Articles of the Navy

## Introduction

"I, Admiral Shay, as required by the Office of Chief of Naval Operations will put together a formal guide titled the "Articles of the Navy" to act as a tool for all members of the Navy to use as a guide for navy info and matters. These Articles will be agreed upon by the Board of Admiralty and will be expected to have been read by all under the Employ of the Navy."

Admiral Shay - Admiral of the Navy

## Section I - Rates of the Navy

For detailed descriptions of each rank, see the Sailor's Handbook

### Chapter 1. Junior Enlisted

The Junior Enlisted are the backbone of the Navy. These are the sailors who will make up the majority of the servicemen. Junior Enlisted will hold no major leadership positions and will be expected to carry out any order received. The Junior Enlisted ranks go from Seaman Recruit E-1 to Seaman E-3. Promotion through the Junior Enlisted ranks will be determined based off of activity, maturity, commitment and knowledge of sailing.

### Chapter 2. Non Commissioned Officers

The rate of Non Commissioned Officer is the first Major leadership position. NCOs will be anyone ranking from Petty Officer 3rd Class E-4 to Petty Officer 1st Class E-6. NCOs are the front line leaders of the Navy. They are the ones who will run the day to day Operations of the Navy. NCOs are expected to be good leaders who are knowledgeable of the Navy. They should set the example for behavior and activity. Promotion through the NCO ranks is determined by their leadership and how they interact with Junior Enlisted.

### Chapter 3. Senior Non Commissioned Officers

Senior NCOs are the more experienced Non Commissioned Officers. These leaders will have acquired a large amount of Naval experience and will be expected to train and mentor new NCO. The Senior NCO ranks will be from Chief Petty Officer E-7 to Master Chief Petty Officer E-9. In addition to mentoring new NCO, a Senior NCO will be responsible for the promotions of Junior Enlisted sailors. They should keep an eye on all Junior Enlisted activity and promote those they see fit.

### Chapter 4. Junior Officers

Junior Officers are the primary managers and administrators of the Navy. The Junior Officer ranks begin at Midshipman O-1 and end at Lieutenant Commander O-4. A Junior Officer will be responsible for overseeing the NCO and Senior NCO Corps. The Officers should set the example for leadership for the Enlisted leaders and will be held accountable for their training. Junior Officers are also responsible for the promotions of NCOs from the ranks of E-4 to E-6. Junior Officers are also expected to award medals and ribbons to those sailors who are deserving.

### Chapter 5. Senior Officers

The rate of Senior Officer is the highest earnable rate in the Navy. Senior Officers will be members ranking from Lieutenant Commander O-4 to Captain O-6. The Senior Officers will be responsible for command of their own ships and will be responsible for their ships day to day operations. Senior Officers are expected to train and mentor Junior Officers and Senior NCO under their command to help lead the ship. Senior Officers are responsible for Junior Officer, and Senior NCO promotions.

### Chapter 6. Warrant Officers

Warrant Officers will be anyone ranking from Warrant Officer (WO-1) to Chief Warrant Officer (WO-5). All Warrant Officers will have the title "Warrant Officer '' unless they are the head of a SPD, or the Head of NETC, in which case they will receive a unique title to fit their duties. There is one title, "Chief Warrant Officer'', who will usually be a member of the BOA and assist with leading the WOs. The WOs are outside of the standard Chain of Command, aren't assigned to ships, and are for people who would like to participate in our community but have little to no interest in the MilSim portion. WOs are expected to follow all server rules and, if allowed on voyage, follow the ship's lead. Promotion through the WO ranks is determined by their individual involvement in the SPDs, and up to the Chief Warrant Officers discretion.

## Section 2. Command Roles

### Chapter 1. Board Of Admiralty

The Board of Admiralty, or the BOA, are the main decision makers of the Navy. The Board of Admiralty is made up of the Senior Officers who have achieved flag rank. Flag rank is Commodore O-7 to Admiral O-10. The BOA will discuss all Navy related matters ranging from suggestions, threats, awards, and punishments. The Board of Admiralty are expected to keep all BOA matters discussed Private unless approved by the AOTN. The Board of Admiralty will reserve the right to having the final say in all navy related matters.

#### About Command Positions

In the Navy, no Admiral of any rank commands a specific ship. When at sea they always command Fleets, but they are still on a ship and that is their flagship. They aren't responsible for the operation of the flagship, they run the entire fleet.

That Captain who is in command of the flagship the Admiral is on is called a Flag Captain.

### Chapter 2. Command Staff

The Navy Command Staff role will be held by the Admiral of the Navy, their 2nd in command, General of the Marines and the MCPON/SMMC. Occasionally some others may be chosen to wear this role. Anyone who has the role command staff is responsible for administration.

### Chapter 3. Combatant Commander

Anyone who holds the role Combatant Commander holds command of large units. Often times a fleet or battalion. As Commanders of large units, these individuals are responsible for the operation and function of their unit. They will delegate work down their unit chain of command and insure its operation.

### Chapter 4. Moderation Permissions

Anyone who holds the role Moderation Permissions (MP) have the ability to warn and complete incident reports on all Navy personal. They are responsible for the safety and inclusion of our community. To apply for moderation permissions, one must complete a course in the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).

## Section 3. Chain Of Command

### Chapter 1. Commanding Officer

Your Commanding Officer (CO) is the Officer, or Officers you report to. Your CO will likely be your ship Captain, and any leader they have under them. You will report to any NCO under the ship you are on, who will then report to Senior NCO who report to Officers. The Commanding Officer will be responsible for everything that happens under your unit. They will be responsible for the growth, training, and discipline of the unit.

### Chapter 2. Executive Officer

The Executive Officer (XO) is the 2nd in command of the ship. All XO's will be responsible for helping their CO with leadership of the unit. Executive Officers are responsible for leading the Officer and NCO team and insuring they are completing their tasks. Executive Officers will be the liaison between the ship’s leaders and the CO. Should the CO go on leave, the XO will take full command of the unit until the CO returns.

### Chapter 3. Chief Of Ship

The Chief Of Ship is the most experienced and active Enlisted leader on board the ship. The Chief Of Ship will provide feedback to the CO and XO from the Enlisted perspective. All Enlisted Advisors will also lead the ships NCOs and will be the face of all Junior Enlisted on board. The Chief Of Ship will be responsible for making sure any new Junior Enlisted on the ship are getting help with any questions as well as making sure they are being sorted into squads. In addition to this they will also be responsible to mentoring the Junior Officers on board their ship.

### Chapter 4. Squad Leader

The Squad Leader on a ship is an Enlisted leader of at least the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class. They are expected to manage the Junior enlisted in their squad, activity, welfare and to know their each one of the members of their squad individually. Squad leaders may choose to have a squad XO which will typically be a promising E-3 or another NCO the complements them well. If you have any questions, your squad leader is your FIRST point of contact.

#### About Reporting to higher ranks

Junior enlisted report to their closest NCO on the ship that they are assigned. This is usually the squad leader on the ship they are assigned.

All NCOs report to their respective NCOs of higher rank, or to the senior NCOs Senior NCOs report to Junior Officers on any ship. The Officers report to any Senior Officer, or, preferably, higher ranking Junior officers. Eventually, you will report to your ships CO. Senior Officers report to their Commander which would be a Rear Admiral assigned to the fleet.

## Section 4. Rules of Engagement

### Chapter 1. The Protocol for Engagement

We as a Naval military force, not pirates, do not want to be viewed as such. However, we can and will engage in PVP and in combat with other ships. This is because we are a fighting force. When we engage other ships we should do so professionally and not as griefers. We do not spawn camp. When sinking a ship it needs to be done as quickly as possible so we are not seen as spawn campers. Should you find a ship is completely new to the game, do not sink them. Either commandeer the vessel or push them into service of the USN.

### Chapter 2. Pirate fighting Protocol

Should a Navy vessel encounter a ship flying the Jolly Roger, or Reapers Emissary, that ship to be engaged with immediately. All Navy ships are authorized to attack known pirate vessels on sight and sink them. Should you be fired upon by any vessel pirate or not, all Naval vessels are authorized to return fire immediately.

## Section 5. Official Voyages

### Chapter 1. Official Voyages

Official Voyages are when the Navy goes and sails under our flag. What we do in official voyages is just play the game regularly, but as a more organized crew. What the crew will do in a voyage is decided by the leader of the voyage. Some leaders may choose to do PVP and world events, while others may choose to grind out voyages. Most voyage leaders will let the crew decide what will be done during the voyage.

### Chapter 4. Convoys

Convoys are when the navy goes out and flexes our muscle. Convoys are multi ship voyages. In convoys, the entire fleet will stay together through all events the Convoy does. We utilize ship formations in convoys to make sure we stay organized and together. We use formations in Combat and in travel. The navy organizes convoys by either ship spawning or commandeering another ship. All crews will mute everyone except those on their ship. The ship Captains will leave each other unmuted so they can communicate.

## Conclusion

"These articles have been made as a reference sheet to all under the employ of the Navy. Should, the answer to any question lay in these Articles it is expected that these Articles be quoted to answer. All under naval employ are expected to read these Articles."

Admiral Shay, Admiral of the Navy