Rear admiral (Royal Navy)


Rear admiral 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.
The equivalent rank in the British Army and Royal Marines is major-general; and in the Royal Air Force, it is air vice-marshal.

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.
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 "full" admiral.

Rank insignia and personal flag

Former command flags