View source for Bureau of Navigation

The '''Bureau of Navigation''' (abbreviated '''BuNav''') was the [[United States Navy]] bureau responsible for personnel issues as well as the actual issuance of orders.  In 1942, it would be renamed as the '''Bureau of Naval Personnel''' (BuPers).

==History==
===Creation===
The Bureau of Navigation's non-intuitive name is a reflection of its origins.  The Bureau was established on 5 July, 1862 by act of Congress alongside the [[Bureau of Steam Engineering]] and the [[Bureau of Construction and Repair]].<ref>12 Stat. 510</ref>  Initially BuNav was to oversee the production and distribution of nautical charts and navigation instruments, and the administration of the [[United States Naval Academy|Naval Academy]], Naval Observatory, and the Hydrographic and Nautical Almanac Offices.  In 1865 the Office of Detail, in charge of officer assignments, was placed under its control.  

===1893===
<blockquote>1. The duties of the Bureau of Navigation shall comprise the promulgation, record, and enforcement of the orders of the Secretary to the fleet and to the officers of the Navy, except such orders as pertain to the office of the Secretary; all that relates to the education of officers and men, including the Naval Academy and technical schools for officers (except the War College and Torpedo School), the Apprentice Establishment, and schools for the technical education of enlisted men; to the enlistment and discharge of all enlisted persons, and to the preparation of estimates for the pay of all officers and enlisted men.

2. It shall have under its direction all rendezvous and receiving ships and provide transportation for all enlisted persons.

3. It shall establish the complement of all ships in commission.

4. It shall keep the records of service of all squadrons, ships, officers, and men, and prepare an annual Navy Register for publication.

5. It shall have under its control the Hydrographic Office, the collection of foreign surveys, publication and supply of charts, sailing directions, and nautical works, and the dissemination of nautical and hydrographical information to the Navy and Mercantile Marine.

6. It shall be charged with the preparation, revision, and enforcement of all tactics, drill books, signal codes, cipher codes, and regulations governing uniform and service afloat, and with the distribution of all orders, circulars, and regulations.

7. Questions of naval discipline, arising in the service, will be submitted by this bureau for the action of the Secretary.

8. All orders governing the movements of vessels, other than those issued by officers exercising command afloat or at shore stations, within the limits of their respective commands, will be signed by the Secretary and recorded in this bureau.

9. It shall receive and bring to the attention of the Secretary of the Navy all applications from officers for duty or change of duty.

10. It shall receive all reports of service performed by ships, officers, or men, and all inspections of ships not of a special nature, also reports of all drills and exercises.

11. In order to prevent conflicting instructions, all official communications to ships in commission shall first be submitted to the Secretary of the Navy, and forwarded through this bureau.

12. Commanding officers will keep this bureau fully and promptly informed of any circumstances affecting the readiness of their ships for immediate service.{{USNavyRegs1893|p. 2}}</blockquote>

===1896===
<blockquote>(1) The duties of the Bureau of Navigation shall comprise the promulgation, record, and enforcement of the orders of the Secretary to the fleet and to the officers of the Navy, except such orders as pertain to the office of the Secretary; all that relates to the education of officers and men, including the Naval Academy and technical schools for officers (except the war college and torpedo school), the apprentice establishment, and schools for the technical education of enlisted men; to the enlistment and discharge of all enlisted persons, and to the preparation of estimates for the pay of all officers and enlisted men.

(2) It shall have under its direction all rendezvous and receiving ships, and provide transportation for all enlisted persons.

(3) It shall establish the complement of all ships in commission.

(4) It shall keep the records of service of all squadrons, ships, officers, and men, and prepare an annual navy register for publication.

(5) It shall have under its control the Hydrographic Office, the collection of foreign surveys, publication and supply of charts, sailing directions, and nautical works, and the dissemination of nautical and hydrographical information to the Navy and mercantile marine.

(6) It shall be charged with the preparation, revision, and enforcement of all tactics, drill books, signal codes, cipher codes, and regulations governing uniform and service afloat, and with the distribution of all orders, circulars, and regulations.

(7) Questions of naval discipline arising in the service will be submitted by this bureau for the action of the Secretary.

(8) All orders governing the movements of vessels, other than those issued by officers exercising command afloat or at shore stations, within the limits of their respective commands, will be signed by the Secretary and recorded in this bureau.

(9) It shall receive and bring to the attention of the Secretary of the Navy all applications from officers for duty or change of duty.

(10) It shall receive all reports of service performed by ships, officers, or men. and all inspections of ships not of a special nature: also reports of all drills and exercises.

(11) In order to prevent conflicting instructions, and that a proper record may be kept of the readiness of vessels for service, all official communications between the Navy Department and its offices and ships in commission for sea service, which refer to the movements of ships, to their condition, to their repairs, to their availability for sea service, and to their personnel, shall be forwarded through this Bureau.{{USNavyRegs1896|p. 11}}</blockquote>

===1900===
<blockquote>(1) The duties of the Bureau of Navigation shall comprise the promulgation, record, and enforcement of the orders of the Secretary to the fleet and to the officers of the Navy, except such orders as pertain to the office of the Secretary; all that relates to the education of officers and men, including the Naval Academy and technical schools for officers (except the war college), the apprentice establishment, schools for the technical education of enlisted men, and to the supervision and control of the Naval Home at Philadelphia, Pa., to the enlistment and discharge of all enlisted persons, and to the preparation of estimates for the pay of all officers and enlisted men.

(2) It shall have under its direction all rendezvous and receiving ships, and provide transportation for all enlisted persons, except as provided in article 1584.

(3) It shall establish the complement of all ships in commission.

(4) It shall keep the records of service of all squadrons, ships, officers, and men, and prepare an annual navy register for publication.

(5) It shall be charged with the preparation, revision, and enforcement of all tactics, drill books, signal codes, cipher codes, and regulations governing uniform and service afloat, and with the distribution of all orders, circulars, and regulations.

(6) Questions of naval discipline arising in the service will be submitted by this Bureau for the action of the Secretary. 

(7) All orders governing the movement of vessels, other than those issued by officers exercising command afloat or at shore stations, within the limits of their respective commands, will be signed by the Secretary and recorded in this Bureau.

(8) It shall receive and bring to the attention of the Secretary of the Navy all applications from officers for duty or change of duty.

(9) It shall receive all reports of service performed by ships, officers, or men, and all inspections of ships not of a special nature; also reports of all drills and exercises.

(10) In order to prevent conflicting instructions, and that a proper record may be kept of the readiness of all vessels for service, all official communications from the Navy Department and its offices and bureaus to ships in commission for sea service, which refer to the movements of ships, to their condition, to their repairs, to their availability for sea service, and to their personnel, shall be forwarded through this Bureau.{{USNavyRegs1900|p. 13-14}}</blockquote>

===1905===
<blockquote>(1) The duties of the Bureau of Navigation shall comprise the promulgation, record, and enforcement of the orders of the Secretary to the fleet and to the officers of the Navy, except such orders as pertain to the office of the Secretary; all that relates to the education of officers and men, including the Naval Academy, the Naval War College, and technical schools for officers, the apprentice seaman establishment, schools for the technical education of enlisted men, and to the supervision and control of the Naval Home at Philadelphia, Pa., to the enlistment and discharge of all enlisted persons, and to the preparation of estimates for the pay of all officers and enlisted men.

(2) It shall have under its direction all rendezvous and receiving ships, and provide transportation for all enlisted persons, except as provided in article 1584.

(3) It shall establish the complement of all ships in commission.

(4) It shall keep the records of service of all squadrons, ships, officers, and men, and prepare an annual navy register for publication.

(5) It shall be charged with the preparation, revision, and enforcement of all tactics, drill books, signal codes, cipher codes, and regulations governing uniform and service afloat, and with the distribution of all general orders, special orders, and regulations.

(6) Questions of naval discipline arising in the service will be submitted by this Bureau for the action of the Secretary.

(7) All orders governing the movement of vessels, other than those issued by officers exercising command afloat or at shore stations, within the limits of their respective commands, will be signed by the Secretary and recorded in this Bureau.

(8) It shall receive and bring to the attention of the Secretary of the Navy all applications from officers for duty or change of duty.

(9) It shall receive all reports of service performed by ships, officers, or men, and all inspections of ships not of a special nature; also reports of all drills and exercises.

(10) In order to prevent conflicting instructions, and that a proper record may lie kept of the readiness of all vessels for service, all official communications from the Navy Department and its offices and bureaus to ships in commission for sea service, which refer to the movements of ships, to their condition, to their repairs, to their avail ability for sea service, and to their personnel, shall be forwarded through this Bureau. (See article 1656.){{USNavyRegs1905|p. 14}}</blockquote>

===1909===
<blockquote>(1) The duties of the Bureau of Navigation shall comprise the promulgation, record, and enforcement of the orders of the Secretary to the fleet and to the officers of the Navy, except such orders as pertain to the office of the Secretary: all that relates to the education of officers and men, including the Naval Academy, the Naval War College, and technical schools for officers, the apprentice seaman establishment, schools for the technical education of enlisted men. and to the supervision and control of the Naval Home at Philadelphia. Pa., Nautical Almanac and Compass Offices, to the enlistment and discharge of all enlisted persons, and to the preparation of estimates for the pay of all officers and enlisted men.

(2) It shall have under its direction all rendezvous and receiving ships, and provide transportation for all enlisted persons under its cognizance.

(3) It shall establish the complement of all ships in commission.

(4) It shall keep the records of service of all fleets, squadrons, ships, officers, and men, and prepare an annual navy register for publication.

(5) It shall be charged with the preparation, revision, and enforcement of all tactics, drill books, signal codes, cipher codes, and regulations governing uniform and service alloat, and with the distribution of all general orders, special orders, and regulations.

(6) Questions of naval discipline arising in the service will be submitted by this bureau for the action of the Secretary.

(7) All orders governing the movement of vessels, other than those issued by officers exercising command afloat or at shore stations, within the limits of their respective commands, will be signed by the Secretary and recorded in this bureau.

(8) It shall receive and bring to the attention of the Secretary of the Navy all applications from officers for duty or change of duty.

(9) It shall receive all reports of service performed by ships, officers, or men, and all inspections of ships not of a special nature; also reports of all drills and exercises.

(10) In order to prevent conflict in instructions, and that a proper record may be kept of the readiness of all vessels for service, all official communications from the Navy Department and its offices and bureaus to ships in commission for sea service, which refer to the movements of ships, to their condition, to their repairs, to their availability for sea service, and to their personnel, shall be forwarded through this bureau, except that when the Department has set a date for the completion of repairs to a vessel at a navy yard, subsequent requests for repairs whose time of completion will fall within the date fixed as above, shall, in general, be forwarded by the commandant direct to the bureaus concerned. (Art. 1500.)

(11) It shall be charged with the transportation, storage, and handling of coal and water used for all purposes on board naval vessels, and with the control of naval coal depots and coaling stations.{{USNavyRegs1909|p. 13}}</blockquote>

===1913===
<blockquote>(1) The duties of the Bureau of Navigation shall comprise the issue, record, and enforcement of the orders of the Secretary to the individual officers of the Navy; the training and education of line officers and of enlisted men (except of the Hospital Corps) at schools and stations and in vessels maintained for that purpose; the upkeep and operation of the Naval Academy, of technical schools for line officers, of the apprentice-seaman establishments, of schools for the technical education of enlisted men, and of the Naval Home at Philadelphia, Pa.; the upkeep and the payment of the operating expenses of the Naval War College; the enlistment, assignment to duty, and discharge of all enlisted persons; it shall have under its direction the [[Division of Naval Militia Affairs]], the National Naval Volunteers, and the Naval Reserve Forces, and shall provide for the mobilization of all these reserves.

(2) It shall have under its direction all rendezvous and receiving ships, and shall provide transportation for all enlisted persons under its cognizance.

(3) It shall establish the complements of all ships in commission.

(4) It shall keep the records of service of all officers and men, and shall prepare an annual Navy register for publication, embodying therein data as to fleets, squadrons, and ships which shall be furnished by the Chief of Naval Operations. To the end that it may be able to carry out the provisions of this paragraph, all communications to or from ships in commission relating to the personnel of such ships shall be forwarded through this bureau, whatever their origin.

(5) It shall be charged with all matters pertaining to application for appointments and commissions in the Navy and with the preparation of such appointments and commissions for signature.

(6) It shall be charged with the preparation, revision, and enforcement of all regulations governing uniform, and with the distribution of all orders and regulations of a general or circular character.{{USNavyRegs1913|pp. 16R-16R1}}</blockquote>

==Chiefs of Bureau==
Dates of appointment given:

<div name=fredbot:officeChief otitle="Chief of the Bureau of Navigation" nat="US">
{{Tenure|rank={{CdreUS}}|name=James Alden, Jr.|nick=James Alden, Jr.|appt=April, 1869|end=1871{{USOfficerReg1872|p. 8}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CdreUS}}|name=Daniel Ammen|nick=Daniel Ammen|appt=1 October, 1871{{USOfficerReg1872|p. 8}}|end=11 June, 1878{{USOfficerReg1879|p. 8}}{{INF}}|precBy=James Alden}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CdreUS}}|name=William Danforth Whiting|nick=William D. Whiting|appt=11 June, 1878{{USOfficerReg1879|p. 8}}|end=22 October, 1881{{USOfficerReg1882|p. 9}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptUS}}|name=John Grimes Walker|nick=John G. Walker|appt=22 October, 1881{{USOfficerReg1882|p. 9}}|end=1 November, 1889{{USOfficerReg1890|p. 4}}{{INF}}|note=with relative rank of {{CdreUS}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CdreUS}}|name=Francis Munroe Ramsay|nick=Francis M. Ramsay|appt=1 November, 1889{{USOfficerReg1890|p. 4}}|end=8 April, 1897{{USOfficerReg1900|p. 8}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=Arent Schuyler Crowninshield|nick=Arent S. Crowninshield|appt=8 April, 1897{{USOfficerReg1900|p. 8}}|end=29 April, 1902{{USOfficerReg1904|p. 6}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=Henry Clay Taylor|nick=Henry C. Taylor|appt=29 April, 1902{{USOfficerReg1904|p. 6}}|end=1 August, 1904{{USOfficerReg1906|p. 6}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=George Albert Converse|nick=George A. Converse|appt=1 August, 1904{{USOfficerReg1906|p. 6}}|end=May 1907}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=Willard Herbert Brownson|nick=Willard H. Brownson|appt=May 1907|end=14 January, 1908{{USOfficerReg1908|p. 8}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=John Elliott Pillsbury|nick=John E. Pillsbury|appt=14 January, 1908{{USOfficerReg1908|p. 8}}|end=July 1909}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=William Parker Potter|nick=William P. Potter|appt=July 1909|end=1 December, 1909{{USOfficerReg1911|p. 8}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptUS}}|name=Reginald Fairfax Nicholson|nick=Reginald F. Nicholson|appt=1 December, 1909{{USOfficerReg1911|p. 8}}|end=1 January, 1912{{USOfficerReg1912|p. 14}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=Philip Andrews|nick=Philip Andrews|appt=1 January, 1912{{USOfficerReg1912|p. 14}}|end=26 March, 1913{{USOfficerReg1913|p. 14}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptUS}}|name=Victor Blue|nick=Victor Blue|appt=26 March, 1913{{USOfficerReg1915|p. 12}}|end=7 August, 1916{{USOfficerReg1917|p. 16}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommUS}}|name=Leigh Carlyle Palmer|nick=Leigh C. Palmer|appt=7 August, 1916{{USOfficerReg1917|p. 16}}|end=12 November, 1918{{USOfficerReg1918|pp. 16-17}}{{USOfficerReg1919|pp. 14-15, 18-19}}{{INF}}|note=with rank of {{RearUS}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=Victor Blue|nick=Victor Blue|appt=12 November, 1918{{USOfficerReg1919|pp. 14-15, 18-19}}{{INF}}|end=10 August, 1919{{USOfficerReg1920|pp. 10-11}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=Thomas Washington|nick=Thomas Washington|appt=10 August, 1919{{USOfficerReg1920|pp. 10-11}}|end=24 July, 1923{{USOfficerReg1924|pp. 10-11}}{{INF}}|note=also Judge Advocate General of the Navy}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=Andrew Theodore Long|nick=Andrew T. Long|appt=24 July, 1923{{USOfficerReg1924|pp. 10-11}}|end=7 June, 1924{{USOfficerReg1925|pp. 10-11}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=William Rawle Shoemaker|nick=William R. Shoemaker|appt=7 June, 1924{{USOfficerReg1924|pp. 10-11}}|end=10 February, 1927{{USOfficerReg1928|pp. 10-11}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=Richard Henry Leigh|nick=Richard H. Leigh|appt=10 February, 1927{{USOfficerReg1928|pp. 10-11}}|end=24 May, 1930{{USOfficerReg1932|pp. 14-15}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=Frank Brooks Upham|nick=Frank B. Upham|appt=24 May, 1930{{USOfficerReg1932|pp. 14-15}}|end=1 July, 1933{{USOfficerReg1934|pp. 14-15}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=William Daniel Leahy|nick=William D. Leahy|appt=1 July, 1933{{USOfficerReg1934|pp. 14-15}}|end=30 June, 1935{{USOfficerReg1936-2|pp. 16-17}}{{INF}}}}
{{Tenure|rank={{RearUS}}|name=Adolphus Andrews|nick=Adolphus Andrews|appt=30 June, 1935{{USOfficerReg1935|pp. 5-16}}|end=11 June, 1938}}
</div name=fredbot:officeChief>

==See Also==
{{refbegin}}
{{WP|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_Navigation_(United_States_Navy)}}
{{refend}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
<div name=fredbot:bib>
* {{USNavyRegs1893}}
* {{USNavyRegs1896}}
* {{USNavyRegs1900}}
* {{USNavyRegs1905}}
* {{USNavyRegs1909}}
* {{USNavyRegs1913}}
</div name=fredbot:bib>
{{refend}}

[[Category:Pages with Offices]]