Quote:
Originally Posted by Platapus
Does the title of Captain, apply to the commanding officer of any ship? How about the itty bitty ones?
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I guess that depends on your definition of "itty bitty". My 224 foot plywood minesweeper was commanded by a Lt. Cmdr and he bore the title of Captain. In general, any vessel considered a "ship" will have a Commanding Officer appointed. A Commanding Officer may bear the title of Captain. Any vessel designated a "craft" (i.e. tugboats, midshipman training boats, landing craft, LCAC, PBR, etc.) will have an "Officer in Charge". An OIC is usually not refered to as Captain and will just use his/her rank.
BTW, an OIC can also be an enlisted man. It was not uncommon during the Cold War for a Chief Boatswains Mate or Chief Quartermaster to be the OIC of a tugboat or PBR.