Chain of Command

The Chain of Command (abbreviated "CoC") is the structure that shows who answers to who, who would take over, etc.

Server Chain of Command
Generally, the Admiral (Chief of Naval Operations) is in command of the server. The admiral is also the server owner. In case the admiral is unavailable, the middle admiral (Deputy Chief of Naval Operations) would take over, and if the admiral resigns, the MADM would take control of the server (ownership should be transferred in this case.) The next owner of the server should be someone in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations instead of ranking department officers. Ideally, there would be a few ready successors of ECC. There are also one master chief petty officer for each major department in charge of training and conduct.

Officers almost always answer to higher officers. Officers also have ultimate authority over all enlisted. That means that any officer can overturn orders of even the highest NCOs and SNCOs. This shouldn't be abused, and lawful orders should not be overturned. NCOs (only ranking E5+) have authority over E1-E4, preferably in their own department, however if another department member is doing something wrong, they have the ability to correct them. Enlisted members in paygrades E1-E4 have no authority, unless signified by a ship captain. A ship captain may give a small squad of crewmen to a low-ranking member to gauge their leadership ability to see if they would be fit for higher ranks.

Ship Chain of Command
Ship chain of command is a fairly simple system. Since mutinies are infrequent, and there aren't many officers on board ships, the CoC only comes into use when the captain dies. All department officers answer to the higher department officer, and the highest department officer answers to the captain. The highest department officer should be responsible for coordinating their department effectively and efficiently. "Ranking" refers to the highest rank available. The captain has ultimate authority in all aspects, and the final call in decisions, however they should be mindful of directives given to them by server administration.

The highest ranking officer in each department earns a special title for that particular ship, if the captain wishes to use this system. The highest officer in medical is called the Chief Medical Officer, like engineer's Chief Engineer, quartermastery's Quartermaster, and security's Chief of Security. These titles are used regardless of rank (i.e., an ensign could be the chief of security, and they could be called either the Chief of Security or ensign).

Below is a numbered list that depicts who would take command of a ship in case of the captain dying, or is unable to command.


 * 1) Ship Captain
 * 2) Whoever the captain designates as their successor
 * 3) Ranking department officers
 * 4) Ranking warrant officers
 * 5) Ranking NCOs / enlisted