Ship's organization and the Second

A ship's organization is the chain of people who answer for the ship, from the captain through the Second and the department heads to the hands. The Second is the officer who stands next to the captain and asks for a decision when two officers disagree.

35 numbers, 2 with an outside source

A0 numbers at grade A
B0 numbers at grade B
C0 numbers at grade C
D2 numbers at grade D
E33 numbers at grade E

Functionality

4 topics

Departments

There are nine departments: Engineering, Damage Control, Medical, Supply, Gunnery, Deck, Communications, Navigation and Operations.
Put a specialist in one and you get a real bonus, such as a faster reactor recharge or better hail odds.
The DEPARTMENTS screen in the Captain's Quarters shows them all.
An empty department runs on automation, so leaving one empty is never a penalty.

The bridge

[1] to [4] | the helm, weapons, sensors and engineering stations, each with its own orders.
[7] | the drone station, on a hull with a drone bay.
[0] | the observer, who watches each contact.
[5] | the standing orders. [6] | the wing.
[8] [9] | step through the hostiles and the wing.
[V] | the camera. [I] | every instrument.
[M] | the ways out of the fight.
ENTER | pauses the clock or runs it.
[T] | its speed: real time, faster or fastest.
[N] | skips to the next call from the crew.

The Second asks

Each station is manned by its department, at that department's skill.
When two officers want things that cannot both happen, the clock stops and the Second asks you.
Each officer states an order and its cost, and the Second recommends one.
[O] | sets each kind of question to act and report, or to ask you first.
A hull with a complement under 10 hands has no Second, so the bridge asks.
The Second flies by your nerve, from the STANDING ORDERS screen.
Once a fight, the Second hands the ship back if the crew breaks off or the ship cannot answer.
Then you surrender, try to run, or give it back.

Standing orders

The standing orders on [5] are what the crew does without asking you.
FIRE RULE | at will in reach, in the kill zone only, or held.
DODGE | weave, sidestep, every called round, or hold course.
SPARE SINKS | when the crew swaps a cold sink into a hot gun.
TARGET | the contact the crew works now.
NEXT TARGET | the weakest, the nearest, the heaviest guns, or the one shooting at us.
KEEL GUN | the glossary explains its three orders.
PROCEDURES | eight kinds of question, each acted on or asked first.

Values

35 numbers: 2 D, 33 E

Each value is read from the game code. Sort by any column heading, or filter by grade or by a word.

Numbers the game runs for ship's organization and the second
Quantity	Value	Grade	Source	Why this value
The nine departments	Engineering, Damage Control, Medical, Supply, Gunnery, Deck, Communications, Navigation, Operations names	DAnalogy	Standard Organization and Regulations of the U.S. Navy (SORM), Sections 3.5, 3.11, 3.14, 3.14.1, 3.15, 3.16, 3.17, 3.18, 3.22 and 3.23	SORM names department heads for communications, engineering, deck, medical, navigation, operations, supply and weapons. The game adds Damage Control, which SORM places under engineering.
Competence a leased navy hull's crew reads as in every department	70 competence	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen so a leased navy crew reads as professional but not exceptional, the same as the Veteran hire tier. No source gives a competence scale.
Hands a hull needs before it has a Second	10 hands	EAuthored	Atomic Rockets, crew, Command	Chosen by coldweld. The mirror says only that a large enough crew has a first officer, and gives no number of hands. The sources are silent on this figure.
How often each skill tier of Second sums up, how many reports fit in a line, and whether it warns early	rookie period 12, items 2, carries False, early False, seasoned period 8, items 3, carries True, early True, veteran period 5, items 4, carries True, early True seconds, items, flags	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen for play: a better Second sums up more often, carries more in a line and warns early. No source gives report timing.
Seconds the Second must be quiet before a line opens with Captain	30 s	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen so the Second does not talk over itself: a quiet spell must pass before it opens a line with the captain's title.
Seconds before the Second repeats the same words about the same thing	90 s	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen so the Second does not repeat the same words about the same thing within a set delay.
The four bridge stations	sensors, weapons, helm, engineering names	EAuthored	Atomic Rockets, crew, Eldraeverse Command Roster	Chosen as four posts for a fight. The mirror's command rosters list sensor, tactical, helm and engineering posts among others, but they are fiction and give no count.
The department that mans each bridge post	sensors Operations, weapons Gunnery, helm Navigation, engineering Engineering, observer Operations, xo Communications department	EAuthored	Standard Organization and Regulations of the U.S. Navy (SORM), 3.11; Where the source is silent	Chosen so each post reads the department whose work it matches. SORM gives exterior communications to the communications officer, not to the executive officer.
Competence floors for veteran and seasoned officers	80, veteran, 60, seasoned competence, tier	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen so the three hire tiers fall into the three officer skill levels. No source gives a competence scale.
The captain's nerve and the Second's temperament it sets	Cold cautious, Steady cunning, Reckless reckless temperament	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen because the captain's nerve trait is the one standing order the Second can read, so it sets the Second's temperament.
Standing order choices: fire rule	in reach, kill zone, hold rules	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen from coldweld's play: fire across the whole reach by default, and keep the kill zone as a choice that saves ammunition.
Standing order choices: dodge rule	weave, sidestep, called, hold rules	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen from a lost fight where a stream of rounds kept the helm from dodging. Each rule trades heat or water for evasion.
Standing order choices: next target	weakest, nearest, heaviest guns, shooting at us rules	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen as four rules for the crew's next target. No source lists them.
Standing order choices: keel gun	cold, stand, never rules	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen by coldweld: laying the bow on a target gives up the dodge, so the captain decides when the crew may do it.
Command grade of the ship's own berth, by hands aboard (up to this many hands)	merchant 3, L-1, 8, L-2, 30, L-3, None, L-4, naval 3, O-1, 8, O-2, 20, O-3, 60, O-4, 200, O-5, None, O-6 hands, grade	EAuthored	Standard Organization and Regulations of the U.S. Navy (SORM), Where the source is silent (A paygrade for any billet)	Chosen so the berth's seniority rises with headcount. SORM gives no grade for any billet, and the STCW volume gives no number of hands. The sources are silent on this figure.
Merchant grade of each hire tier	Rookie R-2, Veteran R-4, Ace L-1 grade	EAuthored	Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation: STCW, MET, Human Resources and Crew Manning, PDF pages 145 and 146; Where the source is silent	Chosen so each hire tier reads as a rung on the merchant ladder. The STCW volume names a deck line and ratings below it, but no unlicensed ladder of hands. The sources are silent on this figure.
Merchant grade of each Commander tier	Rookie L-2, Veteran L-3, Ace L-4 grade	EAuthored	Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation: STCW, MET, Human Resources and Crew Manning, PDF pages 145 and 146; Where the source is silent	Chosen so each Commander tier reads as an officer rung. The STCW volume gives the deck line, but no rule that ties a hire tier to a rung. The sources are silent on this figure.
Navy head and rating of each department, with their grades	Operations Lieutenant, O-3, Ensign, O-1, Gunnery Gunnery Chief, E-7, Petty Officer, E-5, Engineering Chief Engineer, O-3, Machinist's Mate, E-4, Deck Boatswain, E-7, Spacer, E-3, Damage Control Damage Control Assistant, O-1, Damage Controlman, E-4, Medical Medical Officer, O-4, Corpsman, E-4, Supply Supply Officer, O-2, Storekeeper, E-4, Communications Communications Officer, O-2, Signalman, E-4, Navigation Navigator, O-3, Quartermaster's Mate, E-5 title, grade	EAuthored	Standard Organization and Regulations of the U.S. Navy (SORM), Sections 3.11, 3.14.1, 3.15, 3.16, 3.17, 3.22; Where the source is silent	The head titles come from SORM, but SORM gives no paygrade for any billet, so every grade in the table is chosen. The sources are silent on this figure.
Pay raise for a promotion	1.2 times	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen so a promotion is a decision: a permanently higher wage costs morale. No source gives a promotion raise.
Morale cost of a promotion	10 morale points	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen so a promotion is a decision: a permanently higher wage costs morale. No source gives a morale cost.
Loyalty needed for the first and the second promotion rung	55, 85 loyalty	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen to match the first two loyalty tiers of the crew arc, Trusted and Devoted. No source gives a loyalty threshold.
Communications bonus to every hail roll, per point of competence	0.15 percent points	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen so Communications scales like Engineering and Gunnery do: the same bonus for each point of department competence. No source gives a hail bonus.
Hands aboard each named hull model	Wayland 3, Trochilus 3, Fringilla 5, Gyges 5, Lyrid 4, Perseid 6, Tyto 6, Corinth 6, Kiel 10, Bosporus 12, Panama 16, Suez 20, Malus 12, Montu 12, Tembo 12, Ilmarinen 4, San Andreas 8, Anatolian 20, Adriatic 8, Aegean 14, Leonid 20, Apis 6, Locusta 14, Niagara 20, Szabo 30, Fraxinus 35, Tyr 40, Dardanelles 70, Iguazu 120, Brennan 130, Quercus 140, Nergal 150, Ginkgo 180, Kerrigan 260, Sequoia 280, Ares 300, Mangala 200, Ivanova 350, Victoria 400, Kaieteur 900, Angel 1,400 hands	EAuthored	Design notes: hullcrew	Role drives the count and not tonnage, so a freighter is automated and a warship is manned. The game's note quotes crew figures for a container ship and a carrier that the shelf does not record, and no shelf page gives a crew size. The sources are silent on this figure.
Hands aboard a hull with no model entry, by role	MULTIROLE 4, EXPLORER 5, SMUGGLER 5, MINER 12, FREIGHTER 14, LOGISTICS 12, PASSENGER LINER 14, DRONE CARRIER 10, COMBAT 100, DESTROYER 180, TROOP TRANSPORT 200, CARRIER 350, CRUISER 400, FLEET CARRIER 1,400 hands	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen so that a hull with no model entry gets a plausible crew and not a ghost ship. Same basis as the model table.
Hands aboard a hull with neither a model nor a role entry	4 hands	EAuthored	No source recorded	The last fallback of the hands table. No source gives a crew size.
Lowest manned share of a crew that still works	0.5 fraction	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen so that understrength degrades every department but never past this point, because a save must not be wedged by hands it cannot replace.
Cargo space one point of Deck competence is worth	33 tonnes per competence point	EAuthored	No source recorded	Chosen as a flat tonnage sized from a starter hull. No source gives the cargo that a deck department handles.
Size of a leased navy hull's crew, by hull tier	0 10, 1 16, 2 22, 3 30 hands	EAuthored	Standard Organization and Regulations of the U.S. Navy (SORM), Chapter 3	Chosen so that the lease ladder sets the crew, with the tier-3 sidegrades sharing one size so that a lateral swap does not resize the crew. The SORM page records no crew size. The sources are silent on this figure.
Crew size of a navy hull whose tier is not in the table	10 hands	EAuthored	No source recorded	The fallback of the complement table. No source gives a crew size.
The order in which the departments of a navy crew are staffed	Operations, Gunnery, Engineering, Deck, Damage Control, Medical, Supply, Communications, Navigation department order	EAuthored	Standard Organization and Regulations of the U.S. Navy (SORM), Sections 3.5 to 3.23	Chosen so that a small complement has someone conning, on the guns and in the engine room before the specialist postings fill. SORM names the department heads and gives no staffing order. The sources are silent on this figure.
The merchant rank ladder: grade, title, pay multiple and head share	R-1 Undesignated Hand UH 1.5 16, R-2 Third Hand 3/H 1.8 20, R-3 Second Hand 2/H 2.3 22, R-4 First Hand 1/H 2.9 15, R-5 Chief Hand C/H 3.6 8, L-1 Third Mate 3/M 4.2 8, L-2 Second Mate 2/M 5.2 5, L-3 First Mate 1/M 6.5 4, L-4 Master MSTR 8 2 grades	DAnalogy	Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation: STCW, MET, Human Resources and Crew Manning, Ranks and ratings, PDF pp.75, 145 and 148	The STCW volume splits officers (third, second and chief officer, and master) from ratings, and the game keeps that split. The names of the unlicensed hands, the pay multiples and the head shares are authored.
The navy rank ladder: grade, title, pay multiple and head share	E-1 Recruit RCT 1.6 14, E-2 Apprentice APP 1.8 13, E-3 Spacer SPC 2.1 12, E-4 Petty Officer 3rd PO3 2.5 17, E-5 Petty Officer 2nd PO2 3 14, E-6 Petty Officer 1st PO1 3.5 10, E-7 Chief Petty Officer CPO 4.3 5, E-8 Senior Chief SCPO 5 2, E-9 Master Chief MCPO 5.8 1, O-1 Ensign ENS 3.8 4, O-2 Lieutenant JG LTJG 4.4 3, O-3 Lieutenant LT 5.4 3, O-4 Lieutenant Commander LCDR 6.5 1.5, O-5 Commander CDR 7.7 0.7, O-6 Captain CAPT 9 0.3 grades	EAuthored	Standard Organization and Regulations of the U.S. Navy (SORM), Chapter 3	SORM names billets and gives no pay grade for any of them, so the grade codes, the pay multiples and the head shares are authored. The sources are silent on this figure.
Grade a merchant hire reads as when its title gives no grade	R-3 grade	EAuthored	No source recorded	The fallback of the merchant ladder. No source gives a grade for an unlisted title.
Grade a leased navy hull's marine reads as	E-4 grade	EAuthored	No source recorded	The ladder has no marine rung, so the marine reads as a petty officer. The grade is authored and no screen shows it.
Grade a field commission grants	O-2 grade	EAuthored	No source recorded	The striver arc already calls its reward a field commission, so the ladder gives it a grade. The grade is authored.

Real-world basis

8 points

On a navy ship the commanding officer is in charge, and the executive officer is the direct representative of the commanding officer.
The executive officer's orders carry the force of the commanding officer's, and the executive officer takes command if the need arises.
A department head represents the commanding officer in matters of the department and may confer with the commanding officer directly.
Under way, the officer of the deck, named by the commanding officer, orders the helm and the main engines and reports back.
The heads have fixed titles: engineer officer, communications officer, medical officer, navigator and supply officer.
The damage control assistant is a billet under the engineer officer, and the communications officer answers for outside communications.
A merchant crew divides by license, and the deck officers run master, chief officer, second officer and third officer.
The Atomic Rockets crew page says a first officer appears only if the crew is large enough, so a small ship has the captain alone.

Game and reality differences

7 points

Nine departments: SORM puts the damage control assistant under the engineer officer, while the game makes Damage Control its own department. The game cites the damage control manual (12-3), where the assistant is the division officer.
The Second takes its skill from Communications: a SORM executive officer is the commanding officer's representative and not the communications officer. coldweld chose this on 2026-10-07, and reading the named Second crewmate's own competence is a later stage.
The threshold of 10 hands is authored: four stations and a Second are five people, and the bridge becomes its own net when the decks hold as many again.
The Second hands the ship back and never surrenders: this is coldweld's rule of 2026-10-05, and SORM is silent on surrender.
Aye, Captain, I have the ship is a delegation and not a watch relief: SORM 4.12 words a relief as I relieve you, and the captain stays in command under 3.1.2. The line stays by coldweld's decision on 2026-10-08.
An empty department runs on automation and is never a penalty, which is the game's own rule with no source.
The merchant ladder says First Mate where the STCW volume says chief officer, and the game's First Mate also names the Crew Liaison office, so one name has two jobs.

Source absences

9 points

SORM does not cover the following:
1. Paygrade for a billet. SORM gives billets and reporting lines. Every grade in the navy posting table is authored.
2. The conn, or the hand-over of command in a fight. Only the relief of a watch (4.12) is present.
3. Who may strike colors.
4. Who speaks on a radio call. Outside communications belong to the communications officer.
No source on the shelf provides values for the following:
1. The unlicensed ladder of hands: Undesignated, Third, Second, First, and Chief Hand.
2. Boatswain or bosun in the STCW volume. SORM 3.15 has a ship's boatswain billet.
3. Crew size that needs a Second. Atomic Rockets says only a large enough crew.
Not read for this page:
1. The ICS Bridge Procedures Guide.
2. The STCW Code text.

Sources

4 documents

Standard Organization and Regulations of the U.S. Navy (SORM), Sections 3.1.2, 3.5, 3.11, 3.14.1, 3.15, 3.16, 3.17, 3.22 and 4.15.3: The executive officer is the commanding officer's direct representative and takes command should the need arise (3.1.2). A department head represents and confers with the commanding officer (3.5). The officer of the deck orders the helm and engine control (4.15.3). The head titles are communications officer, engineer officer, medical officer, navigator and supply officer. (all uses)
Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation: STCW, MET, Human Resources and Crew Manning, PDF pages 57, 75, 137, 145 and 146: STCW has three levels: management, operational and support. A deck line is master, chief officer, second officer and third officer, with ratings below. This is a conference volume about STCW and not the convention, so each claim is secondary. (all uses)
Atomic Rockets, crew, Command: The captain is at the top of the chain of command. A larger crew has a chief mate or first officer who handles things inside the ship. The second mate is third in the chain. (all uses)
Design notes: newtonian, The XO chain (XO_MIN_HANDS), Door.handback and Door.captainanswer: The game's own record: the threshold of 10 hands is authored by coldweld on 2026-09-27, and the Second hands command back and never surrenders (2026-10-05). (all uses)