French Navy - 1896 - Officers
The personnel provided for in the estimates of 1896, including workmen at the dockyards, numbered 95,000 men. The officer personnel of the French Navy were so numerous that it is impossible to give even the nomenclature of the different corps of which it is composed ; the general title of officer had been given to a mass of functionaries and officials whose duties are quite subordinate and whose number was excessive. Of officers who serve afloat, in the first place came the corps of executive officers, also called officiers de vaisseau, to distinguish them from the other officers under the Department.
These rank as follows : -
Vice-Admiral.
Bear- Admiral.
Post-Captain (capitaine de vaitieau).
Commander (capitaine defre'gate).
Lieutenant, 1st class.
Lieutenant, 2nd class.
Snb-Lieutenant (eweigne de vaitseau).
Midshipman, 1st class (aspirant).
Midshipman, 2nd class.
The second-class midshipman was a boy who had passed two years at the Naval College, to which no one was admitted except by competitive examination. After leaving the college he was called second-class midshipman, and embarked for a year in a training ship, at the conclusion of which he became a first-class midshipman if he passed his examinations. The first-class midshipman must serve two years afloat before being promoted to the rank of sub-lieutenant. Entering the Naval College at the average age of 17 to 18, he became a sublieutenant at 22 to 23 years of age. Two-thirds were promoted to the rank of lieutenant by seniority, one-third by selection after at least two years' service afloat. The chief petty officers {premiers maitres) of the Navy may be promoted to the rank of sub-lieutenant after an examination. In principle a third of the vacancies are reserved for them, but many of those who could aspire to the rank prefer to continue their career in their own special line, especially since their prospects have been improved.
In order to become a commander, a lieutenant must have served two years afloat and four years altogether in the rank. Half the promotions are made by seniority, the other half by selection. Above the rank of commander all promotions are made by selection. To become a post-captain an officer must have three years' sea service as a commander, one year of which in command of a ship, or he must have served four years in the rank, two being afloat, and have held a command for two years since he was promoted from the rank of lieutenant The conditions for promotion to the rank of rear-admiral were three years' service afloat in command of a ship or as chief of the staff of a squadron, or four years in the rank, two of which in command of a division of three ships. Rear-admirals, to become vice-admirals, must have commanded for two years at sea either an independent naval division or a division of a squadron. By a singular anomaly the numbers borne on the admirals' list are fixed by the regulations, but the numbers borne in other ranks can be varied from year to year by the Navy Estimates.
As of 1896 the numbers borne were as follows : -
15 Vice- Admirals.
30 Rear- Admirals.
115 Captains.
215 Commanders.
360 Lieutenants, 1st class.
360 Lieutenants,. 2nd class.
520 Sub-Lieutenants.
172 Midshipmen, 1st class.
80 Midshipmen, 2nd class.
A new set of regulations, fixing the numbers borne in each rank New and modifying the composition of the lists, as well as the conditions of promotion and retirement, had been submitted for the approval of Parliament, but had to wait a long time its turn for discussion. Among other interesting modifications, the age for retirement is lowered for every rank, except for vice-admirals. At present the latter retire from active service at 65, rear-admirals at 62, captains at 60, commanders at 58, lieutenants at 55, and sub-lieutenants at 53. 1336 officers should, according to the estimates, be serving afloat in 1896.
Turning to the other corps of the Navy, the engineers of the fleet, who must not be confounded with the engineers of naval construction (naval constructors). The engineers are, afloat, the principal assistants of the executive officers. The corps comprised 301 officers, viz. : 1 inspector-general of machinery, who ranked as a flag-officer but after the rear-admirals ; 6 inspectors of machinery, who rank with captains ; 18 engineers-in-chief, who ranked with lieutenant commanders ; 94 first-class engineers, who rank with lieutenants; and 182 second-class engineers, who ranked with sub-lieutenants. The engineer-officers are all drawn from the petty officers' list (maistrancc), and have passed through the lower ranks. Many of them, and those the best, were old pupils of the schools of 'Arts et Metiers.' Some had been at the boys' training school (Ecole des Mousses).
The Genie Maritime furnished the most renowned constructors of the French Marine : Dupuy de Lome amongst others. All the constructors who were at the head of the great industrial establishments of France served in the corps. The officers of the corps of Naval constructors (Genie Maritime) numbered 145. They had charge of naval construction generally, and of the erection of propelling machinery. All were pupils of the Polytechnic school. The highest post was that of inspector-general, who ranked with a rear-admiral. He resided in Paris ; but every year had to inspect the dockyards and other naval establishments. At the naval ports the constructors were placed under the orders of a director of naval construction, with the rank of flag-officer, and were divided into four sections : (1) Assistants to the director ; (2) New construction and fitting out of new ships ; (3) Repairs and refits ; (4) Steam- engines.
The French Navy was so organised that the corps of engineers had but little to do with the machinery of new shipbuilding, or with important repairs or replacing of engines. The responsibility for these rested with the naval constructor - a very defective system. The naval constructors rarely go afloat, seven only being told off for sea service. The remainder made short stays on board ships which were going through their trials.
After leaving the Polytechnic school the young men who have chosen this career pass two years in Paris at the School of Naval Construction as constructor-students. They are then promoted to be assistant constructors of the third-class, a rank .equivalent to that of sub-lieutenant. They rose pretty rapidly in the corps to the rank of first-class constructor, which was equivalent to that of captain. A few obtain the post of director, but there was only one inspector-general of naval construction.
The medical service, afloat and ashore, was performed by 400 doctors, who were ranked as officers and were graded. Forty-three chemists, who also ranked as officers, were attached to the hospitals, and carried out all the chemical analyses which affect the Navy. The supply services, afloat and ashore, are carried out by 368 officers of the commissariat, 100 of whom served afloat. The commissariat department of the Navy had very extensive duties in the dockyards. It administers accounts, stores, provisions, pay, etc. At the commercial ports, and in every center of any maritime importance it kept the lists of the crews of merchant ships, looked after the Inscription Maritime, etc. It had a mass of officials of all sorts under its orders. As a service it was admitted to possess great qualities; but it was reproached, not without reason, with having endowed French Naval administration with a very complicated system of responsibility, which locked up the services of a large number of employes.
Besides these it is proper to refer to the Marine Artillery, whose duties, at once colonial, maritime, and military, had no connection with one another. Thus the officers of the corps train and command troops who never serve on board a ship of war, of whom the minister for the colonies had the disposal in the French over-sea possessions, and the minister of war in case of mobilisation. In relation to the Navy, these officers had charge of the technical and other services connected with naval ordnance, and of the armament of certain batteries on the coast, and in the neighbourhood of the dockyards. They were also the managers of large workshops, and were represented in the dockyards by officers attached to the artillery administration. By a curious anomaly they served on shore guns which were constructed by the minister of war, and themselves construct the guns which were manned by sailors and worked under naval officers. Finally, the officers of marine artillery were transferred from regimental and colonial duties, to technical duties, and in each sphere they were obliged to serve for a period in the colonies. Such an organisation was anti-scientific and unbusinesslike, and will disappear when the colonial army shall have been organised on a logical basis. The marine artillery will then become simply a corps of constructors of ordnance. The 'Infanterie de Marine' force was not employed on board ship. It was trained by the Navy for service in the colonies.
The engineers of hydraulic works belong to the Roads and Bridges Hydraulic department, but are detached for service with the Navy. Among their duties were included the construction and maintenance of graving-docks, jetties, basins, and of all buildings and workshops in the dockyards. They were fifteen in number, and have fifty clerks of the works under their orders. The engineers were civilians. France also possessed a small corps of fifteen hydrographical engineers, who are generally employed at Paris at the charts' and plans' office. For the purpose of instructing the captains of merchant ships, seventeen professors of hydrography are maintained, some of whom are attached" to the Naval School.
Finally, there is a small corps employed at Paris and in the dockyards, that of Inspectors of Administration. It is composed of twenty-six officials, who correspond directly with the Minister, and whose principal duties are to supervise every act of administration and to see to the carrying out of the regulations. There is no feature of interest in the very secondary corps who serve in the dockyards, and whose strength was considerable.
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