Acting Captain, (United Stars)

Acting Captain

More common as it was in the distant past of wet keel (ocean bound) navies as Union ships can and will operate far beyond communicaton range and often too distant to head to the next port. If a Command Officer (Captain) becomes incapacitated in an accident, due to physical injury and death) the next officer in the chain of Command becomes automatically the CO and is Acting Captain. If, due to hostile activity, accident, abduction (mental or physical) more than one officer is in capacitated,the Chain of Command is followed. That means even the lowest Ensign of Environmental Control could technically become the Acting Captain if all other Officers have perished or are otherwise incapacitated.

Should no Officer be available, a Senior NCO can become Acting Captain.

Command Chain - Exhausted - Union Protocol

A Union Ship automatically ejects the Log Book, purges all Data banks and destroys all weaponry if no command capable personnel is left. All classified systems melt down/ self destruct - A delay of 5 Minutes is given to all remaining personnel to find escape pods and then the Ship will self destruct completely.

Alternatively a Captain can designate any one capable of Command according to the laws and conditions set forth by the United Stars Navy Command and its law giving body the United Stars Assembly, as Acting Captain if he or she feels she can no longer perform these duties. ( A  Captain designating someone else Acting Captain over his or her own Ship permanently looses Command privileges until a higher Command Authority with the right to commission command officers, reinstates him or her.

(For Example Eric tells Har Hi : If I am not back within the Hour you are in charge)  That means Eric makes Har Hi effectively Acting Captain and if Eric returns 1 minute to late, Har Hi is acting Captain until they can return to Union space and one of the Admirals or an official Hearing determines if Eric is still capable of leading a ship as CO....of course we know that Har Hi would never do that...but technically this is how it works)

If a Captain is mentally incapable of Command, or  acts against  the laws and conditions set forth by the United Stars Navy Command and its law giving body the United Stars Assembly  (Documented in United Stars Regulation 0001 - United Stars Command Officers - Star Ship Captain ) he or she can be removed by decision of the XO and two Senior Level Officers (usually XO, CMO, ENG). These three Officers must elect a new Acting CO from within the Crew and it can be neither of them.

Regulation 0001 - Section 12 : Any Union Ship whereupon the Commanding Officer was relieved of duties by uniform decision of three Senior Officers must immediately and without exception reverse course and seek to travel as fast as safely possible back to Union Space. All other missions or orders are immediately void. Once in communication range, contact with Fleet Command must be made. Failing to act upon Section 12 makes the Officers and crew guilty of Mutiny. (Only three cases of Mutiny have been recorded in Union Fleet history...Several  cases of Captains removed from duty (and all justified) are known and recorded in the Hall of Shame underneath Annapolis Tower)

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Notable Incidents:

Captain - Cheops Ganymedes (Barbossa) Elevated Lt. Dante Vento to Acting Captain after sustaining life threatening wounds and was admitted to Med Stasis.

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acting captain can not be relived of duty by the original ship captain, but only by the proper higher authority Of Union Fleet Command.

( captains from other ships are NOT proper higher authority and cannot relive an acting captain.

Exceptions : the captains of USS Devastator and USS Dominator are usually are proper higher authority.(As both Captains are Captain by Duty but Admirals of Rank and both Captains are also members of Fleet Command)

Admiral Stahl is famous for making Midshipman acting captains to test them. among them : Captain Harris, Captain Zezz, Admiral Webb Stokes and Eric Olafson.

Eric Olafson was the Acting Captain of the USS Tigershark for her first voyage. his rank was made permanent (in a special procedure. without commend school) in the end of the first voyage.