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Rear Admiral

 
Rear Admiral

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Rear Admiral



 
 
Rear Admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore
Commodore (rank)

Commodore is a military rank used in many navy for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy Captain , but is less than that of a rear admiral....
 and Captain
Captain (naval)

Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navy to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The Naval officer ranks#NATO Rank Codes is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
, and below that of a Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral

Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. A Vice Admiral is typically senior to a Rear Admiral and junior to an Admiral....
. It is the lowest form of Admiral
Admiral

Admiral is the military rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral....
. In most armed forces it is referred to as a two-star rank.

It originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons and can trace its origins to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
. Each Naval Squadron would be assigned an admiral
Admiral

Admiral is the military rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral....
 as its head, who would command from the centre vessel and direct the activities of the squadron.






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Rear Admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore
Commodore (rank)

Commodore is a military rank used in many navy for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy Captain , but is less than that of a rear admiral....
 and Captain
Captain (naval)

Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navy to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The Naval officer ranks#NATO Rank Codes is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
, and below that of a Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral

Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. A Vice Admiral is typically senior to a Rear Admiral and junior to an Admiral....
. It is the lowest form of Admiral
Admiral

Admiral is the military rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral....
. In most armed forces it is referred to as a two-star rank.

It originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons and can trace its origins to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
. Each Naval Squadron would be assigned an admiral
Admiral

Admiral is the military rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral....
 as its head, who would command from the centre vessel and direct the activities of the squadron. The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice admiral
Vice Admiral

Vice Admiral is a naval rank equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. A Vice Admiral is typically senior to a Rear Admiral and junior to an 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 first and most-junior of the admiralty ranks of many navies.

In some European navies (e.g., that of France
French Navy

The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale , is the maritime arm of the French military. It consists of a full range of vessels, from patrol boats to guided missile frigates, and includes one nuclear aircraft carrier and ten nuclear submarines ....
), and in the Canadian Forces French rank translations, the rank of rear admiral is known as counter admiral
Counter Admiral

Counter Admiral is an Anglicisation of a naval military rank found in most navies of the world. This Anglicisation is, however, rarely used, as the rank is usually kept in the original language or translated to Rear Admiral or in the United States, Commodore ....
. In the Royal Netherlands Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy

The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands....
, this rank is known as schout-bij-nacht, (lit.: supervisor during night), denoting the role junior to the squadron admiral, and fleet admiral.

Australia

The Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the navy of the Australian Defence Force. Established in 1901, the RAN was formed out of the Commonwealth Naval Forces to become the small navy of Australia after federation, consisting of the former colonial navies of the new Australian states....
 maintains a rank of rear admiral; refer to Australian Defence Force ranks and insignia
Australian Defence Force ranks and insignia

The following image shows the badges of rank and special insignia for Officer and enlisted personnel in the Australian Defence Force three service branches....
.

Since the mid 1990s, the insignia of a Royal Australian Navy Rear Admiral is the crown of St Edward above a crossed sword and baton, above two silver stars, above the word "AUSTRALIA". Note that unlike other Commonwealth countries, the sword has a closed handle. The stars have eight points, unlike the four pointed Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a United Kingdom order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the medieval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements....
 stars used by the army (which are often referred to as "pips"). Prior to 1995, the RAN shoulder board was identical to the UK
Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain , and below that of a Vice Admiral. It is the lowest form of Admiral....
 shoulder board. (The UK shoulder board changed in 2001).

Canada

In the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces

The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces." This singular institution consists of thre...
, the rank of rear-admiral (RAdm) (contre-amiral or cam in French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
) is a Navy
Canadian Forces Maritime Command

Canadian Forces Maritime Command , also known as the Canadian Navy, is the navy of the Canadian Forces. While equal in rank and position, The Chief of the Maritime Staff takes precedence over the Chiefs of the Land and Air Staffs following the tradition of the Royal Navy....
 rank equal to a major-general of the Army
Canadian Forces Land Force Command

Land Force Command , often also called the Canada Army, is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces.The current size of Land Force Command is 19,500 regular soldiers and 16,000 reserve soldiers, for a total of around 35,500 soldiers....
 or Air Force
Canadian Forces Air Command

Canadian Forces Air Command , also known as the Canadian Air Force, is the air force element of the Canadian Forces. AIRCOM is the descendant of the Royal Canadian Air Force , which was Canada's air force from its foundation in 1924 until February 1, 1968....
. A rear-admiral is a flag officer
Flag Officer

A flag officer is a Officer who is senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to represent where he exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in a nation's navy, specifically those who hold the rank of Commodore or any of the admiral ranks....
, the naval equivalent of a general officer. A rear-admiral is senior to a commodore
Commodore (rank)

Commodore is a military rank used in many navy for officers whose position exceeds that of a navy Captain , but is less than that of a rear admiral....
 or brigadier-general, and junior to a vice-admiral or lieutenant-general.

The rank insignia for a rear-admiral is two gold maple leaves beneath crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by St Edward's Crown, worn on the shoulder straps of the Service Dress jacket, and on slip-ons on other uniforms. The Service Dress tunic also features a wide strip of gold braid around the cuff. On the visor of the service cap are two rows of gold oak leaves.

Rear-admirals are initially addressed by rank and name; thereafter by subordinates as "Sir" or "Ma'am", as applicable. Rear-admirals are normally entitled to staff car
Staff car

A staff car is a vehicle used by a senior military military officer, and is part of their country's white fleet. The term is most often used in relation to the United Kingdom where they were first used in quantity during World War I, examples being the Vauxhall Motors and Crossley Motors....
s.

Image:Navy sleeve RAdm.png|Dress uniform tunic Image:Navy slip-on RAdm.png|Uniform shirts Image:Navy shoulder board RAdm.png|shoulder boards for short-sleeve shirt and tropical white tunic Image:Navy olive RAdm.png|CADPAT uniform

Links Canadian Forces ranks and insignia
Canadian Forces ranks and insignia

This is a table of the ranks and insignia of the Canadian Forces. As the Canadian Forces are officially bilingual, the French language ranks are in italics....


India

Indian Navy also maintains a Rear Admiral post senior to Commodore and Captain posts and junior to Vice Admiral (and Admiral) posts.

United Kingdom

The Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 maintains a rank of rear admiral. Note that the rank of rear admiral is quite different from the honorary office Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom
Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom

The Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom is a now honorary office generally held by a senior Royal Navy admiral. Despite the title, the Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom is usually a full admiral....
.

United States


Vietnam

In Vietnam
Vietnam

Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
, the equivalent to Rear Admiral is the Chu?n Ðô d?c or Ð? d?cliterally "master of the rowboat".

See also