Rear admiral (Royal Navy)

Rear Admiral
Flag of a real admiral, Royal Navy.
The sleeve lace, of a Royal Navy rear admiral.
The stars, and shoulder boards, of a Royal Navy rear admiral.
Country  United Kingdom
Service branch
Abbreviation RADM
Rank two-star
NATO rank OF-7
Non-NATO rank 7
Next higher rank Vice Admiral
Next lower rank Commodore
Equivalent ranks Major-general, United Kingdom


Rear admiral (RAdm) is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It is immediately superior to commodore and is subordinate to vice admiral. It is a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7.

History

The rank originated in the days of naval sailing squadrons and each naval squadron would be assigned an admiral as its head. He would command from the centre vessel and direct the activities of the squadron. The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice 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 most-junior of the admiralty ranks of many navies.Prior to 1864 the Royal Navy was divided into colored squadrons which determined his career path. The command flags flown by Rear-Admiral changed a number of times during this period included.[1]

The Royal Navy rank of rear admiral should be distinguished from the office of Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom, which is an Admiralty position usually held by a senior (and possibly retired) "full" admiral.



Rank insignia and personal flag

Former command flags

See also

References

  1. ↑ Perrin, W. G. (William Gordon) (1922). "IV:Flags of Command". British flags, their early history, and their development at sea; with an account of the origin of the flag as a national device. Cambridge, England: Cambridge : The University Press. pp. 73–109.
  2. ↑ Refer UK DCI (Joint Service) 125/2001

Sources

  • Perrin, W. G. (William Gordon) (1922). "IV:Flags of Command". British flags, their early history, and their development at sea; with an account of the origin of the flag as a national device. Cambridge, England: Cambridge : The University Press.


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
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