Can there possibly be two officers of the same rank serving on the same vessel? And if so who is in charge? (I.e two lieutenant junior grade officers on the same ship)

Question

Can there possibly be two officers of the same rank serving on the same vessel? And if so who is in charge? (I.e two lieutenant junior grade officers on the same ship)

In: Other

Answer 1

Also, at least for the Army. Who is in charge isn’t necessarily even the highest rank (though 99% of the time it is). I had a rear detachment with a Lieutenant Commander in charge and a crusty old Colonel mobilized to fill a doctor position under him.

Similarly on a base with multiple organizations, someone is designated the Senior Commander of the installation. They aren’t necessarily the highest ranking commander, and do get to make some decisions that are binding on those higher ranking commanders (such as health and safety, like the bases COVID restrictions a few years ago).