| Commander | |
|---|---|
 A Royal Navy commander's rank insignia | |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Service branch | |
| Abbreviation | Cdr |
| NATOrank code | OF-4 |
| Next higher rank | Captain |
| Next lower rank | Lieutenant commander |
| Equivalent ranks | |
Commander (Cdr) is a senior officer rank of theRoyal Navy of theUnited Kingdom. It is immediately junior tocaptain and immediately senior to the rank oflieutenant commander. Officers holding the junior rank of lieutenant commander are not considered to be commanders.
The title (originally 'master and commander')[1] originated in around 1670 to describeRoyal Navy officers who captained ships too large to be commanded by a lieutenant, but too small to warrant the assignment of apost-captain, or before 1770 amaster who was in charge of a ship's navigation.[2] These ships were usuallysloops-of-war,bomb vessels,fireships,hospital ships andstoreships.[3]: 127 The commanding officer of this type of ship was responsible for both sailing and fighting the ship and was thus its 'master and commander'.
Before 1750, the rank was broadly considered as the limit of advancement for those withoutpatronage, especially those who had been promoted from among a ship's crew.[4] By contrast, those with Parliamentary supporters or family connections were more likely to spend only a nominal period as master and commander of a sloop, before being elevated to post-captain. From 1718, the Navy List began recording an officer's date of appointment to the rank of master and commander, with the intention of establishing seniority as a guide to promotion, but there is little evidence that this carried through into actual appointments.[3]: 130
Over the later 18th century, the rank evolved into a more regular stage of service between lieutenant and captain. The Royal Navy shortened 'master and commander' to 'commander' in 1794;[5] however, the term 'master and commander' remained (unofficially) in common parlance for several years.[6] The term 'master commanding' (abbreviated as 'master com.' or 'mast. com.') was still recognised in 1851, with the Navy List for that year listing 21 ships commanded by Masters with this appellation .[7]: passim
The rank of commander was a popular recognition of service during theNapoleonic Wars, resulting in promotion of more commanders than there were commands; in 1812 theNavy List recorded 586 commanders against 168 available vessels. Commanders unable to secure a ship were left ashore on half-pay, with limited prospects for future advancement. This promotions bottleneck was addressed from 1827 with the introduction of commanders as a second-in-command on larger vessels.[8]: 98
In the 20th and 21st centuries, the rank has been assigned theNATO rank code of OF-4, matching the army rank oflieutenant colonel.
A commander in the Royal Navy is senior to an officer holding the rank of lieutenant commander but junior to a captain. A commander may command afrigate,destroyer,submarine, mine countermeasures squadron, fishery protection squadron, patrol boat squadron, aviation squadron or shore installation, or may serve on a staff. Formerly equivalent to the Army rank ofmajor,[9] a commander is now equivalent in rank to alieutenant colonel in the British Army or awing commander in theRoyal Air Force. The rank of wing commander was derived from the naval rank of commander via the usage in the World War IRoyal Naval Air Service.
The rank insignia of a commander features three rings of gold braid with a loop in the upper ring.[10]
