Captain (Royal Navy)
- Please see Captain (naval) for other versions of this naval rank.
Captain (Capt) is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army and Royal Marines, and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. There are similarly named equivalent ranks in the navies of many other countries.
Seagoing captains[edit]
In the Royal Navy, the officer in command of any warship of the rank of Commander and below is informally referred to as "the Captain" on board, even though holding a junior rank, but formally is titled "the Commanding Officer" (or CO). In former times Royal Navy officers who were Captains by rank and in command of a naval vessel were referred to as Post-Captains; this practice is now defunct.
Terminology[edit]
Ashore, the rank of Captain is often verbally described as "Captain RN" to distinguish it from the more junior Army and Royal Marines rank, and in naval contexts, as a "Four Ring Captain" (referring to the uniform lace) to avoid confusion with the title of a seagoing Commanding Officer. In the Ministry of Defence, and in Joint Service establishments, a Captain may be referred to as a "DACOS" (standing for Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff) or an "AH" (Assistant Head), from the usual job title of OF5-ranked individuals who work with civil servants.
Insignia and uniform[edit]
The rank insignia features four rings of gold braid with a loop in the upper ring.[1]
When in mess dress or mess undress, officers of the rank of Captain and above wear gold-laced trousers (the trousers are known as "tin trousers", and the gold lace stripes thereon are nicknamed "lightning conductors"), and may wear the undress tailcoat (without epaulettes).[2]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Uniforms and Badges of Rank at Royal Navy website". Archived from the original on 2 August 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2008.
- ^ "Naval Book of Reference, Annex 39A: RN Dress Tables" (PDF). Royal Navy. October 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
| NATO rank code | Student officer | OF-1 | OF-2 | OF-3 | OF-4 | OF-5 | OF-6 * |
OF-7 ** |
OF-8 *** |
OF-9 **** |
OF-10 ***** | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | O Cdt | Mid | SLt | Lt | Lt Cdr | Cdr | Capt | Cdre | RAdm (list) |
VAdm (list) |
Adm (list) |
Adm of the Fleet | |
| Royal Marines | O Cdt | 2Lt | Lt | Capt | Maj | Lt Col | Col | Brig | Maj-Gen | Lt-Gen | Gen (list) |
Capt-Gen | |
| Army | O Cdt | 2Lt | Lt | Capt | Maj | Lt Col | Col | Brig | Maj-Gen (list) |
Lt-Gen (list) |
Gen (list) |
Fd Mshl | |
| Royal Air Force | Off Cdt / SO | APO / Plt Off | Fg Off | Flt Lt | Sqn Ldr | Wg Cdr | Gp Capt | Air Cdre | AVM | Air Mshl | Air Chf Mshl (list) |
Mshl of the RAF | |