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"Commanding Officer (CO): Also known as the old man, the captain of the ship. The CO is ultimately responsible for everything that happens to and aboard his/her ship. It has been said the captain of a sea-going vessel is the closest thing to a god on earth."
Commanding Officer (CO)
The CO of an RPG Ship serves as the ship's Administrator and In-Character commanding officer. A CO is appointed by Presidential Edict, with the advise and consent of the Fleet Commander. A CO may be removed by Presidential Edict. In addition to RPG duties, the CO is responsible for ensuring that the crew stays active; managing personnel and enforcing AWOL policies on the ship; ensuring that new members are given adequate assistance as needed; maintaining the ship's MOTD; optionally maintaining a Ship or Captain's Log; and further duties as conferred upon the desire of the Fleet Commander, or established by Edict. The CO is responsible for ensuring the completion of all his duties, even if they are delegated to the XO.
The CO has the power to promote members of his crew up to and including the rank of Lieutenant Commander. The CO may promote members of his crew to the rank of Commander with the consent of the Fleet Commander, should the Fleet Commander choose to exercise such authority. Other powers may be specified by Edict or by the Fleet Commander.
No individual may hold more than one CO position simultaneously. The CO of Academy Training Ships does not count towards this limit. Acting CO does not count towards this limit.
The Commanding Officer (CO) is the role-playing head of a ship. Although as a CO you have total authority over hiring and firing of personnel for your ship and can run the ship your way, you are still responsible to the chain of command for the condition of your ship. A CO has one simple overall guiding principle that should always be remembered and that this course will come back to time and again.
"To maintain a healthy and active role-playing environment"
As a CO it is your job to run an efficient and active ship. You manage the resources available to it. You provide the direction for your ship and your own actions will have direct effect on whether that environment is a success or not. As a CO the authority is all yours, as is the responsibility. If the ship is failing...there is often no need to look past her CO for the cause.
You earned the right to have the position but you might find it more difficult to keep it. Being a CO is the most challenging role in the club and the most difficult to master. The pressure to keep the environment active and healthy is an ongoing one. There is no let up; the challenge and the pressure are continuous. A non active Commanding Officer is dead wood.