Commander As A Naval Rank
| Hierarchy of naval officer ranks |
| Flag officers: |
|---|
| Admiral of the navy Admiral of the fleet • Fleet admiral |
| Senior officers: |
|
Fleet captain • Post captain |
| Junior officers: |
|
Captain lieutenant • Flag lieutenant |
| Training officers: |
|
Passed midshipman • Midshipman |
Commander is a rank used in navies but is very rarely used as a rank in armies (except in special forces where it designates the team leader). The title (originally "master and commander") originated in the 18th century to describe naval officers who commanded ships of war too large to be commanded by a Lieutenant but too small to warrant the assignment of a post-captain, or (before about 1770) a sailing-master; the commanding officer served as his own Master. In practice, these were usually unrated sloops-of-war of no more than 20 guns. The Royal Navy shortened "master and commander" to "commander" in 1794; however, the term "master and commander" remained (unofficially) in common parlance for several years. The equivalent American rank master commandant remained in use until changed to commander in 1838. A corresponding rank in some navies is frigate captain. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the rank has been assigned the NATO rank code of OF-4.
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Famous quotes containing the words commander, naval and/or rank:
“A commander in the field must sometimes go against the king’s orders.”
—Chinese proverb.
“It is now time to stop and to ask ourselves the question which my last commanding officer, Admiral Hyman Rickover, asked me and every other young naval officer who serves or has served in an atomic submarine. For our Nation M for all of us M that question is, “Why not the best?””
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)
“Do not use your rank to degrade others, nor use your cleverness to deceive others.”
—Chinese proverb.