Counter admiral

Hierarchy of naval officer ranks
Flag officers:
Admiral of the navy Admiral of the fleet • Fleet admiral General admiral • Grand admiral • Admiral Squadron admiral • Flotilla admiral Vice admiral • Lieutenant admiral Rear admiral • Counter admiral Commodore admiral • Schout-bij-nacht Port admiral
Senior officers:
Commodore • Fleet captain Post captain • Captain Captain of sea and war • Ship-of-the-line captain Captain at sea • Corvette captain Frigate captain • Commander
Junior officers:
Lieutenant commander • Captain lieutenant Flag lieutenant • Lieutenant Ship-of-the-line lieutenant • Corvette lieutenant Frigate lieutenant • Lieutenant (junior grade) Sub-lieutenant • Ensign
Training officers:
Passed midshipman • Midshipman Naval cadet

Counter admiral is a rank found in many navies of the world, but no longer used in English-speaking countries, where the equivalent rank is rear admiral. The term derives from the French contre-amiral, meaning "secondary admiral".

In modern navies that use it, rear (counter) admiral is generally, although not always, the lowest flag officer rank (in the German Navy, for instance, Flottillenadmiral ranks below Konteradmiral; in the Royal Canadian Navy, contre-amiral/rear admiral ranks above commodore).