Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-06-06
RANK IN THE NAVY.

! 1t Will be or considerable AeAp "
remember that military and naval
rank correspond in this way:
Admiral (when the Office is created)
to general.
Vice admiral when the Office is
created) to lieutenant general
Rear admiral to major general.
Commodore to brigadier general.
| Captain to colonel
Commander to lieutenant colonel.
Lieutenant commander to major
Lieutenant, junior grade, to first
lieutenant.
Considering only the two highest
grades now actually held, the number
of officers in each since 1882 has been
six rear admirals and ten commo-
dores. The present rear admirals IN
order of seniority are:
William A. Kirkland, commandant
Of the Mare island navy yard, San
Francisco, retires July 3, 1898.
Joseph N. Miller, commanding Pa
ciflc station, retires Nov. %, 1898.
Montgomery Sicard, on duty in the
Office of the Secretary of the Navy
retires Sept. 80, 1898.
Edmund o. -.ratthews, president OF
the naval examining board, retires
Oct. "a, 1898.
Charles S. Norton, commanding
Washington navy yard, retires this
year.
Francis M. Bruce, commanding
Brooklyn navy yard, retires this
year.
Officers of the navy may be retired
on their own application after forty
rank of lieutenant commander must
retire upon their reaching the age OF
81. Those below that rank are re-
tired for physical or mental disability.
| The pay of retired naval officers is
three quarters Of their sea pay of the
rank they held at the time of their
retirement. At sea a rear admiral
receives $4,000 year; on shore duty,
| $4,000, and on leave or waiting orders,
! $4,000. Commodores are paid $1,000
less in all three lines Of employment.
! Retired officers of the navy cannot
| be assigned to active duty except in
time Of war, and the purpose of the
Administration so far has been not to
assign retired officers in the army or
navy to field or sea duty, but to let
, these posts of danger be held by
those still on the active list. Of
course, such work as the command
of the mosquito fleet along the
coast is expected. This has been
given to Admiral Erben who was re-
tired four or five years ago.
/ Until the second year of the civil
war the highest naval rank was that
of captain. though generally the title
of commodore was given to a flag Of
ficer who commanded squadron. In
! 1862 the rank of rear admiral was
created by congress, and to this grade
were appointed Farragut and three
other active captains, and about a
! dozen retired captains. In 1864, for
his capture of Mobile and subsequent
successes. Farragut was appointed to
! the newly created rank Of vice ad-
miral, and later D. D. Porter and
| Stephen G. Rowan we're given the
same rank. After the war ended
congress went step fur her. and
made the grade of admiral, and to
this grade promoted Farragut and
Porter. There was special provi-
sion of the laws creating admirals
and vice admirals which caused the
grades to die with the men holding
them. When Porter and Farragu1
vacated their commissions as vice to
accept the higher office, 1t LEFT
Rowan the only holder of the Sec
ond place, and upon his death in 1896
the Office lapsed. Farragut died IL
1870, leaving Porter sole possessor Of
the commission of full admiral, anC
upon his death in 1891 both grades
were vacated until congress shall re-
vive them, perhaps, for the heroes
Of this war.