Common military ranks
Officers
Navies	Armies	Air forces
Generalissimo
Admiral of the Fleet	Marshal / Field Marshal	Marshal of the Air Force
Admiral	General	Air Marshal
Commodore	Brigadier	Air Commodore
Captain	Colonel	Group Captain
Commander	Lt. Colonel	Wing Commander
Lt. Commander	Major / Commandant	Squadron Leader
Lieutenant	Captain	Flight Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Flying Officer
Ensign	2nd Lieutenant	Pilot Officer
Midshipman	Officer Cadet	Officer Cadet
Seamen, soldiers and airmen
Warrant Officer	Sergeant Major	Warrant Officer
Petty Officer	Sergeant	Sergeant
Leading Seaman	Corporal	Corporal
Seaman	Private	Aircraftman

An Admiral of the Fleet or Fleet Admiral is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments. It is usually a rank above Admiral, (which is now usually the highest rank in peace-time for officers in active service), and is often held by the most senior Admiral of an entire naval service. It is also a generic term for a senior Admiral in command of a large group of ships, comprising a fleet or, in some cases, a group of fleets. If actually a rank its name can vary depending on the country. In addition to 'Fleet Admiral' and 'Admiral of the Fleet', such rank names include, Admiral of the Navy and Grand Admiral.^[1] It ranks above Vice Admiral, Rear Admiral and usually full Admiral, and is usually given to a senior Admiral commanding multiple fleets as opposed to just one fleet. It is often classified as a '5 star rank'.

Admiral of the Fleet is equivalent to an army Field Marshal or General of the Army (which both rank above General). It is also equivalent to a Marshal of the Air Force which in many countries has a similar rank insignia to Admiral of the Fleet.

The title Admiral of the Fleet can trace its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title was typically granted to a nobleman who was appointed by a monarch to raise and command a navy for a specific campaign.

Contents 1 Usage in specific countries 2 Other countries 3 Fictional 4 References and notes

[edit] Usage in specific countries

The following articles contain specific information on the rank as it pertains to individual countries:

• Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Australian Navy)
• Admiral flote (Croatia)
• Großadmiral (Germany and Austria-Hungary)
• Archinaúarchos, (Greece)
• Admiral of the Fleet (India)
• Grande Ammiraglio (Italy)
• Gensui (Imperial Japan)
• Wonsu (South Korea)
• Laksamana (Malaysia)
• Admiral of the Fleet (Nigeria)
• Admiral (Netherlands)
• Admiral of the Fleet (Royal New Zealand Navy)
• Almirante da Armada (Portugal)
• Admiral of the Fleet (Russia)
  • Admiral of the Fleet (USSR)
  • Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union
• Capitán General de la Armada (Spain)
• Chom Phon Ruea (Thailand)
• Büyük Amiral (Turkey) see below
• Admiral flote (SFRY)
• Admiral of the Fleet (United Kingdom)
• Fleet Admiral (United States)

• Mushir (Middle East)

Ambiguity exists when translating the French Amiral into English (into Admiral of the Fleet or Admiral). A French title of Amiral de la flotte, outranking an full Admiral was invented in 1939 for Darlan, who was the only person in French history to hold that title.

Before the fall of the monarchy in 1952, the Egyptian Navy had the equivalent rank of Sayed Elbehar Elazam.

The associated list of Fleet and Grand Admirals provides a summary of those who have held the rank of Fleet Admiral, or its equivalent.

In the Turkish Navy, the corresponding rank Büyük Amiral, literally meaning "Grand Admiral", can only be bestowed by the National Assembly, and only given to an Admiral who leads an army successfully into and out of a war, criteria tougher than those for equivalent ranks, and no one has ever been bestowed this rank yet.

[edit] Other countries

The rank also exists or has existed (on paper at least) in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Oman and Pakistan, although not all of these countries have actually ever bestowed the rank on an individual.

[edit] Fictional

The following articles contains information about fictional Fleet Admirals:

• Fleet Admiral (science fiction)
  • Fleet Admiral (Star Trek)
• Fleet Admiral Yang Wen-li (Legend of the Galactic Heroes)
• Admiral of the Fleet Horatio Hornblower
• Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood (Halo series).

[edit] References and notes

• Francis E. McMurtrie and Raymond V.B. Blackman (editors), Jane's Fighting Ships 1949-50. New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1949.

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