§ 8162. Aviation commands: eligibility

• (a)
  • (1) To be eligible to command an aircraft carrier or an aircraft tender, an officer must be an officer in the line of the Navy who is designated as a naval aviator or naval flight officer and who is otherwise qualified.
  • (2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to command of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that has been inactivated for the purpose of permanent decommissioning and disposal.
• (b) To be eligible to command a naval aviation school, a naval air station, or a naval aviation unit organized for flight tactical purposes, an officer must be an officer in the line of the Navy designated as a naval aviator or naval flight officer.
• (c) To be eligible to command a Marine Corps aviation school, a Marine Corps air station, or a Marine Corps aviation unit organized for flight tactical purposes, an officer must be an officer of the Marine Corps designated as a naval aviator or naval flight officer.

§ 8163. Naval shipyards

Commanders of naval shipyards may be selected by the President from officers of the Navy not below the grade of commander.

§ 8164. Marine Corps officers: limitation on power to command

Officers of the Marine Corps may not command vessels or naval shipyards.

§ 8165. Staff corps officers: limitation on power to command

An officer in a staff corps may command only such activities as are appropriate to his corps.

§ 8166. Precedence accorded commanding officers

The commanding officer of a vessel or of a naval station takes precedence over all officers under his command.

§ 8167. Requirement of exemplary conduct

All commanding officers and others in authority in the naval service are required to show in themselves a good example of virtue, honor, patriotism, and subordination; to be vigilant in inspecting the conduct of all persons who are placed under their command; to guard against and suppress all dissolute and immoral practices, and to correct, according to the laws and regulations of the Navy, all persons who are guilty of them; and to take all necessary and proper measures, under the laws, regulations, and customs of the naval service, to promote and safeguard the morale, the physical well-being, and the general welfare of the officers and enlisted persons under their command or charge.

§ 8168. Consular powers: senior officer present afloat

In any foreign port where there is no resident consul of the United States, or on the high seas, the senior officer present afloat has the powers of a consul in relation to mariners of the United States.

§ 8169. Policy as to leave and liberty

The commanding officer of a vessel shall favor the faithful and obedient in granting leave and liberty.

§ 8171. Continuation of authority after loss of vessel or aircraft

If the crew of any naval vessel or naval aircraft are separated from their vessel or aircraft because of its wreck, loss, or destruction, all the command and authority given to the officers of the vessel or aircraft remain in full force until the crew are discharged or reassigned.

§ 8172. Marine Corps organizations on vessels: authority of officers

When an organization of the Marine Corps is embarked in any vessel, not as part of the authorized complement of the vessel, the authority of the officers of that organization is the same as though the organization were serving at a naval station. However, this section does not impair the paramount authority of the commanding officer of a vessel over the vessel and all persons embarked in it.