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Captain (naval)

From Tilcayo Cats, the lean encyclopaedia by Tilcayo Knowledge Systems
Not to be confused with Captain (armed forces) or Sea captain.

Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships.[1][2][3] The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain.

Equivalent ranks worldwide include ship-of-the-line captain (e.g. France, Argentina, Spain), captain of sea and war (e.g. Brazil, Portugal), captain at sea (e.g. Germany, Netherlands) and "captain of the first rank" (Russia).

Etiquette

Any naval officer who commands a ship is addressed by naval custom as "captain" while aboard in command, regardless of their actual rank, even though technically an officer of below the rank of captain is more correctly titled the commanding officer, or C.O. Officers with the rank of captain travelling aboard a vessel they do not command should be addressed by their rank and name (e.g., "Captain Smith"), but they should not be referred to as "the captain" to avoid confusion with the vessel's captain.[4] The naval rank should not be confused with the army, air force, or marine ranks of captain, which all have the NATO code of OF-2.[Note 1]

Commands

Captains with sea commands generally command ships of cruiser size or larger; the more senior the officer, the larger the ship, but ship commanders do not normally hold a higher rank than captain. In the Royal Navy, a captain might command an aircraft carrier, an amphibious assault ship, or the Ice Patrol Ship, while naval aviator and naval flight officer captains in the U.S. Navy command aircraft carriers, large-deck amphibious assault ships, carrier air wings, maritime patrol air wings, and functional and specialized air wings and air groups.

Maritime battle staff commanders of one-star rank (commodores or rear admirals lower half) will normally embark on large capital ships such as aircraft carriers, which will function as the flagship for their strike group or battle group, but a captain will retain command of the actual ship, and assume the title of "flag captain". Even when a senior officer who is in the ship's captain's chain of command is present, all orders are given through the captain.

By country

Argentina

In the Argentine Navy the rank of capitán de navío is the equivalent to colonel in the Army. However, both ranks (and Air Force´s commodore) are considered part of the flag officers group, together with generals and admirals. Its insignia is made up of four stripes.

Belgium

In the Belgian Navy the rank of capitaine de vaisseau or kapitein-ter-zee is the third grade of superior officer, equivalent to colonel in the land forces. Its insignia is made up of four bands. He or she commands a capital ship (cruiser, battleship or aircraft carrier) or a shore establishment. Smaller vessels such as destroyers and frigates are commanded by a kapitein-luitenant.

Canada

In the Royal Canadian Navy, Captain(N) (abbreviated Capt(N); capitaine de vaisseau, abbreviated capv) is a senior officer rank, equal to an army or air force colonel. A captain(N) is senior to a commander, and junior to a commodore.[5]

Typical appointments for captains(N) include:[citation needed]

The rank insignia for a captain(N) is four 1⁄2-inch (1.3 cm) stripes, worn on the cuffs of the service dress jacket, and on slip-ons on other uniforms. On the visor of the service cap is one row of gold oak leaves along the edge. Captains(N) wear the officers' pattern branch cap badge.[citation needed]

The "(N)" is a part of the rank descriptor, and is used in official publications and documents to distinguish a captain(N) from a captain in the army or air force. It is also important to distinguish between the rank of captain(N) and the appointment of captain, meaning the commanding officer of a ship, regardless of his or her rank.

Captains(N) are addressed initially as "Captain" followed by their surname (example: "Captain Bloggins"), thereafter by superiors and peers as "Captain" and by subordinates as "Sir" or "Ma'am". The "(N)" is not part of the spoken address.

Prior to the unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, rank structure and insignia followed the British pattern.[citation needed]

Estonia

Main article: Mereväekapten

India

Main article: Captain (Indian Navy)

Sri Lanka

Main article: Captain (Sri Lanka Navy)

United Kingdom

Main article: Captain (Royal Navy)

United States

Main article: Captain (United States O-6)

In the United States, the O-6 rank of captain exists in four of the uniformed services of the United States: the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps.

Variants

Captain at sea

Captain at sea is a naval rank corresponding to command of a ship-of-the-line or capital ship.

Germany

Kapitän zur See (German: [kapiˈtɛːn t͡suːɐ̯ ˈzeː] Audio file "De-Kapitän zur See.ogg" not found, abbreviated KptzS, KZS, or KzS) is a senior officer rank in the German Navy.[6]

Insignia Shoulder Sleeve Higher/lower
rank
File:War Ensign of Germany 1903-1918.svg Imperial German Navy[7] Kommodore
Fregattenkapitän
File:War Ensign of Germany (1921–1933).svg Reichsmarine[8] Kommodore
Fregattenkapitän
File:War ensign of Germany (1938–1945).svg Kriegsmarine[9] Kommodore
Fregattenkapitän
File:Flag of warships of VM (East Germany).svg Volksmarine[10] Konteradmiral
Fregattenkapitän
File:Naval Ensign of Germany.svg German Navy[11] Flottillenadmiral
Fregattenkapitän

Netherlands

In the Royal Netherlands Navy, the rank of kapitein-ter-zee is the third grade of superior officer, equivalent to colonel in the land-forces. His insignia is made up of four bands and he commands a capital ship or a shore establishment (until recently, a kapitein-ter-zee commanded the Onderzeedienst and Mijnendienst, the Netherlands Navy's submarine and mine-laying training establishments).

Smaller vessels such as destroyers and frigates are commanded by a kapitein-luitenant ter zee. Until recently flagships such as Tromp-class frigates were also commanded by a kapitein-ter-zee. Currently, De Zeven Provinciën-class frigates are commanded by a kapitein-luitenant-ter-zee.

Captain lieutenant

Main article: Captain lieutenant

Portuguese-speaking navies

Captain of sea and war (Portuguese: capitão de mar e guerra, formerly spelled capitão-de-mar-e-guerra) is a rank in most of the Portuguese-speaking navies, notably those of Portugal and Brazil.

The term captain of sea and war, like the modern rank of ship-of-the-line captain in the navies of France, Italy, and Spain, has deep historic roots. Although the rank was first formally established in the 17th century, the expression had been sometimes been used in the Portuguese and Spanish (as Capitán de Mar y Guerra) armadas of the 16th century. But generally, in the 16th and early 17th centuries, the captain of a Portuguese man-of-war was simply called a capitão, while the commander of a fleet was termed capitão-mor, literally "captain-major".

During the 16th century, the term almirante was used in Portugal to designate the second in command of a fleet. Only during the 18th century would it come to designate the fleet commander – an admiral in the more modern sense. But during the latter half of the 17th century, the term "captain of sea and war" came to designate the commander of a larger man-of-war - the ship of the line that began evolving at that time. When that happened, the Portuguese Navy, as other navies, came to use the term capitão de fragata and capitão-tenente, literally "frigate captain" and "captain-lieutenant", to designate the commanders of smaller warships. When Brazil gained her independence from Portugal in 1822, its navy adopted the Portuguese rank denominations, which both countries still use.

Corvette captain

Main article: Corvette captain

Frigate captain

Main article: Frigate captain

Rank captain

Main articles: Captain 1st rank, Captain 2nd rank, and Captain 3rd rank

Captain of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd class are ranks used by the Russian Navy and a number of former communist states. Within NATO forces, the ranks are rated as OF-5, 4 and 3, respectively.[12]

NATO code[12] OF-5 OF-4 OF-3
Captain 1st rank Captain 2nd rank Captain 3rd rank
English equivalent Captain Commander Lieutenant commander

Ship-of-the-line captain

Ship-of-the-line-captain (French: capitaine de vaisseau; German: Linienschiffskapitän (in the Austro-Hungarian navy); Italian: capitano di vascello; Spanish: capitán de navío; Croatian: kapetan bojnog broda) is a rank that appears in several navies. The name of the rank derives from the fact the rank corresponded to command of a warship of the largest class, the ship-of-the-line, as opposed to smaller types (corvettes and frigates). It is normally above the rank of frigate captain. In all the Scandinavian countries, the rank stems from the Middle Low German word for war (orloch),[13] i.e. war[-ship] captain.

France

Capitaine de vaisseau is a rank in the French Navy, corresponding to that of colonel in the French Army. They usually command the navy's most important ships.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The Polish Navy is, however, a notable exception with "naval captain" (Polish - kapitan marynarki) in the OF-2 rank of lieutenant or captain lieutenant and the OF-5 rank being a "Commodore" (Polish - komandor).

References

  1. ↑ Dave Cipra. "A history of sea service ranks & titles" (PDF). Commandant's Bulletin. p. 20. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  2. ↑ Raymond Oliver (August 1983). "Why is the Colonel Called "Kernal"? The Origin of the Ranks and Rank Insignia Now Used by the United States Armed Forces" (PDF). McClennan Aviation Museum. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-28. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  3. ↑ "The History of Navy Rank: The Officer Corps". United States Navy. 2019-11-01. Archived from the original on 2019-12-15. Retrieved 2019-12-22. When the U.S. Navy's predecessor, the Continental Navy, was established in 1775, the first set of Navy regulations stipulated the commissioned offices of captain and lieutenant. When the United States Navy was created by Congress in 1794, the legislation again provided for the ranks of captain and lieutenant "who shall be appointed and commissioned in like manner as other officers of the United States are." In 1799, master commandant was authorized as a rank between lieutenant and captain. Although master commandant was changed to commander in 1837, this simple rank system survived intact until the Civil War.
  4. ↑ William P. Mack; Harry A. Seymour; Lesa A. McComas (1998). The naval officer's guide. U.S. Navy: Naval Institute Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-55750-645-0.
  5. ↑ "Ranks and appointment". canada.ca. Government of Canada. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  6. ↑ official rank table of the German Navy
  7. ↑ "Dienstgrade und Uniformen". kleiner-kreuzer-dresden.de (in Deutsch). Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  8. ↑ Hoyer, K; Brennecke, F (1925). Die Uniformen des Reichsheeres und der Reichsmarine nebst amtlichen Uniformtafeln; mit Genehmigung des Reichswehrministeriums (in Deutsch). Charlottenburg: Verlag "Offene Worte, ". OCLC 44571687.
  9. ↑ Mollo, Andrew (2001). The Armed Forces of World War II: Uniforms, Insignia & Organisation. Leicester: Silverdale books. p. 19. ISBN 1-85605-603-1.
  10. ↑ Luft, Kathleen (1988). "National Security". In Burant, Stephen R. (ed.). East Germany: a country study. Area Handbook (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. pp. 264–265. LCCN 87600490. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "Dienstgradabzeichen Marine". bundeswehr.de (in Deutsch). Bundeswehr. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 NATO (2021). STANAG 2116 NATO (7th ed.). Brussels, Belgium: NATO Standardization Agency. p. B-1.
  13. ↑ "Orlog". Den Danske Ordbog (in dansk). Det Danske Sprog- og Litteraturselskab. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
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