[SERKIT]

So is “Chief of the Boat” a misnomer?

[LonePalm]

The "Chief of the boat" is the most senior enlisted member of a submarine's crew.

The position is analogous to the Command Master/Senior/Chief on a surface ship.

WWG1WGA

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[Chuckster]

So is “Chief of the Boat” a misnomer?

The term, or office, "Chief of the Boat” comes from Submarines. Submarines are boats, not ships, in US Navy parlance at least.