Year: 1862

PUBLIc-Ho. I.


AN ACT to further promote the efficiency


Of the Navy.


Be Il enacted By the Senats and House Of
RspTesentatiUes Of the United States .of AH7er-
sea in Congress assembled, That whenever
the name of any naval officer now in the
service, or who may hereafter be in the SER
vice of the United States, shall have been
borne on the Naval Register forty-hve years,
or shall be of the age of sixty-two years, he
shall be retired from active service, and his
name entered on the retired list of officers
of the grade to which he belonged at the
time of such retirement


Sec. 2. Ind be 1t further ezaeted, That the
President of the United States be and be is
hereby authorized to.assign any officer who
may be retired under the preceding section of
this act, to shore duty, and such officer thus
assigned shall receive the full shore pay Of
his grade while so employed.


Sec. 3. ind be 1t further enacted. That
the President of the United States, By and
NTH the adVice and consent Of the Senate,
shall have the authority to detail from the
retired list of the navy for the command of
squadrons and single ships such officers as
he may believe that the good of the service
requires to be thus placed in command and
such officers may, if upon the rocommenda-
tion Of the President of the United States
they shall receive vote of thanks of Con-.
gress for their services and gallantry in ac-
ton against an enemy, be restored to the
active list and not otherwise.


Sec. 4. And be Il further enacted, That
the President of the United States shall
have the authority to select any officer from
the grades of captain or commander in the
to he ND Of a
squadron with the rank and title of "6ag
officer !" and any officer thus assigned shall
have the same authority and receive the
same obedienee from the commanders of
ships in his squadron holding commissions
of an older date than his that he would be
entitled TO receive were his commission the
oldest; and to receive, when so employed,
the pay to which be would have been en-
titled if he were on the active list of the
navy.


Sec. 8. And be 10 further enacted, That
all officers retired under the provisions of
this act shall receive the retired pay of
their respective grades as fixed by law.


See. 6. And be &c further enacted, That
promotions shall be made in place of the
officers retired under the provisions of this
bill as is now provided by law.


Sec. z. And be IL furthe7. enacted, That
the Secretary of the Navy be and is hereby
authorized to cause two hundred "medals
of honor" to be prepared, with suitable en-
blematic devices, which shall be bestowed
upon such petty officers, seamen, lsndsmen,
and marines as shall most distinguish them
selves by their gallantry in action and other
seamanlike qualities during the present
war, and that the sum of one thousand dol
lars be and the same is hereby appropriated
out of any money in the Treasury, for the
purpose of carrying this section into effect.


Sec. 8. Andbe ii further enacted. That the
hours of labor in the navy yards of the
United States shall be the same as in the
private ship yards at or nearest to the post
where such navy yard is established, and
the wages paid to all employees in such
yards shall be, as near as may be, the aver
age price paid to employees Of the same
grade in private ship yards or workshops in
or nearest to the came vicinity, to be deter
mined By the coRewaada1at Of the naVy yard.


Approved December 81. 1851.