Question about The Marines/Navy?

Question

when Marines are riding on a Navy ship, does a high ranking Navy official have authority over the Marines and give them orders? or can a Marine Sgt. give orders to a sailor?

Answer 1

The Captain of the ship is the highest ranking navel officer and has the say over everyone. The Navel Officer on Deck is in charge when the Captain is not on board (or sleeping, etc.).

Whatever the rank of the officer or rate of the marine or sailor both services honor one another and respect the position one has achieved. If an officer, or for that matter a higher rated non-com, tells you what to do it's usually just better to do it and question it latter.  If there is a question of authority it is resolved within minutes by an officer of either branch or your own division officer. However, for all practical purposes, it hardly ever comes up.

I was aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (Navy E-4) for two years (1965-66) and in my job worked with marines everyday. There was a Marine Sgt. that was a Medal of Honor winner (Korean War) and believe me, everyone did what he said, no orders, just respect. Never had a problem or saw any instance of rank or rate being a problem on board ship. When you're off the ship on liberty there can be some animosity but that's usually taken care of by either more mature non-coms or the Shore Patrol (ha ha).

There is really nothing to worry about.  

Answer 2

Any outranking person from any branch has authority. The branches my no like it. But there it is!

Answer 3

When a Marine detachment is embarked on a ship, they fall under the ultimate responsibility of the ship's commanding officer. However, they will also have a Marine commanding officer embarked, who will have authority/control over the Marines under his command.

Anyone who is senior & in positional authority can give orders.  So if a Marine Sgt is in the chain of command or has positional authority over a junior enlisted sailor, he/she is considered a legal authority and his orders (if legal) should be followed.

Answer 4

Well the Capt. of a Navy ship has the final say in anything that pertaining to his/her ship. On board there will be a Mardet (Marine Detachment Commander). This officer is looked at as a ships department head and he/she will be under the command of the Navy Skipper of that ship. While marines are embarked they are charged with the protection of weapons and command crew and respond to ship threats along with the Security Dept.

Answer 5

The Marines always give orders. Also if  you wanted to know the Navy's motto its " We look up to the Marines"

Answer 6

The Commanding Officer of the ship is the final authority over all matters related to the operation of the ship.  The Marines will do exactly as he says.

I spent 9 years on amphibious ships and made 5 WestPacific deployments.  I never saw a Maine attempt to give a sailor an order to do anything.  The Marines understand that they don't run the ship and they have no idea what the sailors do.

In my experience the relationship between the Marines and the crew is generally very good.

Answer 7

The marines do not always give orders like the guy up there says, he's just speaking egotisically, and the guy directly above me is correct, no matter what all branches go by the E-1...to higher O-1 to higher rank so meaning an E-6 Navy man can tell an E-3 marine what to do. This goes with any branch. Rank has to be respected, but not liked.

Answer 8

2 hoodz,

The right answer is that each branch follows their chain of command.

If the units are doing a joint operation, then they follow the order of rank regardless of service.

I'm a retired Navy officer (2007) and served with the Marines twice. My commanding officer was always a Marine, but I often had Marines serving under my authority.

A Marine sergeant (E5) can give orders to a sailor E4 and below if the sailor is placed under the sergeant's authority.

"Ranger"

Answer 9

Depends on the positional authority.  A Marine officer may have a command position of an assault force, commanding both ships and Marines.  Though I have never heard of an amphibious group being under the command of anyone other than a Navy admiral.

However, on an aircraft carrier, the Marine detachments fall under the command authority of the ship's captain.  Marine air detachments on carriers fall under the authority of the carrier air group commander (CAG), which is a Navy officer.