or, in the event of an officer having previously passed abroad in Seamanship, he is at liberty, after his arrival in England, to select either the first or second Examination day at the Royal Naval College ; or if belonging to a ship under orders to be paid off, on the first or second Examination day after having been so paid off, when, if he shall succeed in passing, he will be allowed seniority from the date of his having passed abroad. But no Second Master (or Candidate for the rank of Master) will be allowed such seniority who shall fail in passing at the Royal Naval College, at the first trial, or who shall not pass at Trinity House within a month after his having passed in Navigation. Officers appearing before the Trinity Board for the purpose of passing in pilotage must be qualified to take charge, as Pilot, of any of Her Majesty�s frigates for the Coast and Ports for which Masters have hitherto been examined ; and when they shall have served three years at least in Frigates or Sloops, they may be further examined as to their qualifications to take charge of Line-of-Battle Ships, but in this examination it will be required that they pass for the largest description of First-Rates. In the event of an Officer serving abroad as Acting Master of a Line-of-Battle Ship, the time so served may reckon as part of the aforesaid three years. The Class of Ship of which Officers are capable of taking charge as Pilots will be stated in the Certificate granted to them by the Trinity House. All Officers being desirous of being examined in Pilotage at the Trinity House either for the rank of Second Master, or as their qualifications to serve as Masters of Frigates, or of Line-of-Battle Ships, should present themselves at the Admiralty, bringing with them a Certificate of their Birth, and also their original Certificates for the entire period they have been employed in Her Majesty�s Service, or in Merchant Ships, in each of which Certificates the word Sobriety must be included. Similar Certificates must be produced by Officers presenting themselves to pass in Navigation at the Royal Naval College, By command of their Lordships, ^ back to top ^ |