# United States Statutes at Large/Volume 5/27th Congress/2nd Session/Chapter 286

Chap. CCLXXXVI.—An Act to reorganize the Navy Department of the United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,Act of 7th Feb. 1815, ch. 35, repealed. That the act approved February seventh, eighteen hundred and fifteen, entitled “An act to alter and amend the several acts establishing a Navy Department, by adding thereto a Board of Commissioners,” be, and the same is hereby, repealed.
Bureaus to be attached to the Navy Department.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That there shall be attached to the Navy Department the following bureaus, to wit:
* 1. A bureau of Navy Yards and Docks.
* 2. A bureau of Construction, Equipment and Repairs.
* 3. A bureau of Provisions and Clothing.
* 4. A bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography.
* 5. A bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
Chiefs of bureaus to be appointed, how.Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint, from the captains in the naval service, a chief for each of the bureaus of Navy Yards and Docks, and of Ordnance and Hydrography, who shall each receive a salary of three thousand five hundred dollars per annum, in lieu of all other compensation whatever, in the naval service; and shall, in like manner, appoint a chief of the bureau of Construction, Equipment, and Repairs, who shall be a skilful naval constructor, and shall appoint a chief of the bureau of Provisions and Clothing, who shall each receive for his services three thousand dollars per annum; and shall in like manner appoint from the surgeons of the navy a chief of the bureau of Medicine and Surgery, who shall receive for his services two thousand five hundred dollars per annum.
Sec. Navy to appoint clerks for theSec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of the Navy shall appoint the following clerks, to wit:
Office of the Secretary of the Navy.For the office of the Secretary of the Navy, a chief clerk, who shall receive for his services two thousand dollars per annum; one registering clerk, who shall receive for his services one thousand four hundred dollars per annum; three recording clerks, who shall receive for their services each one thousand dollars per annum; one principal corresponding clerk, who shall receive for his services one thousand five hundred dollars per annum; and two assistant corresponding clerks, who shall receive for their services each twelve hundred dollars per annum; one ​warrant clerk, who shall receive for his services twelve hundred dollars per annum; and one miscellaneous clerk, who shall receive for his services eight hundred dollars per annum.
Bureau of Navy Yards and Docks.For the bureau of Navy Yards and Docks, one civil engineer, who shall receive for his services two thousand dollars per annum; one draughtsman, who shall receive for his services one thousand dollars per annum; one chief clerk, who shall receive for his services one thousand four hundred dollars per annum; and two assistant clerks, one of whom shall receive for his services one thousand dollars per annum, and the other shall receive for his services eight hundred dollars per annum.
Bureau of Construction, equipment and repairs. Act of March 3, 1843, ch. 83.For the bureau of Construction, Equipment, and Repairs, one assistant constructor and draughtsman, who shall receive for his services the sum of one thousand six hundred dollars per annum; and four clerks, one of whom shall receive for his services fourteen hundred dollars per annum, and the others shall receive for their services one thousand dollars per annum, each.
Bureau of Provisions and Clothing.For the bureau of Provisions and Clothing, one chief clerk, who shall receive for his services one thousand four hundred dollars per annum; and two clerks, one of whom shall receive for his services one thousand two hundred dollars per annum, and the other shall receive for his services eight hundred dollars per annum.
Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography.For the bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography, one draughtsman, who shall receive for his services one thousand dollars per annum; and three clerks, one of whom shall receive for his services twelve hundred dollars per annum, and the others shall receive for their services one thousand dollars per annum, each.
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.For the bureau of Medicine and Surgery, two clerks, one of whom shall receive for his services twelve hundred dollars per annum, and the other shall receive for his services eight hundred dollars per annum; and one assistant surgeon, who shall receive for his services not less than the highest pay of his grade in the service.
Duties to be distributed among the bureaus.Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of the Navy shall assign and distribute among the said bureaus such of the duties of the Navy Department, as he shall judge to be expedient and proper, and all duties of the said bureaus shall be performed under the authority of the Secretary of the Navy, and their orders shall be considered as emanating from him, and shall have full force and effect as such.
Messengers.Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That there shall be allowed to each bureau a messenger, who shall receive for his services a compensation not exceeding seven hundred dollars per annum.
Franking privilege. Act of March 3, 1845, ch. 43, sec. 6.Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That the chief of each bureau hereby established shall be authorized to frank all communications from his bureau; and all communications to his bureau, on the business thereof, shall be free of postage.
Papers of the Navy Commissioners’ office to be distributed. Appropriation for stationery.Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That the books, records, and papers, now belonging to the office of the Navy Commissioners shall be distributed among the bureaus, according to the nature of their duties respectively; and the Secretary of the Navy is hereby authorized to provide for each bureau, such books of record and accounts, and such stationery, as may be found necessary; for which purpose the sum of three thousand five hundred dollars is hereby appropriated, payable out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.
Appropriation to carry this law into effect.Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That the unexpended balance of the appropriation for clerks in the office of the Secretary of the Navy, and the unexpended balance of the appropriation for the Commissioners of the Navy, their Secretary and clerks, together with such additional sum as may be necessary to carry this law into effect, be, and the same ​are hereby, appropriated, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.
Officers, &c. may, with their consent, be appointed to the clerkships.Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of the Navy shall, if the same can be done without detriment to the public service, appoint, with their consent, officers of the navy, not above the grade of lieutenants, to perform the duties of any clerkship created by this act, (except as herein otherwise provided,) who shall receive each for their services not more than nine hundred dollars per annum, including their regular pay and rations; but the appointment of any officer in the navy to any of the offices or clerkships in this act, shall in no manner whatever interfere with his grade in the service.
Authority to transfer money, &c., so far as relates to the Navy Department, repealed.Sec. 11. And be it further enacted, That all acts, or parts of acts authorizing the President of the United States, or the Secretary of the proper Department, under his direction to transfer any portion of the moneys appropriated for a particular branch of expenditure in that Department, to be applied to another branch of expenditure in the same Department, be, and are hereby, so far as relates to the Department of the Navy, repealed.
Approved, August 31, 1842.