Admiral of the fleet

An admiral of the fleet (also known as fleet admiral or grand 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'.

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 in NATO nations as a five-star rank.

Admiral of the fleet is equivalent to an army field marshal. 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.

Etymology
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.

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


 * Admiral of the fleet (Australia)
 * Admiral flote (Croatia)
 * Großadmiral (Germany and Austria-Hungary)
 * Amiral (France)
 * Archinaúarchos, (Greece)
 * Admiral of the fleet (India)
 * Grande Ammiraglio (Italy)
 * Gensui (Imperial Japan)
 * Wonsu (South Korea)
 * Laksamana Armada (Malaysia)
 * Admiral of the fleet (Nigeria)
 * Admiraal (Netherlands)
 * Admiral of the fleet (New Zealand)
 * Admirał floty (Poland)
 * 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)
 * Admiral flote (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
 * Admiral of the fleet (United Kingdom)
 * Fleet admiral (United States)
 * Admiral of the Navy (United States) (1903-1917)
 * 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 a 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.

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 the navy successfully in and out of a war, criteria tougher than those for equivalent ranks. No one has ever been bestowed this rank yet in the republican era. During the period of the Ottoman Empire, commanders of the navy carried the rank of kapudan-i derya as equivalent.

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

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.