Fleet Admiral (U.S.)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Fleet Admiral in the United States Navy is an admiral considered to be the equivalent of the United States Army's General of the Army. The United States rank of Fleet Admiral was created in 1944 and was held during and after World War II by the following officers:
| • | William Daniel Leahy | 15 December 1944, |
| • | Ernest Joseph King | 17 December 1944, |
| • | Chester William Nimitz | 19 December 1944, |
| • | William Frederick Halsey, Jr. | 11 December 1945. |
- Note the careful timing of the first three appointments. The dates of rank for the corresponding five-star generals are 16, 18, 20, and 21 December 1944, to establish both a clear order of seniority and a near-equivalence between the services.
The insignia for Fleet Admiral comprises five stars in a pentagon design with a thick rank strip, below four smaller stripes, on the service dress blue uniform.
A close contender to the rank of Fleet Admiral was Raymond A. Spruance; however, U.S. Representative Carl Vinson, a strong supporter of William F. Halsey, was reported to have on several occasions blocked the final promotion of Spruance to Fleet Admiral.[citation needed]
Since the close of the Second World War, there have been no additional Fleet Admirals appointed in the United States Navy. However, the rank still remains listed on official U.S. rank insignia precedence charts and could be reestablished at the discretion of the United States Congress. Some Navy documents, especially those teaching new sailors the rank structure, have stated that the rank officially expired upon the death of Fleet Admiral Nimitz in 1966. Its reenactment will require another act of Congress.
U.S. Naval tradition holds that the rank Admiral of the Navy is considered senior to that of Fleet Admiral. The only person to ever hold the rank of Admiral of the Navy was George Dewey. Dewey was awarded the rank after his service in the Spanish-American War.
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O-1 | O-2 | O-3 | O-4 | O-5 | O-6 | O-7 | O-8 | O-9 | O-10 | O-11 (wartime only) |
Special Grade |
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| Navy: | MIDN/OC | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | ADM | FADM | Admiral of the Navy |
| Marine Corps: | Midn | 2ndLt | 1stLt | Capt | Maj | LtCol | Col | BGen | MajGen | LtGen | Gen | (no equivalent) | (no equivalent) |
| Army: | CDT/OC | 2LT | 1LT | CPT | MAJ | LTC | COL | BG | MG | LTG | GEN | General of the Army |
General of the Armies |
| Air Force: | Cadet | 2nd Lt | 1st Lt | Capt | Maj | Lt Col | Col | Brig Gen | Maj Gen | Lt Gen | Gen | General of the Air Force |
(no equivalent) |
| Coast Guard: | CDT | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | ADM | (no equivalent) | (no equivalent) |
