Captain is the name most often given in English-speakingnavies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships.[1][2][3] The rank is equal to the army rank ofcolonel and air force rank ofgroup captain.
Equivalent ranks worldwide includeship-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).
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 thecommanding 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 thearmy, air force, or marine ranks of captain, which all have the NATO code of OF-2.[Note 1]
Captains with sea commands generally command ships ofcruiser 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 theRoyal Navy, a captain might command anaircraft carrier, anamphibious assault ship, or theIce Patrol Ship, whilenaval aviator andnaval flight officer captains in theU.S. Navy commandaircraft 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 orrear 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'schain of command is present, all orders are given through the captain.
In theArgentine Navy the rank ofcapitán 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.
In theBelgian Navy the rank ofcapitaine de vaisseau orkapitein-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 acapital ship (cruiser, battleship or aircraft carrier) or a shore establishment. Smaller vessels such asdestroyers and frigates are commanded by akapitein-luitenant.
The rank insignia for a captain(N) is four1⁄2-inch (1.3 cm) stripes, worn on the cuffs of the service dress jacket, and onslip-ons on other uniforms. On the visor of theservice 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 acaptain 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.
In theRoyal Netherlands Navy, the rank ofkapitein-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 acapital ship or a shore establishment (until recently, akapitein-ter-zee commanded theOnderzeedienst andMijnendienst, the Netherlands Navy's submarine and mine-laying training establishments).
Front page of theBreve Compendio do que pertence à obrigação de hum Capitão de Mar, & Guerra, or "Brief compendium of what pertains to the obligation of a captain of sea and war" (1676)
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 (asCapitán de Mar y Guerra) armadas of the 16th century. But generally, in the 16th and early 17th centuries, the captain of a Portugueseman-of-war was simply called acapitão, while the commander of a fleet was termedcapitão-mor, literally "captain-major".
Portrait miniature of the Portuguese captain of sea and war André de Sousa Ferreira in 1751.
During the 16th century, the termalmirante was used inPortugal 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 - theship of the line that began evolving at that time. When that happened, the Portuguese Navy, as other navies, came to use the termcapitão de fragata andcapitão-tenente, literally "frigate captain" and "captain-lieutenant", to designate the commanders of smaller warships. When Brazil gained her independence from Portugal in 1822, itsnavy adopted the Portuguese rank denominations, which both countries still use.
Captain of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd class are ranks used by theRussian Navy and a number offormer communist states. Within NATO forces, the ranks are rated as OF-5, 4 and 3, respectively.[43]
Serbian River Flotilla Ship-of-the-line captain (Serbian:капетан бојног брода,romanized: kapetan bojnog broda)
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 arank 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, theship-of-the-line, as opposed to smaller types (corvettes andfrigates). It is normally above the rank offrigate captain. In all theScandinavian countries, the rank stems from theMiddle Low German word for war (orloch),[44] i.e. war[-ship] captain.
Capitaine de vaisseau is a rank in theFrench Navy, corresponding to that ofcolonel in theFrench Army. They usually command the navy's most important ships.
^ThePolish Navy is, however, a notable exception with "naval captain" (Polish -kapitan marynarki) in the OF-2 rank oflieutenant orcaptain lieutenant and the OF-5 rank being a "Commodore" (Polish -komandor).
^"The History of Navy Rank: The Officer Corps".United States Navy. 2019-11-01.Archived from the original on 2019-12-15. Retrieved2019-12-22.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.
^Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force."Paratus"(PDF). Regional Publications Ltd. pp. 12–13. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 7 June 2022. Retrieved2 March 2020.
^"Badges of rank"(PDF).defence.gov.au. Department of Defence (Australia). Retrieved31 May 2021.
^"OFFICER RANKS".rbdf.gov.bs. Royal Bahamas Defence Force. Retrieved14 January 2021.
^Hoyer, K; Brennecke, F (1925).Die Uniformen des Reichsheeres und der Reichsmarine nebst amtlichen Uniformtafeln; mit Genehmigung des Reichswehrministeriums (in German). Charlottenburg: Verlag "Offene Worte, ".OCLC44571687.
^Mollo, Andrew (2001).The Armed Forces of World War II: Uniforms, Insignia & Organisation. Leicester: Silverdale books. p. 19.ISBN1-85605-603-1.
^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.LCCN87600490. Retrieved19 October 2021.
^"Insignias".mide.gob.do (in Spanish). Ministry of Defense (Dominican Republic). Archived fromthe original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved28 May 2021.
^"Officerer".armada.mil.ec (in Spanish). Ecuadorian Navy. Retrieved28 May 2021.
^"Grados Militares".fuerzaarmada.mil.sv (in Spanish). Ministry of National Defense of El Salvador. Archived fromthe original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved29 May 2021.
^Hudson, Rex A.; Meditz, Sandra W., eds. (1992). "Chapter 5. National Security".Uruguay: A Country Study(PDF) (2nd ed.). Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. pp. 222–223.ISBN0-8444-0737-2. Retrieved13 June 2021.
![Captain (Antigua and Barbuda Coast Guard)[6]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGeneric-Navy-8.svg)
![Captain Captaen (Irish Naval Service)[13]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGeneric-Navy-(star)-O7.svg)
![Captain (Liberian National Coast Guard)[15]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aUS_Navy_O6_shoulderboard.svg)
![Căpitan (Romanian Naval Forces)[19]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGeneric-Navy-6.svg)
![Kapitan (Slovenian Navy)[20]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGeneric-Navy-10.svg)
![Captain (United States Navy)[27]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aUS_Navy_O6_insignia.svg)
![Captain (United States Coast Guard)[27]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aUSCG_O-6_insignia.svg)
Imperial German Navy[29]
Reichsmarine[30]
Kriegsmarine[31]
Volksmarine[32]
German Navy[33]
![Capitão de mar e guerra (Angolan Navy)[40]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aAngola-Navy-OF-5.svg)
![Capitão de mar e guerra (Brazilian Navy)[41]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGeneric-Navy-O7.svg)
![Capitaine de vaisseau (Benin Navy)[46]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGuinea-Navy-OF-5.svg)
![Capitão–de–navio (Cape Verdean Coast Guard)[35]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGeneric-Navy-7.svg)
![Capitaine de vaisseau (Congolese Navy)[49]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a13-ROCongo_Navy-CAPT.svg)
![Kapetan bojnog broda (Croatian Navy)[50]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCroatia-Navy-OF-5.svg)
![Capitán de navío (Cuban Revolutionary Navy)[51]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCuba-Navy-OF-5.svg)
![Capitán de navío (Ecuadorian Navy)[54]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEcuador-Navy-OF-5.svg)
![Capitán de navío (Navy of El Salvador)[55]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a11-Nicaragua_Navy-CAPT.svg)
![Capitaine de vaisseau (French Navy)[56]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aFrance-Navy-OF-5_Sleeve.svg)
![Capitano di vascello (Italian Navy)[58]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aRank_insignia_of_capitano_di_vascello_of_the_Italian_Navy.svg)
![Capitaine de vaisseau major (Navy of Ivory Coast)[59]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aIvory_Coast-Navy-OF-5b.svg)
![Capitaine de vaisseau (Navy of Ivory Coast)[59]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aIvory_Coast-Navy-OF-5.svg)
![Capitaine de vaisseau (Madagascar Navy)[60]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a15._Madagascar_Navy_-_CPT.svg)
![Kapetan bojnog broda (Montenegrin Navy)[62]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMontenegro-Navy-OF-5.svg)
![Capitán de navío (Peruvian Navy)[65]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPeru-Navy-OF-5.svg)
![Örlogskapten (Swedish Navy)[23]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGeneric-Navy-5.svg)
![Capitaine de vaisseau (Togolese Navy)[68]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aTogo-Navy-OF-5.svg)
![Capitaine de vaisseau major Arabic: عميد بالبحرية, romanized: eamid bialbahria (Tunisia Navy)[69]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aRomania-Navy-OF-3-Sleeve.svg)
