The military rank of commodore is used in some navies for officers who command more than one ship, but are not senior enough to be made admirals. Military rank, or simply rank, is a system of grading seniority and command within military organizations. ... A Navy is the branch of a countrys military forces principally designated for naval warfare, namely maritime or ocean-borne combat operations and other functions. ... Admiral is a word from either the Arabic term amir-al-bahr, or the Irish term Ard muirfhear or Ardmurar , both meaning commander of the seas. ...

Commodores begin the star ranks: In many navies they are known as One Star officers. (Admirals rank upwards with more stars.) Admiral is a word from either the Arabic term amir-al-bahr, or the Irish term Ard muirfhear or Ardmurar , both meaning commander of the seas. ...

Commodore derives from the French commandeur, which was one of the highest ranks in orders of knights. The Royal Netherlands Navy also used the rank of commandeur from the end of the 16th century and it was used for a variety of temporary positions until it was fixed as the lowest "flag officer" rank in 1955. The Royal Netherlands Air Force has adopted the British spelling of commodore for an equivalent rank. A silver statue of an armoured knight, created as a trophy in 1850 For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... The Royal Netherlands Navy (Koninklijke Marine) is the navy of the Netherlands. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Logo of the Royal Netherlands Airforce First F-16 deliverd to the Dutch Royal Airforce The Royal Netherlands Air Force is the aviation branch of the Netherlands defence forces. ...

Royal Navy

British Commodore Sleeve Rank

Use of the term "commodore" in the Royal Navy dates to the mid-17th century: it was first used in the time of William III. There was a need for officers to command squadrons, but it was not deemed desirable to create new admirals. Captains assigned squadron command were given this title, but it was not an actual rank. The officer so designated kept his place on the list of captains. In 1748 it was established that captains serving as commodores were equal to brigadier generals. British Commodore Stripe This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... British Commodore Stripe This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... William III and II (14 November 1650–8 March 1702; also known as William Henry and William of Orange) was a Dutch Prince of Orange from his birth, King of England and Ireland from 13 February 1689, and King of Scotland from 11 April 1689, in each case until his... Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. ... Events April 24 - A congress assembles at Aix-la-Chapelle with the intent to conclude the struggle known as the War of Austrian Succession - at October 18 - The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war Adam Smith begins to deliver public lectures in Edinburgh Building of... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...

The Royal Navy commodore eventually became split into two classes. Those of the first class had a captain under them to command their ship. Those of the second class commanded their own ship as well as the squadron. In 1783, commodores of the first class were allowed to wear the uniform of a rear admiral, a distinction which continued until the two classes of commodore were consolidated in 1958. In 1996 the rank of commodore was made a substantive rank in the Royal Navy: previously it had been merely a temporary rank, and commodores used to revert to the rank of captain at the end of their posting (and captains could be promoted directly to rear-admiral). The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Commodores first class, while wearing the sleeve stripes of a rear admiral, used to have distinctive gold epaulettes and shoulder boards with a crown, two stars and anchor. They flew a swallow-tailed pennant with the St George's cross, which is now flown by all commodores. Commodores second class wore a single broad ring of sleeve lace and blue instead of gold shoulder boards in tropical dress (and this is the insignia worn by modern commodores). Their pennant was distinguished from the first class commodore's by a single red ball in the upper hoist. The rank of commodore is not a flag rank in the Royal Navy. A pennant is usually a narrow tapering flag most commonly flown by ships at sea. ... The St Georges cross, a red cross on a white background, is the national flag of England and has been since about 1277. ... A flank rank is one of naval officer ranks that permit its holder to fly a flag to represent where he exercises his command. ...

Flight Lieutenant (pronounced as flight lef-tenant, see Lieutenant) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. ... A Squadron Leaders sleeve/shoulder insignia Squadron Leader is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... A Wing Commanders sleeve/shoulder insignia Wing Commander is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... Group Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... Air Commodore is the fourth most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the deactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... An Air Vice Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Vice Marshal is the third most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... This article is about the Royal Air Force rank. ... Air Chief Marshal is the most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... Marshal of the RAF sleeve/shoulder insignia Marshal of the Royal Air Force was the highest rank in the Royal Air Force. ...

United States Navy

19th century Commodore stripes

20th century Commodore insignia

Commodores of the United States Navy have had a more complicated history. Congress was unwilling to authorize any admirals in its service until 1862, so considerable importance was attached to the office of commodore. Like its Royal Navy counterpart, the American commodore was not a higher rank, but a temporary assignment for captains. As Herman Melville wrote in White Jacket, 1849, U.S. Old Commodore Stripes This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... U.S. Old Commodore Stripes This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... United States Commodore Insignia This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... United States Commodore Insignia This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... 1862 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, essayist, and poet. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

An American commodore, like an English commodore or a French chef d'escadre, is but a senior captain, temporarily commanding a small number of ships, detached for any special purpose. He has no permanent rank, recognized by government, above his captaincy; though once employed as a commodore, usage and courtesy unite in continuing the title.

The practice was not reserved to captains in the earlier days. Captain Isaac Hull, chafing at not being able to progress further in rank, wrote in 1814 that, if no admirals were to be authorized, something should be done to prevent "every midshipman that has command of a gunboat on a separate station taking upon himself the name of Commodore." 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Eventually the title of commodore was defined more strictly, and was reserved for captains so designated by the Navy Department, although the practice of retaining the title for life added some confusion. In 1857, Congress established the grade of Flag Officer. This generic title was intended "to promote the efficiency of the Navy," but differed little from the previous practice. Like the courtesy-title commodores, "flag officers" reverted to captain once their squadron command assignment was completed. 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Because of the acute need for officers at the beginning of the American Civil War, naval tradition was ignored and commodore became for the first time a permanent commissioned rank. Eighteen were authorized on July 16, 1862. The rank title also lost its "line command" status when, in 1863, the chiefs of the Bureaus of Medicine and Surgery, Provisions and Clothing, Steam Engineering, and Construction and Repair were given the rank of commodore. The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... 1862 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

The rank of commodore continued in the Navy until 1899, when the Naval Personnel Act made all commodores into rear admirals. The reason, according to Laws Relating to the Navy, 1919, was "... on account of international relationships, the consideration of which caused the Navy Department to regard the complications confronting it as inimical to the honor and dignity of this nation, because of the adverse effect upon its high ranking representatives in their association with foreign officers." US commodores were not being treated as flag-level officers by other navies, or given the respect the Navy Department thought was their due. 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

As it would have been expensive to increase the pay of all the former commodores to the level of Rear Admirals, Congress specified that the lower half of the Rear Admiral list have pay equal to Brigadier Generals of the Army. If there were an odd number of Rear Admirals, the lower half of the list was to be the larger. All Rear Admirals, upper or lower half, were equal to major generals, flew a flag instead of a broad pennant, and were entitled to a thirteen gun salute. The Supreme Court held that the rank of Commodore had been removed from the navy, leaving it without a rank equivalent to Brigadier General. This act disgruntled Brigadier Generals, who could now be outranked by officers who were their juniors in terms of service. This was a point of inter-service controversy, and in 1916 the army made its Brigadier Generals equivalent to Rear Admirals (lower half). Thus, Rear Admirals (upper half) were equal to Major Generals, and Brigadier Generals were equal to Rear Admirals (lower half), but Major Generals still out-ranked Brigadier Generals. The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ...

During the naval expansion during World War II, the Navy Department was concerned that the appointment of more flag officers would create a glut of admirals after the war. However, some captains were holding commands of higher responsibility, and needed to be recognized. Admiral Ernest King proposed bringing back the old rank of commodore for these officers. President Franklin D. Roosevelt agreed, though he specified that this rank be restricted to line officers. The Navy's one-star officer reappeared in April 1943. In practice, staff corps officers could also become commodores. By the end of the war, there were over one hundred commodores in service. Very few of the wartime commodores were promoted to rear admiral. Promotions to commodore ended in 1947, and all had left the navy by 1950. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King (November 23, 1878 - June 25, 1956) was the Commander in Chief of the United States Navy and Chief of Naval Operations during World War II. As such, he was Chester Nimitzs immediate superior but himself was subordinate to Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal. ... Seal of the President of the United States, official impression The President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The one star rank appeared again in 1982 with the title of Commodore Admiral. The next year, after numerous protests to the Chief of Naval Operations, Commodore Admiral was changed to simply Commodore. In 1985, Commodore had also begun to appear as a position title for senior Captains who commanded Destroyer Squadrons, Patrol Boat Flotillas, and Naval Aircraft Groups. To prevent confusion between the title of Commodore and the actual rank, the one star Navy admiral rank was changed to Rear Admiral (Lower Half). From that point on, Commodore remained a title and all Navy one star admirals were referred to as Rear Admiral (Lower Half). 1982 is a number and represents a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar Events January January 6 - William Bonin is convicted of being the freeway killer. January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British Prime... Commodore Admiral was a short lived military rank of the United States Navy that existed for less than 11 months during the year 1982. ... The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) is the senior military officer in the United States Navy. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Navy no longer maintains a rank of Commodore but the term has survived as a title. Modern-day Commodores are senior Captains in command of Destroyer/Cruiser Squadrons, Coastal Warfare Groups, and Aircraft Squadrons. Such officers are referred to, both verbally and in correspondence, as "Commodore," but wear the insignia of a Captain. Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. ...

German Navy

World War II Kommodore insignia

The German rank of Commodore (spelled Kommodore and pronounced Kahm-o-door-eh) originated as a title used by some Captains in World War I. A German Commodore could hold any naval rank between Lieutenant and Captain and the title of Commodore was held by those officers who held tactical control over more than one vessel. This was most common with U-Boat commanders in charge of several submarines that were assigned to a single task force. German Commodore Stripe File links The following pages link to this file: Commodore (rank) Categories: National Archives and Records Administration images ... German Commodore Stripe File links The following pages link to this file: Commodore (rank) Categories: National Archives and Records Administration images ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... A Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary or police officer. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... USS Los Angeles A submarine is a specialized watercraft that can operate underwater. ...

By World War II, Commodore had at last become an actual rank in the Kriegsmarine (German War Navy). The position was considered that of a senior Captain, with insignia being the shoulder boards of a Captain with one thick rank stripe on the sleeve. German Commodores also were permitted to wear greatcoat lapels and visor insignia of an Admiral but were not officially members of the German Admiralty. The World War II rank of Commodore existed in a grey zone of seniority, very similar to the Schutzstaffel (S.S.) rank of Oberführer. The Kriegsmarine (or War Navy) was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945, during the Nazi regime, superseding the Reichsmarine. ... Admiral is a word from either the Arabic term amir-al-bahr, or the Irish term Ard muirfhear or Ardmurar , both meaning commander of the seas. ... For other uses of the abbreviation SS, see SS (disambiguation) The Schutzstaffel (Protective Squadron), or SS, was a large paramilitary organization that belonged to the Nazi party. ... SS-Oberführer Collar Patch SA-Oberführer Collar Patch Oberführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party dating back to 1921. ...

After the fall of Nazi Germany, and the rebuilding of the Deutsche Marine (modern German navy), Commodore fell into disuse as a rank, effectively replaced by the Flotilla Admiral (Flottilenadmiral) which is the lowest flag rank. It reappeared as a title in the 1950s. In the modern age, a German Commodore is a senior Captain who holds the rank of Captain but holds such positions as a Naval Squadron Commander. Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... The Deutsche Marine is the present day German Navy, replacing both the East German Volksmarine and the West German Bundesmarine after the reunification of Germany in 1990. ... Flotilla Admiral is a rank above Captain in the modern navies of Germany and Belgium. ... Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ...

Merchant navies

Commodore is a title often held by an officer commanding a number of ships, or the senior captain within a shipping company. It is also a title held by the senior officer of many yacht clubs and boating associations.

Reference

• Originally based on text by Justin T. Broderick, Salt Lake City, Utah. [1] (http://users.sisna.com/justinb/cop.html) Used with permission. [2] (http://mail.wikipedia.org/pipermail/wikien-l/2003-October/007030.html)
• And on public domain information published by the US Navy.[3] (http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/triv4-5k.htm)

See also

• Air Commodore