CO Manual:Section 5
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Page | Welcome | Command Responsibilities | Organizing a Chapter | Chapter Activities | Commissioning a Chapter | Awards | Chapter Types & Commands |
Ship Commissioning
Requirements and Procedures
In order to commission, a ship (chapter) needs to meet the following two criteria:
- Minimum number of RMN members is set forth in PD-STC-1003 Chapter and Echelon Policy;
- CO and all officers/crew of the ship must have completed the required exams for their positions (or be on track to complete the required exams within 90 days of commissioning);
The procedure for commissioning a new ship is as follows:
- Select a name for your chapter. The name must be approved by the Office of the Third Space Lord prior to submission of the Chapter Commissioning Form, and the approval email must be attached to the form; After you have selected your ship class and a shortlist of possible names, you MUST contact the Office of Shipbuilding Support (shipbldsup@buships.trmn.org). This office will help guide you through the entire process from getting your name approved to getting your forms filled out and making sure they are correct, with all necessary information, before they are submitted for final review and Commissioning by the Third Space Lord.
- RMN Chapter Commissioning Form must be completed and sent to the Third Space Lord for review and further action (NOTE: For Pinnaces and LACs, the forms should be submitted to the local Fleet Commander, rather than the 3rd Space Lord as per Admiralty Order 1403-02);
- Upon Receipt of the Chapter Commissioning Form, the Third Space Lord will review the application for completeness and verify that all members listed are in good standing with the RMN and have completed the requisite courses (or are in the process of completing them);
- If there are deficiencies with the commissioning request, the Third Space Lord will work with the chapter crew to correct them and get the chapter ready for commissioning at the earliest possible time, or:
- If all is in order and meets the requirements for the chapter to commission, the Third Space Lord will prepare the official paperwork and Certificate of Commissioning to be sent or presented to the Chapter and its crew. When possible, a Member of the Admiralty or one of the Space Lords will be present to formally commission new chapters;
- If the vessel launched is a Pinnace or LAC, the Fleet Commander MUST notify the Third and Fifth Space Lords so that the database and Berthing Registry can be updated. Failure to notify these persons will result in delays of the chapter’s recognition and personnel assignments.
- After your ship has been launched, the TRMN webmaster will create an email alias for the CO which will forward to your listed email account. This email redirect will likely be used by the SIA and other Admiralty House officers to contact you, as the CO, on behalf of your ship. In general, the new CO email addresses will be created within 72 hours of the commissioning announcement (but it could be somewhat longer depending on workload). Those email addresses then redirect to whatever address BuShips or BuPers has on file for the new CO. If you want your CO@shipname.trmn.org address to go to a different personal email box, you should email the FLA’s Staff Communication Officer at sco@firstlord.trmn.org (as listed on the FLA’s staff page) and request the change.
Commissioning Requirements for Navies of the Grand Alliance
(Allied Navies: GSN/IAN/RHN) All ship complement sizes must meet those outlined in Admiralty Order 1102-13 and have a Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, and Bosun as the Command team. These persons MUST be members of the navy for the ship being Commissioned (except for the GSN which may use RMN officers “on loan” for these posts). Marines from the respective navies may be counted towards the crew complement requirements, but marines may not be the CO, XO or Bosun. As there is no documentation (as of this time) that the IAN or RHN have used Manticoran personnel to crew their vessels, Manticoran personnel will NOT count towards minimum crew complements for these vessels as outlined in AO 1102-13. All ships for these Allied Navies will be commissioned by the Third Space Lord of the Royal Manticoran Navy, on behalf of their respective star nations’ leaders. All names for ships of these Allied navies MUST be canon and approved through normal channels (BuNine via Third Space Lord) before Commissioning can proceed.
The Commissioning paperwork for all ships of Allied Navies will consist of the following:
- Commissioning Certificate;
- Orders for the Commanding Officer to take command and proceed to their operational areas; and,
- Orders granting brevet promotions (if any). Regardless of real world location, all Allied Naval ships will be assigned to the Fleet which oversees their geographic location.
The minimum Command Grades (and the ranks the Command teams will be brevetted to) are listed below for each navies’ ships, based upon ship type/size. If a person already holds a higher rank at time of commissioning, no rank increase will be awarded.
Minimum Command Sizes
As outlined in Admiralty Order 1011-01, there are minimum numbers of members needed for each type of ship to be commissioned in the RMN. Below are those minimum requirements as listed, as well as typical complements of officers and enlisted crew members. The number of officers listed is the allowable range for that class of ship. For example, a Light Cruiser must have at least three officers, but can have no more than four. These numbers are inclusive of the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer:
| Chapter Tier | Minimum Member Composition |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 3 Must include 1 Officer |
| 3 | 3 Must include 1 Officer |
| 4 | 6 Must include 2 Officers |
| 5 | 8 Must include 2 Officers |
| 6 | 10 Must include 3 Officers |
| 7 | 12 Must include 3 Officers |
| 8 | 14 Must include 4 Officers |
| 9 | 16 Must include 4 Officers |
| 10 | 20 Must include 5 Officers |
Personnel
All will count towards the minimum numbers required for a chapter of your selected/desired size.
Promotion to Minimum Command Grade
If the Commanding Officer, or triad members, does not already hold the Minimum Command Grade for the post when a new ship is commissioned, they will complete all prerequisites before any promotion to that grade shall be effect and before any commissioning will occur.
Chapter Decommission Procedures
Unfortunately, there may be a need to decommission or reduce the class of ship a Chapter represents. Only the following actions can trigger a decommissioning or reduction in Ship Class:
- Membership decline to below the minimum required complement;
- Failure to comply with the requirements set forth by the RMN, the Admiralty, or the Third Space Lord; or,
- Request by the chapter itself.
When circumstances that would trigger such a necessity occur, the following procedures will be used to give the chapter every opportunity to prevent the action from occurring:
- 1. Membership declines below the required number for the current ship class of the Chapter:
- If a chapter’s membership declines below the minimum requirements set forth in Admiralty Order 1011-01, the Chapter Commanding Officer will be notified of the deficiency and given sixty (60) days to correct the problem. Up to two additional sixty (60) day extensions can be granted upon request of the Chapter Commanding Officer (for a total of six (6) months). If the chapter membership has not been brought up to the minimum levels and met all other requirements by the end of the six (6) month period, the Chapter will be reduced in Ship Class to the largest Class available to the crew currently serving with the chapter. In the event the Chapter members are not enough for any ship class in the RMN, the Chapter will be reduced to a Pinnace or decommissioned by the Third Space Lord after consulting with the Chapter Commanding Officer to determine the desire of the chapter. In the event a Chapter is decommissioned, all remaining members of that chapter will have the option of transferring to another chapter or of going on half pay status.
- 2. The Chapter has failed to comply with the requirements and policies of the RMN, the Admiralty, or the Third Space Lord:
- In the event that chapter fails to maintain compliance with the established policies and procedures of the RMN, the Admiralty or the Third Space Lord, the chapter Commanding Officer (or senior most remaining member) will be contacted by the Third Space Lord and made aware of the deficiency. The chapter will have ninety (90) days from the date they are made aware of the deficiency to correct the problem(s) without penalty. If the chapter has not corrected the problem(s) by the end of the ninety (90) day period, the Third Space Lord may grant an extension (if the chapter can demonstrate solid progress to addressing the problems) or take other action as deemed appropriate for the problem(s) faced by the chapter and in accordance with any prevailing Admiralty Order, naval Regulations or recedence for the issue(s) faced by the chapter.
- 3. Request by the Chapter itself:
- In this event the wishes of the chapter will be honored so long as the request (to either decommission or change Ship Class) is sent in by the Chapter Commanding Officer and affirmed by the Chapter’s Executive Officer in separate emails to the Third Space Lord.