Admiral of the navy

Hierarchy of naval officer ranks
Flag officers:
Admiral of the navy

Admiral of the fleet • Fleet admiral
General admiral • Grand admiral • Admiral
Squadron admiral • Flotilla admiral
Vice admiral • Lieutenant admiral
Rear admiral • Counter admiral
Commodore admiral • Schout-bij-nacht
Port admiral • Commodore
Senior officers:

Fleet captain • Post captain
Captain • Ship-of-the-line captain
Captain of sea and war • Captain at sea
Corvette captain • Commander
Frigate captain • Lieutenant commander
Junior officers:

Captain lieutenant • Flag lieutenant
Lieutenant • Ship-of-the-line lieutenant
Corvette lieutenant • Frigate lieutenant
Lieutenant (junior grade) • Sub-lieutenant
Ensign
Training officers:

Passed midshipman • Midshipman
Naval cadet

Admiral of the navy is a senior-most rank of a naval service.

Some navies use the term admiral of the navy as a title bestowed upon a fleet admiral or other senior naval official. During the Second World War, the German Kriegsmarine referred to the senior most grand admiral as an admiral of the navy, known in German as oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine.

George Dewey is the only American ever promoted to the U.S. rank of admiral of the navy. He was promoted on March 24, 1903, retroactive to March 2, 1899. In 1944 the U.S. Navy Department declared the newly created five-star rank of fleet admiral to be junior to George Dewey's rank.

See also