| Rear admiral | |
|---|---|
 Flag of a rear admiral,Royal Navy | |
 Insignia shoulder board and sleeve lace for rear admiral | |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Service branch | |
| Abbreviation | RADM / R Adm |
| Rank | Two-star |
| NATOrank code | OF-7 |
| Next higher rank | Vice-admiral |
| Next lower rank | Commodore |
| Equivalent ranks | |
Rear admiral (RAdm) is aflag officer rank of theRoyal Navy. It is immediately superior tocommodore and is subordinate tovice admiral. It is atwo-star rank and has aNATO ranking code of OF-7.
The equivalent rank in theBritish Army andRoyal Marines ismajor-general; and in theRoyal Air Force it isair vice-marshal.
The rank originated in the 17th century, in the days ofnaval sailing squadrons when each naval squadron would be assigned anadmiral as its head. The admiral would command from the centre vessel and direct the activities of the squadron.
The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice admiral, who commanded the lead ships which would bear the brunt of a naval battle. In the rear of the naval squadron, a third admiral would command the remaining ships and, as this section of the squadron was considered to be in the least danger, the admiral in command of the rear would typically be the most junior of the squadron admirals. This has survived into the modern age, with the rank of rear admiral the most junior of the admiralty ranks of many navies.
Prior to 1864 the Royal Navy was divided into coloured squadrons which determinedcareer path. Thecommand flags flown by a rear-admiral changed a number of times during this period.[1]
The Royal Navy rank of rear admiral should be distinguished from the office ofRear-Admiral of the United Kingdom, which is an Admiralty position usually held by a senior (and possibly retired) "full" admiral.
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![Royal Navy rear admiral shoulder board prior to 2001[2]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aBritish_Royal_Navy_OF-6_(new).svg)
