These are the official Royal Navy Officer ranks ordered by rank. These ranks are now part of the NATO/United Kingdom ranks, including modern and past.
Insignia Uniform insignia
The Royal Marines are part of His Majesty's Naval Service but use the same rank structure as the British Army, save for the field marshal rank. Officers in the Royal Marines wear the same rank insignia as their army counterparts but their insignia is smaller at in diameter. Commissioned officers below the rank of colonel wear the initials 'RM' below their rank insignia.
The major general rank since 1996 is the highest rank of the officer corps, but in the past, generals and lieutenant generals headed the Corps, and from 1857 to 1957 the Corps also had the unique ranks of colonel second commandant and colonel commandant. Rank insignia are on brown or dark blue shoulder boards in all dresses save for the combat and barracks duty dress uniforms. From 1911 to 1957 the officer corps even included warrant officers and commissioned warrant officers in the same way as the RN. Although the Royal Marines does not officially use the rank of field marshal, the Captain General Royal Marines, the ceremonial head of the corps, wears a field marshal's rank insignia.
Historical ranks in italic: Warrant officer Commissioned warrant officer Probationary second lieutenant Probationary lieutenant Ensign Second lieutenant Lieutenant Captain lieutenant Second captain Captain Junior major Senior major Major Lieutenant colonel Colonel Colonel second commandant Colonel commandant - replaced by 1957 with brigadier Brigadier - acting rank, an appointment for colonels. until 1997 Brigadier general - temporary appointment rather than substantive rank. used from 1913 to 1921 Major general Lieutenant general General
Distinguishing flags and broad pennants
When in command, Flag officers are to fly the distinguishing flag appropriate to their rank, whilst commodores in command are to fly a broad pennant. Officers entitled to fly such a flag afloat are also to fly their flag ashore at their headquarters or another designated location. Flag officers may hoist their flag whilst aboard any of His Majesty's Ships, whilst commodores may only fly their broad pennant aboard the ship to which they have been appointed.
Admirals of the fleet, former first sea lords and admirals who are or have been chief of the defence staff fly the Union Jack as their distinguishing flag whilst aboard one of His Majesty's Ships or establishments, even when not in a command appointment. The incumbent First Sea Lord flies the flag of an admiral, whilst the Second Sea Lord flies the flag appropriate to their rank.
+ Royal Navy distinguishing flags and broad pennantsAdmiral of the fleetAdmiralVice admiralRear admiralCommodore
General officers and brigadiers of the Royal Marines in a command appointment may fly a royal blue flag or pennant accorded to their rank when afloat in a small boat.
+ Royal Marines distinguishing flags and pennantsCommandant-generalGeneral or lieutenant-generalMajor-generalBrigadier
These officers of the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines may also fly a small car flag in a 2:3 ratio, sized , from the front of the bonnet of their car when on official duties and it is necessary for the car or its occupant to be recognised. The flag is not normally used on long journeys but may be hoisted when close to the destination. Officers below the rank of commodore and in command of a Royal Navy or Royal Marine training establishment may use the White Ensign as a car flag. Certain officers abroad, such as naval attachés, may also use the White Ensign as a car flag with the permission of the country's British ambassador or high commissioner.
Flag discs
Flag discs may be displayed when officers of flag rank and commodores do not wish to receive full ceremonial honours whilst travelling in a small boat. On formal occasions, a coloured disc with a white cross of St George may be used to receive the alert and salute only; a red disc is used by flag officers and commodores in command appointments instead of their distinguishing flag, whilst officers not in a command appointment, and therefore not entitled to hoist a distinguishing flag, display a blue disc. When embarked on naval aircraft, a blue disc may be displayed by entitled officers on formal occasions, but officers entitled to a red disc must instead use their distinguishing flag.
On informal occasions when these officers proceeding in a boat wish to receive a courtesy salute only, a white disc with five small black crosses is displayed. The Prince of Wales and other members of the Royal Family may display a royal badge instead of their personal standard in order to receive a courtesy salute only. The Sovereign does not display a flag disc and always flies the Royal Standard, receiving full ceremonial honours. Flag discs may not be displayed before colours, after sunset or on rigid-hull inflatable boats or inflatables.
+ Royal Navy flag discs Alert and salute only Courtesy salute onlyFlag officer orcommodore in commandOfficer of flag rank or commodoreOfficer of flag rank or commodorePrince of WalesMember of the Royal Family
Star plates Motor cars carrying officers of flag rank and commodores (and their equivalents in the Royal Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force) on official duties may bear a star plate, with the number of stars reflecting the rank of the officer. The plates must be covered when the officer is not in the vehicle. The colour of the star plate is royal blue for officers of the Royal Navy and red for officers of the Royal Marines, although officers in joint service appointments use a star plate in the joint service colours, which consists of three vertical bands of royal blue, red and air force blue.
+ Royal Navy star platesAdmiral of the fleetAdmiralVice admiralRear admiralCommodore
+ Royal Marines star platesGeneralLieutenant-generalMajor-generalBrigadier
History 18th and first half of the 19th century
Uniforms for naval officers were not authorised until 1748. At first the cut and style of the uniform differed considerably between ranks, and specific rank insignia were 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. See the link under title for this section.
Midshipmen received a white patch on the collar in 1758, the oldest badge still in use today.
Cuff stripes As the Royal Navy's ships became more and more based on steam power, and the grease and work necessary to maintain those systems, expensive gold bullion epaulets that dirtied easily became more and more impractical for daily duty. The modern system of gold rings on the cuffs originated on 11 April 1856. It had its antecedents in the previous uniforms of the 18th and 19th century, esp. those of 1827–1842. For the first time these were applied to all blue uniforms. Also, for the first time, the executive curl made its definitive appearance in the regulations.
Admiral of the fleet in below four inAdmiral in below three inVice admiral in below two inRear admiral and Commodore 1st class in below one inCommodore 2nd class four inCaptain three inCommander two inLieutenant one inMate one in braid
On 16 April 1861, mates were commissioned as sub-lieutenants and lieutenants were divided into those of over eight years seniority and those under. As a result, on 5 September 1861 the lower ranks' rings were changed: Commodore 2nd class inCaptain four inCommander three inLieutenant, over 8 years two inLieutenant, under 8 years one in
and on 25 March 1863 to: Commodore 2nd class inCaptain four inCommander three inLieutenant two inSub-lieutenant one in
On 30 October 1877, a lieutenant of eight years'/ seniority got an additional half-ring of in, increased to in in 1891, and in 1914 became the new rank of lieutenant commander.
In 1919, the admiral's narrow stripe was reduced to in, but as King George V had not approved the change, the Royal Family continued to wear the wider ring.
In 1931, all the in rings were all increased to in.
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 spacedMasters (after 1867) None 3 groups of 3 (on double breasted coat)Surgeons Red 3 groups of 3Pursers/accounting White 4 groups of 2Engineering (from 1853) Purple 2 groups of 4Instructors (from 1879) & schoolmasters (from 1917) Light blue 9 evenly spacedShipwrights (from 1918) 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.
Officers of the Royal Navy's Instructor Branch were distinguished by light-blue cloth worn between their gold sleeve-rank stripes. When the executive curl was extended to all officer branches in 1918, an Instructor Lieutenant (abbreviated Instr. Lt.) wore the ordinary lieutenant pattern of two gold stripes, with the upper stripe forming a curl, but with light-blue distinction cloth visible between the stripes. The light-blue branch colour was abolished with most other non-executive distinction colours in 1955, although the Instructor Branch rank titles remained in use afterwards; official notices continued to record instructor lieutenants and instructor lieutenant commanders during the 1970s.
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 uniform
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 on the left hand sleeve. Other Fleet Air Arm officers had a letter 'A' inside the curl.