be  addressed  by  the  title  of  his  or  her  grade,  such preference  should  be  honored.  When  you  are addressing an officer whose grade includes a modifier (for  example,  lieutenant  commander),  the  modifier (lieutenant) may be dropped. As a general rule, use the officer’s title and name. It is  better  to  say,  “Yes,  Ensign  Smith”;  “No,  Doctor Brown”; or “Yes, Lieutenant Jones”; than to say, “Yes, sir”  or  “No,  ma’am.”  However,  in  prolonged conversation where repetition would seem forced or awkward, the shorter “sir” or “ma’am” is used more often. Aboard ship, the regularly assigned commanding officer is addressed as “captain” regardless of grade. The regularly assigned executive officer (if of the grade of  commander)  may  be  addressed  as  “commander” without adding the name. In some ships it is customary to address the executive officer as “commander” even though the grade is that of lieutenant commander. Naval officers are introduced to civilians by title, and the method of introduction should give a clue as to how the person should be addressed from then on. You might say, “This is Lieutenant Jones. Mr. Jones is a shipmate of mine.” This serves a double purpose; it gives the civilian to whom you are introducing the officer knowledge of the naval person’s grade, and it also gives the correct method of address, “Mr. Jones.” Military  and  civilian  practices  differ  in  the introducing  and  addressing  of  enlisted  personnel. Under military conditions, petty officers are addressed and introduced by their respective title followed by their last name. Petty officers in paygrades E-7, E-8, and E-9 are  introduced  and  addressed  as  “Chief  ______  ,” prefixed by “Senior” or “Master,” if appropriate. Petty officers in paygrades E-4 through E-6 are addressed and introduced  as  “Petty  Officer  _______  .”  Persons  in paygrades E-3 and below are addressed by their last names  only  in  informal  situations.  However,  in  the formal situation or introductions, their last names are preceded by “Seaman,” “Fireman,” “Airman,” and so forth, as appropriate. Civilians sometimes feel uncomfortable in social gatherings  when  addressing  enlisted  personnel  as described in the preceding paragraph. It is customary, therefore, for those outside the service to extend to enlisted  personnel  the  same  courtesies  they  would extend to them in civilian life and to prefix their names with Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms., as the case may be. In introducing  them,  one  should  give  their  titles  and names, then the mode of address: “This is Petty Officer Smith.  Mr.  Smith  will  be  visiting  us  for  a  while.” Thereafter, he will be addressed as “Mr. Smith.” In civilian life you are supposed to introduce men to women and youth to age; that is, a young man to a young woman or a young woman to an older woman. If the person is a male member of the clergy, however, you introduce women of any age to him; or, if a man is aged or distinguished, you introduce the woman to him. The same general rules are followed in military life, except that in most instances naval rank establishes the order of introduction. Thus, you introduce the junior to the senior, whether male or female. An exception is that you always introduce others, regardless of the rank or sex, to a chaplain. If one of the persons is a civilian, you follow the rules of youth to age and male to female. The only proper response to an oral order is “Aye, aye, sir/ma’am.” This reply means more than yes. It indicates “I understand and will obey.” Such responses to an order as “O.K., sir” or “All right, sir” are taboo. “Very  well”  is  proper  when  spoken  by  a  senior  in acknowledgment of a report made by a junior, but a junior never says “Very well” to a senior. “Sir” or “Ma’am” should be used as a prefix to an official report, statement, or question addressed to a senior.  It  should  also  be  used  when  addressing  an official on duty representing a senior. For example, the OOD, regardless of grade, represents the commanding officer and should be addressed as “Sir” or “Ma’am.” If you are a junior addressing a senior, you should introduce yourself unless you are certain the senior knows you by sight. REVIEW 3 QUESTIONS Q1.  What is the quarterdeck? Q2.  Aboard ship, how is the CO addressed? 9-17 Student Notes: