Lieutenant Commander
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Common military ranks | ||
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Navies1 | Armies2 | Air Forces3 |
Admiral of the Fleet |
Field Marshal | Marshal of the Air Force |
Admiral | General | Air Chief Marshal |
Vice Admiral | Lt. General | Air Marshal |
Rear Admiral | Major General | Air Vice-Marshal |
Commodore | Brigadier | Air Commodore |
Captain | Colonel | Group Captain |
Commander | Lt. Colonel | Wing Commander |
Lt. Commander | Major | Squadron Leader |
Lieutenant | Captain | Flight Lieutenant |
Sub-Lieutenant | Lieutenant | Flying Officer |
Warrant Officer | Sergeant Major | Warrant Officer |
Petty Officer | Sergeant | Sergeant |
Leading Rate | Corporal | Corporal |
Seaman | Private | Aircraftman |
1 in the English-speaking world 2 also some Air Forces 3 In many Commonwealth countries |
Lieutenant Commander (Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Navy)[1] is a commissioned officer rank in many navies superior to a Lieutenant and subordinate to a Commander. The corresponding rank in most armies, (armed services) and air forces is Major, and in the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces is Squadron Leader also.
A Lieutenant Commander is a senior department officer on a large ship or shore installation. They may also be commanding officer or executive officer (second-in-command) of a smaller ship or installation.
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[edit] Origins
Lieutenants were commonly put in command of smaller vessels not warranting a Commander or Captain: such a Lieutenant was called a "Lieutenant Commanding" or "Lieutenant Commandant" in the United States Navy, and a "Lieutenant in Command" or "Lieutenant and Commander" in the Royal Navy. The USN settled on "Lieutenant Commander" in 1862, and made it a distinct rank; the RN followed suit in March 1914.
[edit] Royal Navy
The insignia worn by a Royal Navy Lieutenant-Commander (Lt Cdr) is two medium gold braid stripes with one thin gold stripe running in between, placed upon a navy blue/black background. The top stripe has the ubiquitous loop used in all RN officer rank insignia. The RAF follows this pattern with its equivalent rank of Squadron Leader.
Having fewer officer ranks than the army, the RN previously split some of its ranks by seniority (time in rank) to provide equivalence: hence a Lieutenant with fewer than eight years' seniority wore two stripes, and ranked with an army Captain; a Lieutenant of eight years or more wore two stripes with a thinner one in between, and ranked with a Major. This distinction was abolished when the rank of Lieutenant-Commander was introduced, the new rank taking the insignia and army equivalence of a senior Lieutenant.
Similar insignia is worn by Lieutenant-Commanders in other Commonwealth navies, such as the Royal Australian Navy (which uses the abbreviation "LCDR"), the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Canadian Forces Maritime Command (formerly the Royal Canadian Navy; which uses the abbreviation "LCdr"). Unlike the United States Navy, personnel in the Royal Navy or other Commonwealth Navies addressing a Lieutenant-Commander do not abbreviate the rank to "Commander."
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Student Officer | OF(D) | OF-1 | OF-2 | OF-3 | OF-4 | OF-5 | OF-6 | OF-7 | OF-8 | OF-9 | OF-10 | ||
Royal Navy | O Cdt | Mid | SLt | Lt | Lt Cdr | Cdr | Capt | Cdre | RAdm | VAdm | Adm | Adm of the Fleet | |
Royal Marines | 2Lt | Lt | Capt | Maj | Lt Col | Col | Brig | Maj-Gen | Lt Gen | Gen | |||
Army | O Cdt | 2Lt | Lt | Capt | Maj | Lt Col | Col | Brig | Maj-Gen | Lt Gen | Gen | FM | |
Royal Air Force | OC | APO / Plt Off | Fg Off | Flt Lt | Sqn Ldr | Wg Cdr | Gp Capt | Air Cdre | AVM | Air Mshl | Air Chf Mshl | MRAF |
[edit] Canada
[edit] United States
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Officer Candidate |
O-1 | O-2 | O-3 | O-4 | O-5 | O-6 | O-7 | O-8 | O-9 | O-10 | Special (wartime only) Inactive grade |
Special (post war honor only) |
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(no authorized insignia) | |||||||||||||
Air Force: | Cadet (CDT)/OT | 2nd Lt | 1st Lt | Capt | Maj | Lt Col | Col | Brig Gen | Maj Gen | Lt Gen | Gen | Gen of the Air Force | (no equivalent) |
Army: | CDT/OC | 2LT | 1LT | CPT | MAJ | LTC | COL | BG | MG | LTG | GEN | GA | General of the Armies |
Marine Corps: | Midn/Cand | 2ndLt | 1stLt | Capt | Maj | LtCol | Col | BGen | MajGen | LtGen | Gen | (no equivalent) | (no equivalent) |
Navy: | MIDN/OC | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | ADM | FADM | Admiral of the Navy |
Coast Guard: | CDT | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | ADM | (no equivalent) | (no equivalent) |
PHSCC: | (no equivalent) | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | ADM | (no equivalent) | (no equivalent) |
NOAA Corps: | (no equivalent) | ENS | LTJG | LT | LCDR | CDR | CAPT | RDML | RADM | VADM | (no equivalent) | (no equivalent) | (no equivalent) |
[edit] References
- ^ Uniforms and Badges of Rank (Web). U.K. Secretary of State for Defence (2006). Retrieved on 2007-07-19.