U.S Navy Civil Engineer Corps | |
---|---|
Active | 2 March 1867 – present |
Country | United States of America |
Allegiance | U.S. |
Branch | U.S. Navy (Active & Reserve Component) |
Type | Staff Corps |
Nickname(s) | Crossed Bananas |
Commanders | |
Chief of Civil Engineers | RADM Bret J. Muilenburg, CEC, USN |
The Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) is a staff corps of the United States Navy. CEC officers are professional engineers and architects, acquisitions specialists and Seabee Combat Warfare Officers. They are responsible for executing and managing the planning, design, acquisition, construction, operation, and maintenance of the Navy's shore facilities. The Civil Engineer Corps is under the command of the Chief of Civil Engineers and Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command. As of 4 November 2015, RADM Bret J. Muilenburg relieved RADM Kate L. Gregory, and became the 44th commander of NAVFAC and Chief of Civil Engineers.
CEC ranks range from CWO2 to RADM, though the community is phasing out Chief Warrant Officer ranks in favor of Limited Duty Officers. As of January 2016, the Active-Component of the CEC is composed of 1 RADM, 3 RDML's, 78 CAPT's, 166 CDR's, 280 LCDR's, 478 LT's, 165 LTJG's, and 151 ENS's, distributed worldwide.[1]
Civil engineers were employed by the Navy Department as early as 1827, when Mr. Loammi Baldwin was appointed to superintend the construction of dry docks at Boston and Norfolk. Prior to the passage of the Act of 2 March 1867 civil engineers were appointed by the Secretary, but under authority of that act they were to be commissioned by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; they were appropriated for as part of the civil establishment at the several navy yards and stations under the control of the Bureau of Yards and Docks until 1870, when their pay was regulated by section 3 of the Act of 15 July of that year fixing the annual pay of officers of the Navy on the active list, and appropriations for their pay have been made since 1870 under the head of "Pay of the Navy".
The discretionary authority given to the President by the Statute of 3 March 1871, to determine and fix the relative rank of civil engineers was not exercised until the 24th of February 1881, when relative rank was conferred upon them and fixed as follows: One with the relative rank of captain (CAPT), two with that of commander (CDR), three with that of lieutenant-commander (LCDR), and four with that of lieutenant (LT).