Officers
Uniforms for naval officers were not authorized until 1748. At first the cut and style of the uniform differed considerably between ranks and specific rank insignia only sporadically used. By the 1790s, the Royal Navy's first established uniform regulations had been published.
Ranks could be indicated by embroidery on the cuffs, by arrangement of buttons or, after 1795, on epaulettes. However there was no consistent system and insignia might differ between uniforms, and were altered several times. Sometimes there was no specific indication of rank at all.
Midshipmen received a white patch on the collar in 1758, the oldest badge still in use today.
The modern system of gold rings on the cuffs originated on 11 April 1856. For the first time these were consistently applied to all blue uniforms.
| Admiral of the Fleet | 1 3⁄4in below four 5⁄8in |
| Admiral | 1 3⁄4in below three 5⁄8in |
| Vice admiral | 1 3⁄4in below two 5⁄8in |
| Rear admiral and Commodore 1st class | 1 3⁄4 in below one 5⁄8in |
| Commodore 2nd class | four 5⁄8in |
| Captain | three 1⁄2in |
| Commander | two 1⁄2in |
| Lieutenant | one 1⁄2in |
| Mate | one 1⁄4in braid |
On 16 April 1861 mates were commissioned as sub-lieutenants and lieutenants were divided into those of over 8 years seniority and those under.
In consequence on 5 September 1861 the lower ranks' rings were changed:
| Commodore 2nd class | 1 3⁄4in |
| Captain | four 1⁄2in |
| Commander | three 1⁄2in |
| Lieutenant, over 8 years | two 1⁄2in |
| Lieutenant, under 8 years | one 1⁄2in |
and on 25 March 1863 to:
| Commodore 2nd class | 1 3⁄4in |
| Captain | four 1⁄2in |
| Commander | three 1⁄2in |
| Lieutenant | two 1⁄2in |
| Sub-lieutenant | one 1⁄2in |
On 30 October 1877 a lieutenant of 8 years seniority got an additional half-ring of 3⁄16in, increased to 1⁄4in in 1891, and in 1914 became the new rank of Lieutenant commander.
In 1919 the admiral's narrow stripe was reduced to 1⁄2in, but as King George V had not approved the change, the Royal Family continued to wear the wider ring.
In 1931 all the 1⁄2in rings were all increased to 9⁄16in.
The curl was introduced in 1856, but initially only the military (or executive) and navigating (masters) branches wore it.
Other (civil) branches had plain rings, from 1863 with coloured distinction cloth between or below them. Until 1891 officers of the 'civil' branches had single-breasted coats with different arrangements of buttons.
| Branch | Distinction Cloth (1863–1955) |
Buttons (1832–1891) |
| Masters (until 1867) | Light Blue | 9 evenly spaced |
| Masters (after 1867) | None | 3 groups of 3 (on double breasted coat) |
| Surgeons | Red | 3 groups of 3 |
| Pursers/accounting | White | 4 groups of 2 |
| Engineering (from 1853) | Purple | 2 groups of 4 |
| Instructors (from 1879) & schoolmasters (from 1917) | Light Blue | 9 evenly spaced |
| Shipwrights (from 1884) | Silver Grey | |
| Wardmaster (medical assistants) (from 1918) |
Maroon till 1951, then salmon-pink | |
| Electrical (from 1918) | Dark Green | |
| Ordnance (1918–1950) | Dark Blue | |
| Dentists (from 1924) | Orange |
Engineer officers received the curl in 1915 and all other officers in 1918. At the same time they also received other things such as oak leaves on the peaked cap that had formerly been the prerogative of the military branch.
In 1955 it was announced that the distinction cloth worn between the stripes of officers of the non-executive branches of the Royal Navy was to be abolished, except for those who must be clearly recognisable as non-combatant under the Geneva Convention.
The residual use of distinction cloth for non-combatants is therefore:
- Scarlet - medical
- Orange - dental
- Salmon pink - wardmasters (to 1993)
- Silver grey - civilian officers from Royal Corps of Naval Constructors - RCNC
- Dark green - civilian officers when required to wear uniforma
From 1955 to 1993 there was a rank of acting sub-lieutenant, with the same rank insignia as a sub-lieutenant.
Naval pilots in the Fleet Air Arm (and earlier the Royal Naval Air Service) have wings above the curl. Other Fleet Air Arm officers had a letter 'A' inside the curl.
From 1795 rank badges could also be shown on epaulettes. The system changed several times, but after 1864 was as follows:
| Admiral of the Fleet | Crown, crossed batons, and four stars |
| Admiral | Crown, crossed baton & sword, and three stars |
| Vice admiral | Crown, crossed baton & sword, and two stars |
| Rear admiral | Crown, crossed baton & sword, and one (larger) star |
| Commodore & captain over three years | Crown, two stars, and foul anchor |
| Captain under 3 years | Crown, one star, and foul anchor |
| Commander | Crown and foul anchor |
| Lieutenant over eight years after 1914 Lieutenant Commander | Star and foul anchor |
| Lieutenant under 8 years | Foul anchor |
Sub-lieutenants and commissioned warrant officers wore scales (epaulettes without fringes, officially termed "shoulder straps") and the same device as a lieutenant.
Epaulettes of the military branch were gold throughout with silver devices, while those of the civil branches had a silver edging and gold devices. Instead of the baton and sword or foul anchor, civil branch epaulettes substituted a star. Navigating branch epaulettes were the same as the military branch, but with crossed plain anchors in place of the foul anchor. The epaulette stars had eight points, quite unlike the Order of the Bath stars worn by army officers.b
In 1891 the admiral of the fleet changed to a crown above two crossed batons within a wreath, similar to the badge of a field marshal.
Also in 1891 shoulder-straps were introduced for use on white uniforms and on the greatcoat, and more recently in "shirt sleeve order". For these commodores first class and above used the same badge as on their epaulettes, and commodores second class and below used their rank rings.
From 1926 only commodores had 2 stars, other captains one.
Epaulettes were not worn after 1939.
In 2001,c the shoulder boards on dress uniforms were changed and are currently:
| Admiral of the Fleet | Crown, 2 crossed batons within a wreath |
| Admiral | Crown, crossed baton & sword and 4 stars |
| Vice admiral | Crown, crossed baton & sword and 3 stars |
| Rear admiral | Crown, crossed baton & sword and 2 stars |
Read more about this topic: Royal Navy Officer Rank Insignia
Famous quotes containing the word officers:
“No officer should be required or permitted to take part in the management of political organizations, caucuses, conventions, or election campaigns. Their right to vote and to express their views on public questions, either orally or through the press, is not denied, provided it does not interfere with the discharge of their official duties. No assessment for political purposes on officers or subordinates should be allowed.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)
“Now for civil service reform. Legislation must be prepared and executive rules and maxims. We must limit and narrow the area of patronage. We must diminish the evils of office-seeking. We must stop interference of federal officers with elections. We must be relieved of congressional dictation as to appointments.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)