(a) Superior Authority – the superior authority in relation to person means the officer under whose immediate orders the person may be placed or is serving at the time.
(b) Command – The authority vested in officers and sailors over their subordinates within their own department.
(c) Military Command – The authority vested in officers of the executive branch and in certain sailors mentioned in the statutory chapter of rank and command in Part III to command one or more ships or boats or aircraft, according to their training or duties, or to direct any work or undertaking which requires the cooperation of different branches of the service. It may be conferred on other officers and sailors by appointment or by direction of superior authority.
(d) Naval Establishment – Any establishment paid for out of I.N. budget and therefore coming under the control of Indian Naval authorities.
(e) The Captain – The officer appointed to command a ship.
(f) Commanding officer – The officer or other person on board and in actual command at the moment.
(g) The Executive Officer – The officer carrying out the executive duties of the ship.
(h) The Engineer Officer – The Officer-in-charge of the Engineering Department in a ship or establishment.
(j) The Electrical Officer – The Officer-in-charge of the Electrical Department in a ship or establishment.
(k) The Logistics Officer – The Officer-in-charge of the Logistics and staff duties of ship or establishment.
(l) The Medical Officer – The Officer-in-Charge of the medical duties of a ship or establishment.
(m) The Education Officer The Officer-in-Charge of the academic instruction of officers and sailors.
(n) Yearly – On 31st December of each year.
(o) Half Yearly – On 30th June and 31st December.
(p) Quarterly – On 31st March, 30th June, 30th September and 31st December, or by the quarters ending on these dates.
(q) For definitions of “The Chief of the Naval Staff”, ”Flag Officer”, “Commissioned Officer”, “Officer”, “Subordinate Officer”, “Sailor”, “Petty Officer”, and “Superior Officer”’ See Navy Act 1957, Section 3.
0136. Retention of Financial Documents. (1) The period of retention of financial documents maintained in the Navy are in Appendix 5 to Part I.
(2) Records are to be destroyed at the end of the stipulated periods on the authority of the Commanding Officers/Heads of departments. In no case should a record connected with an audit objection be destroyed unless the objection has been finally settled by the appropriate internal or statutory audit authorities. Similarly no documents relating to cases under investigation are to be destroyed until all investigation and action has been completed.
(3) All records (excepting Secret, Confidential and other classified documents) are to be sent to the nearest Naval Stores Depot for offering them to the paper mills, etc.)
(4) A permanent record of all documents destroyed/disposed off is to be maintained duly attested by the Commanding officers/Heads of departments.
(5) In the absence of any specific instructions to the contrary, the retention periods mentioned in column (c) of Appendix 5 to Part I will be reckoned:-
(a) In the case of files, from the date of actual closing (and not of their commencement).
(b) In the case of registers, from the year they have ceased to be current.
CHAPTER 2 INSTRUCTIONS TO ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITIES AND SENIOR OFFICER Section Regulations I. General Service 0201-0240 II. An Area 0241-0255 III. Foreign Relations 0256-0271 SECTION I – GENERAL SERVICE
0201. Definition of Senior Officer. In this chapter the Senior Officer in relation to any detached body of Naval forces means the officer present on whom the Military Command of the forces devolves.
0202. General Responsibility of an Administrative Authority and Senior Officer. (1) The Administrative Authority or the Senior Officer present is responsible for the command, training and efficiency of the forces under his command.
(2) He is responsible for the administration of his command.
(3) He will be assisted by the staff officers appointed on his staff.
(4) He may delegate to the staff officers such responsibilities and to such an extent, as he may consider desirable, authorising them to issue orders and instructions in his name, subject to any limitations which are in any matter prescribed by regulation.
(5) In the absence of an officer borne for staff duties, the Administrative Authority or the Senior Officer concerned may nominate a suitable officer in his command to carry out the duties of that staff officer.
0203. War Organisation. (1) He is responsible for the preparation of and keeping up-to-date of war plans and war orders in accordance with standing orders or other instructions issued from time to time by the Chief of the Naval Staff, and that they are always ready to be put into force.
(2) He is responsible that: -
(a) The Chief of the Naval Staff is kept fully and promptly informed of-
(i) All occurrences of moment.
(ii) His intentions, dispositions and the state of his fleet
(iii) Important intelligence obtained.
(b) The instructions regarding the intelligence organisation, and the reporting of shipping in his command are observed. See also regulation 0233 (War Diaries).
(3) He shall cooperate with the civil, army and air authorities in preparing for war and in its prosecution.
(4) In war, he shall obey such instructions as he may receive from the Chief of the Naval Staff in regard to the conduct of the war and the responsibility for command. Should he receive orders, which he considers are not compatible with his responsibility for the safety of Indian Naval Ships or establishments under his command, he has authority to bring the fact to the notice of the Chief of the Naval Staff through Administrative Authority wherever applicable.
0204. Notification of Exercises. (1) The Administrative Authority or Senior Officer shall take care that the local Army, Air Force, Civil Aviation, port and fishery authorities are informed of any exercises and firing practices, including the laying of obstructions, which he intends to carry out.
(2) Warnings to shipping in general regarding firing, danger areas, and fleet and submarine exercises are promulgated in notices to mariners issued at the beginning of each year. These warnings are adequate for normal practices and exercises; but if the practice or exercise is likely to involve unusual danger to shipping, or interfere to an exceptional degree with traffic on busy routes or with fishing activities, the Administrative Authority or the Senior Officer shall, in Indian waters, issue a special radio warning, and where a notice to mariners is considered necessary, ask the Chief Hydrographer of the Navy to issue one (Request for a notice to mariners should be made at least 21 days in advance); and, in foreign waters issue a radio warning and, if necessary, a local notice to Mariners.
(3) When a special warning is required for a mine-sweeping exercise, the area concerned shall be specified and the duration of the exercise stated. When a dummy mine field is laid and has to be swept, the estimated limits of the area in which the sweepers will have their sweeps out shall also be given. Special warnings shall be issued for all inshore mine-sweeping exercises and when these are carried out within twelve miles of the coast, the fishery authorities of the area shall also be informed.
(4) Seaward Artillery Practices/Proof.
(a) (i) The Carrying out of seaward artillery practices/proof from the coast is authorised in accordance with and subject to the provisions of the Seaward Artillery Practice Act, 1949, (Appendix 2 to Part I) and the rules made there under by the State Governments.
(ii) The Administrative Authority shall ascertain the rules from the State Governments of their area and arrange to keep the information up-to-date.
These shall be reproduced in their local orders.
(b) The Chief of the Naval Staff, the Administrative Authority or the Senior Officer shall apply in writing to the State Government concerned for permission to carry out seaward artillery practices/proof over an area and during hours to be specified in the request.
(c) On receipt of the request together with the requistic information and particulars the State government shall cause to be published a notice of the State Government’s intention to authorise the carrying out of seaward artillery practices/proof over the area referred to in clause (b) of sub regulation (4) by publication in the official gazette, and by publication in some newspaper circulating in the proposed area in the language commonly understood in that area, and also by beat of drums or by means of loud speakers or in any other manner which may be prescribed.
(d) The State Government may, on the expiry of two months from the date of the first publication of the aforesaid notice in the official gazette, authorise the carrying out of the said practices/proof by issuing a notification in the official gazette.
(e) After the State Government has issued the notification authorising the carrying out of the seaward artillery practices/proof such persons as are included in the forces engaged in seaward artillery practices/proof may, within the notified area and during the period or periods specified in the notification:-
(i) Give directions prohibiting or restricting the use of the notified area or any part thereof including the use of any part of the area of the sea by any vessel, and shall take such further measures as may be necessary to ensure that no unauthorised person enters, passes over or remains in the notified area or part thereof, as the case may be, during such practices.
(ii) Carry out seaward artillery practices/proof with lethal missiles.
(f) The officer commanding the forces engaged in the seaward artillery practices/proof may declare any portion of the notified area to be a danger zone, and thereupon represent to the Collector concerned to prohibit the entry into and secure removal from such danger zone of any person, property or vessel during the times when the discharge of lethal missiles is taking place or there is danger to life and property.
(g) The Collector shall thereupon prohibit the entry into and secure, with the assistance of the Naval, Army or Air Force authorities the removal from such danger zone of any person, property or vessel during the times when the discharge of lethal missiles is taking place or there is danger of life or property.
(h) The Administrative Authority or the Senior Officer shall render such advice as the State Government Concerned may seek from him, in connection with framing of rules under the said Act.
Note: - Sub-regulation (4) governs Seaward Artillery Practices/proof from the coast and does not affect exercises at sea by an I.N. ship afloat.
0205. Station Orders. (1) All orders issued by him shall remain in force after he ceases to hold command, until cancelled or modified by any of his successors.
(2) Two copies of every new edition, of all alterations and additions issued, and of any other general orders he may issue shall be sent to the Chief of the Naval Staff. See also regulation 0233 (1) (e).
0206. Relations with Authorities in ports outside India. (1) on arriving at a port outside India he will lose no time in placing himself in communication with the Consular or Diplomatic Representative of India, if any.
(2) He shall pay due regard to requisitions he may receive at a port outside India from India’s Consular or Diplomatic Representatives in foreign countries, which have for their object the protection of the Indian territory, the benefit of the trade of Indian citizens, or the general good of the government of India, it being a general obligation on all civil and military officers to afford mutual assistance to each other in cases affecting the Government of India. In urgent cases, when the requisitions may conflict with the instructions from his superior Naval authority under which he is acting, and when reference by signal or otherwise to such superior authority is impracticable, he shall consider the relative importance and urgency of the required service as compared with his instructions, whether general or special, and he shall decide as in his judgement may seem best for the Government of India; in so doing he shall always bear in mind the grave responsibility that would rest on him if the circumstances were not such as to warrant fully the postponement of the instructions from his Naval superior to the more pressing requisition for assistance. The employment of Naval units in operations on shore is impolitic, and will not be resorted to except on the strongest representations from the consular or Diplomatic Representative of India.
0207. Reporting proceedings. (1) He shall in a letter report the proceedings of the fleet, flotilla or squadron or groups of ships operating independently, under his command; but this report will not supersede the necessity of his writing separate letters on separate subjects.
(2) The letter of proceedings will normally be forwarded monthly to reach the Chief of the Naval Staff as soon as possible after the first of each month. When, however, a cruise or detached service, or a period of exercise overlaps the end of a calendar month, one letter of proceedings may be written to cover the whole period.
Similarly, proceedings during prolonged foreign cruises may conveniently be reported on a geographical basis, i.e. up to the date of leaving port or area than upto the end of the month. In no case shall more than 2 months pass without a letter of proceedings.
(3) All events which require permanent record, and all intelligence which is worthy of notice shall be reported.
(4) Letter of proceedings shall contain such information and shall be in such form as is required by the current orders of the Chief of the Naval Staff.
(5) Questions which require an answer or other action shall be dealt with by signal or separate letter; it may also be more convenient to report some other matters by separate letter. In these cases a brief reference may be required in the letter of proceedings in order that it may present a clear narrative of the period under review.
0208. General Duties. As soon as practicable after assuming command, he shall make himself acquainted with the state and condition and the capabilities of the ships under his orders, and with the manner in which they are officered and manned.
He shall ascertain the skill, capacity, and intelligence of the several Captains, in order that he may make the fittest selection for any particular service. He shall use every exertion to equip his ships expeditiously and keep them ready for service, and if he discovers any defects in their stores and fittings, or in the ship themselves, of such a character as to render them in any way unfit for their destined service, he shall at once inform the Chief of the Naval Staff.
0209.Change or Modification of Armament. (1) Should circumstances arise which make necessary any change in a ships armament, or in her established proportion of arms, without the previous sanction of the Chief of the Naval Staff, the Administrative Authority or the Senior Officer, who wither sanctions or is informed of such change shall immediately report the particulars to the Chief of the Naval Staff;
but no such change shall ever be made unless absolutely necessary for the fighting efficiency or safety of the ship.
(2) No modification of any description shall be made in naval armament stores on board Indian Naval Ships without the special sanction of the Chief of the Naval Staff. The Administrative Authority or the Senior Officer may sanction, modifications which appear to him to be of urgent necessity but a full report shall be made immediately for the information of the Chief of the Naval Staff.
0210. Gun Barrels and Liners, Annual Review of State of Wear. The Administrative Authority or the Senior officer shall review annually in the monthly of March, the state of wear of barrels and liners mounted in I.N. ships under his command, and shall report the state to the Chief of the Naval Staff with such recommendations for the exchange of barrels and/or liners as he may envisage and consider necessary. The exchange will be ordered by the Chief of the Naval Staff taking into consideration the role of each ship and the resources available.
0211. General Arrangements for Supply and Equipment of the Fleet. (1) He is responsible for ascertaining the store requirements of his fleet for all circumstances which may reasonably be anticipated, and for reviewing the arrangements for the supply of these requirements to ensure that they are satisfactory.
(2) Replenishing Stores. In making arrangements for the disposition of the ships under his orders, he will take measures to obviate, so far as practicable, the necessity of their replenishing with stores by local purchases in the open market instead of from Naval sources; when from necessity he authorises local purchases, he will be careful to attend to the regulations under that head, and he will adopt every proper measure to ensure their due observance in the ships under his orders.
(3) Regulation of Supplies. He shall correspond with the Chief of the Naval Staff on matters connected with supplies of stores to ships and vessels under his command when necessary, and report all important or exceptional orders issued by him which may affect the supplies of stores.
0212. Damaged Naval Armament Stores. On receipt of a report from the local General Manager Naval Armament Depot that an y Naval armament stores have been returned in a condition not attributable to normal handling and use, the Administrative Authority or the Senior officer shall order an inv estigation including, if necessary, a survey by officers from ships present.
0213. Servicing Craft. (1) He is responsible for coordinating all matters concerning naval servicing craft and shall keep himself fully apprised of the capabilities and logistic requirements of all such craft required in war.
(2) He shall allocate this duty to an Executive officer on his staff who shall be advised in technical matters concerning naval servicing craft, and assisted in the coordination of the maintenance and repair of fleet servicing craft, by a Senior Engineer officer detailed for the purpose.
0214. Repairs, Defects and Dockings. (1) He is responsible that the regulations for making good defects, carrying out repairs, requirements for large repairs, and docking of ships under his command, are observed.
(2) He shall make arrangements for the periodical docking of Indian Naval Ships to ensure the preservation of the hulls and prevent undue loss of speed.