[No. 2]

NUMBER OF OFFICERS, COMMISSIONED AND WARRANT, IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1926

NAVY DEPARTMENT, Washington, October 20, 1926.

MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: In accordance with a request contained in your letter of July 17, 1926, a statement bringing Document. No. 7 down to September 30, 1926, is attached hereto.

Such statement contains the following information:

(a) A list showing the number of officers, line, staff, chief warrant, and warrant, of the active list of the Navy on September 30, 1926. (b) Summary of the distribution of officers.

Sufficient time has not elapsed subsequently to the enactment of the staff equalization of promotion law to form a basis for an average length of service in each grade before promotion; therefore, the table of the average length of service before promotion to the next higher grade has not been included in the above statement.

Very sincerely,

Hon. THOMAS S. BUTLER,

Chairman Naval Affairs Committee,

CURTIS D. WILBUR,

Secretary of the Navy.

House of Representatives, Washington, D. C.

(a) Commissioned and warrant officers of the United States Navy

1. NUMBER OF OFFICERS, COMMISSIONED AND WARRANT, IN THE NAVY AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1926

2. NUMBER OF OFFICERS IN EACH GRADE AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1926

(a) Commissioned and warrant officers of the United States Navy-Continued

2. NUMBER OF OFFICERS IN EACH GRADE AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1926-Continued

(a) Commissioned and warrant officers of the United States Navy-Continued

CHIEF WARRANT AND WARRANT OFFICERS

(b) Under the provisions of the act of Congress, approved August 29, 1916, the total number of commissioned officers of the line of the Navy, exclusive of commissioned warrant officers, is established as 4 per cent of the total authorized enlisted strength of the active list, exclusive of the Hospital Corps, prisoners undergoing sentence of discharge, enlisted men detailed for duty with the Naval Militia, and the Flying Corps; and under the same act, the total number of commissioned line officers on the active list at any time, exclusive of commissioned warrant officers, shall be distributed in the proportion of 1 in grade of rear admiral to 4 in that of captain, 7 in that of commander, 14 in that of lieutenant commander, 321⁄2 in that of lieutenant, and 412 in those of lieutenant (junior grade) and ensign, inclusive.

The total authorized strength of the staff corps shall be based on percentages of the commissioned officers on the active list.as follows: Supply Corps, 12 per cent; Construction Corps, 5 per cent; Civil Engineer Corps, 2 per cent; Medical Corps, sixty-five one-hundredths of 1 per cent of the total authorized number of officers and enlisted men of the Navy, Marine Corps, midshipmen, Hospital Corps, prisoners undergoing sentence of discharge, enlisted men detailed for duty with the Naval Militia, and Flying Corps.

The number of chaplains allowed under the act of Congress approved June 30, 1914, is one for every 1,250 of the total personnel in the Navy, Marine Corps, includeng prisoners, midshipmen, and apprentice seamen.

Promotions from the rank of ensign in all corps up to and including lieutenant commander are made by seniority, the staff corps being promoted at the same time as their running mates assigned them in the line. Lieutenant commanders, commanders, and captains in the line are promoted to the next higher rank by selection and in the staff they become eligible for selection when their line running mates have been selected for promotion, or when line officers junior to their running mates have been selected for promotion.