FORMAL OCCASIONS OTHER THAN OFFICIAL VISITS

1252. Honors to an official entitled to 19 or more guns. An official or officer entitled to a salute of 19 or more guns shall receive the honors for an official visit, subject to the regulations pertaining to gun salutes, on the occasion of every visit.

1253. Honors for a flag or general officer, or unit commander, assuming or relieving command. 

1. On the occasion of a flag or general officer or unit commander assuming command, and on the departure of such officer after being relieved, honors s’hall be rendered as for an official visit, subject to the regulations pertaining to gun salutes.
2. A flag officer or unit commander assuming command shall read his or her orders to the assembled officers and crew, immediately after which his or her flag or command pennant shall be broken, and a gun salute, if required by these regulations, shall be fired.
3. Under the conditions described in the preceding paragraph, an officer being relieved shall read his or her orders to the assembled officers and crew, an on completion thereof, or after the gun salute, if fired, his or her flag or command pennant shall be hauled down. The officer succeeding to command shall then read his or her orders, and on the completion thereof, his or her flag or command pennant shall be broken. Aboard ship, the commission pennant shall be displayed while no personal flag or command pennant is flying.

1254. Honors at official inspection.

1. When a flag officer or unit commander boards a ship of the Navy to make an official inspection, honors shall be rendered as for an official visit, except that the uniform shall be as prescribed by the inspecting officer. The inspecting officer’s flag or command pennant shall be broken upon arrival, unless otherwise prescribed by these regulations, and shall be hauled down
   on departure of the inspecting officer.
2. The provisions of this article shall apply, insofar as practicable and appropriate, when a flag or general officer, in command ashore, makes an official inspection of a unit of the command.

1255. Honors for a civil official taking passage. When a civil official of the United States takes passage officially in a ship of the Navy, he or she shall, on embarking and disembarking, be rendered honors as prescribed for an official visit. In addition, if entitled to a gun salute, the official shall be rendered the salute upon disembarkation in a port of the foreign nation to which
he or she is accredited.

1256. Quarterdeck. The commanding officer of a ship shall establish the limits of the quarterdeck and the restrictions as to its use. The quarterdeck shall embrace so much of the main or other appropriate deck as maybe necessary for the proper conduct of official and ceremonial functions.

1257. Musical honors to the President of the United States.

1. If, in the course of any ceremony, it is required that honors involving musical tribute to the President of the United States be performed more than one time, “Hail to the Chief” maybe used interchangeably with the National Anthem as honors to the President of the United States. 
2. When specified by the President of the United States, the Secretary of State, the Chief of the Secret Service, or their authorized representatives, “Hail to the Chief’ may be used as an opportunity for the President and immediate party to move to and from their places while all others stand fast.