| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

Naval Ranks

Page history last edited by ManuBlasco 14 years, 2 months ago

NAVAL RANKS

 

For comparative purposes we will use, when possible, british naval ranks for all nations among the web.

For other national ranks, see tables below for each nation.

 

GREAT BRITAIN

Ranks

Responsability

 

 

Flag

Officers

Most senior flag officer

Admiral of the Fleet

Senior flag officer

Admiral 1

Mid-level flag officer

Vice-admiral 1

Junior flag officer

Rear-admiral 1

Temporary flag officer

Commodore2

 

 

Commissioned

Ofifcers

Largest ship of the line

 

(Post) Captain 3

 

Other ship of the line

2-decker below the line

Large 1-decker

Mid-size warship

Master & Commander 4

Small warships

Lieutenant

Watch officers

Petty Officers

Learning officers

Midshipman

 

Note 1: British Royal Navy Ranks of Admiral, Vice-Admiral and Rear-Admiral were seperated into 3 Squadrons. Known as the Red, White and Blue.

There was no rank of Admiral of the Red before 1805.

Note 2: A title given to a senior captain appointed to exercise the prerogatives of a rear-admiral.  When the command ended, the commodore reverted to the rank of captain.

Note 3: An officer appointed to command of a rated ship became a captain by virtue of that appointment; it was not possible in the British navy at this time to promote an officer to the rank of captain without appointing him to command of a specific rated ship.  The appointment had to be “posted” to be official, and the captain was therefore known as a “post captain” when it was necessary to differentiate him from the commanding officer of an unrated vessel who was called “captain” but held a lower rank, from a captain in the merchant marine, or from a captain in the Marines or Army.

Note 4: Also called Commander . Prior to 1804 the officer held the substantive rank of Lieutenant, to which he reverted at the end of the commission.


British equivalence

&
Responsability

Royal France Republican France
Lord of Admiralty Amiral de France 1 (Grand) Amiral
Admiral (of the fleet) Vice-Amiral 2 Vice-Amiral 2
Vice-Admiral Lieutenant General

Contre-Amiral (Rear) 4

Rear-Admiral Chef d'escadre Chef de division
Captain

Capitaine de vaisseau

Capitaine de vaisseau 5

Commanders

and

Senior watch officers

Capitaine de fregate 3 Capitaine de fregate
Lieutenant de vaisseau

Lieutenant de vaisseau

Capitaine de brulot

Lieutenant

Enseigne de vaisseau

Enseigne de vaisseau 

Junior watch officer Lieutenant de fregate Lieutenant de fregate 
Small warship

Capitaine de flute

--- 
Senior Learning officer Garde du pavillon --- 
Junior Learning officer Garde de la marine Aspirant

Note: The French navy also had “auxiliary” officers, non-nobles or officers of the Compagnie des Indes, who could exercise command authority and responsibility. 

For instance, a “capitaine de frégate” outranked a lieutenant de vaisseau but not a capitaine de vaisseau. 

Auxiliary officers commonly commanded support vessels such as armed transports and fireships, as indicated by the titles of two of the lower ranks, “capitaine de brûlot” (fireship-captain) and “capitaine de flûte” (transport-captain).  The highest-ranking navy officers in the Indian Ocean theater, were frigate-captains. 

Note 1: Political charge, usually in noble hands and not always in use.

Note 2: Royal France: only 2-3 at a time (just in 1783 were 4 persons with this charge). Revolutionary France: 5 in 1796 and 9 in 1805.

Note 3: Abolished in 1772 .

Note 4: Looks like Contre and Rear Amiral were both used.

Note 5: Captains & Lieutenants were classified in 3 ranks (1st, 2nd & 3rd classe)

Sources: 

"Louis XV's navy, 1748-1762: a study of organization and administration", James S. Pritchard (pag. 56). Google books.

"The Seventy Four Gun Ship", Boudriot, Jean, Vol. 4, pag. 11.

 


SPAIN
British equivalence

Admiral of the Fleet

& Admiral

Capitan General

(Almirante)

Vice Admiral Teniente General
Rear Admiral Jefe de Escuadra
Commodore Brigadier 1
Post Captain Capitán de navío

Commander &

Senior watch officer

Capitán de fragata
Lieutenants &
Mid watch officers
Teniente de navío
Teniente de fragata

 

Junior watch officers

Alferez de navío

Alferez de fragata

Midshipman Guardiamarina

Note: Until the end of XVIII century, most spanish records use the military land rank instead of the naval.

Note 1: Created in 1773, not temporary as british Commodore. Usually in charge of a 1st or 2nd rate instead of a Captain.


DUTCH
British equivalence

Lord of Admiralty

Admiraal-Generaal 1

Admiral

Lieutenant-Admiraal

Vice Admiral

Vice-Admiraal

Rear Admiral

Schout-bij-nacht

Post Captain

Kapitein

Commander

Kapitein-lieutenant 2

Lieutenant Lieutenant
Midshipman Adelborst

 

Note 1: A ceremonial, not a sea-going, office held by the head aof the House of Orange.  

Note 2: Kapitein-lieutenants commanded larger ships than British commanders, sometimes even ships of the line.


SWEDEN
British equivalence

Admiral of the Fleet

Överamiral

Admiral Amiral
Vice Admiral Vice-amiral
Rear Admiral Schoutbynacht
Commodore Commendeur
Senior Captain

Admiralitets-captein

Captain

Skeppscaptein

Commander

Kaptein-lieutenant

Lieutenant

Lieutenant

Midshipman Sjökadett ?
(Kadett)

Note: Sweden changed around 1788 naval to land ranks. 


RUSSIA
British equivalence

Admiral of the Fleet

General-admiral

Admiral Admiral
Vice Admiral Vice-admiral
Rear Admiral

Shautbenakht

Commodore

Kapitan-komandor

Captain 1st rank

Kapitan pervogo ranga

Captain 2nd rank

Kapitan vtorogo ranga

Captain 3rd rank

Kapitan tretogo ranga

Commander

Kapitan-leitenant

Lieutenant

Lieutenant

Junior watch officer

Unter-leitenant
Midshipman ???

PORTUGAL
British equivalence

Rear Admiral

Chefe de escuadra

Commodore

Coronel no mar

Captain

Capitão de mar e guerra

Commander

Capitão-tenente

Lieutenant Tenente
Midshipman ---

Officers Land Ranks
British Naval British Land Spanish Land French Land  
Admiral of the Fleet Field Marshall Capitan General Field Marshal   
Admiral General General General  
Vice Admiral Lieutenant General Teniente General Lieutenant General   
Rear Admiral Major General General de Division  Brigadier General   
Commodore Brigadier Brigadier 1 ---   
Post Captain Colonel Coronel Colonel Captain   
Commander Lieutenant Colonel Teniente Coronel Major Captain   
Captain Major Capitan Capitan   
Lieutenant Captain Teniente Lieutenant   

 

Note 1: Created in 1702.


Special thanks to Albert Parker for his contribution to clarify this section.

 

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.