Yeah, it was weird how the Chief was barking orders left and right at Ensigns. I'm just going to chalk this one up to not having a military adviser as well
An NCO can give orders to commissioned officers if they are assigned to his command. My friend has a grandfather who was a Gunny in the Marines, and he loved to tell the story of how at one time two 2Lts who were assigned to him walked into his office without saluting and he chewed them out and made them walk out and walk right back in and salute.
Calling bullshit on that one. At no point in my time in the military have I
ever seen that. Now it isn't unlikely for a junior officer to be chewed out by an NCO, but it's done in a certain way and not in the way you describe or for that reason. What would usually happen if there was an issue is the NCO would say "Sir, you did this this this and that" and then inform the CO of whatever the issue is. It would then be the
CO who really lays in on the officer that screwed up.
Also, you don't salute an NCO when you report to them with the exception being at a formation. And even then, it would be a junior NCO saluting a senior NCO not an officer saluting an NCO
Now it is entirely possible for an NCO to be in charge of something and when you own a task then it is your baby, but it is very unlikely that the NCO would be given a staff officers to order around