Commodore (Cdre) is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air commodore in the Royal Air Force.
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A modern Commodore's rank insignia consists of a 45mm wide band of gold lace, with a circle of 13mm wide lace 45mm in diameter above. [1]
Some Commonwealth countries have replaced Commodore with an equivalent flag rank. The correct sleeve insignia for such a rank is a single 1.75-inch-wide (44 mm) row of gold lace below a gold lace curl with a diameter of 2 inches. The correct shoulder-board insignia comprises a crown (or national emblem for republics) with a crossed sword and baton on a gold lace-covered shoulder-board, however, there is some variation due to misconceptions about the status of stars in Commonwealth-style rank insignia. The rest of the uniform is identical to that of a Rear admiral.
Historically, Commodore was an appointment conferred on senior Captains and was split into two grades, Commodores First and Second Class. Typically a Commodore would command a number of ships, for example a destroyer squadron. A Commodore Second Class would command their own ship as well as the formation while a Commodore First Class would have a Flag captain to run his ship.
Commodores First Class, while wearing the sleeve stripes of a Rear admiral, had gold lace-covered epaulettes with a crown, two stars and an anchor (also worn by other Commodores but only with formal uniforms). They flew a swallow-tailed pennant with the St George's cross, but without the disc that appeared on the pennant of a Second Class Commodore.
Commodores Second Class wore a single 1.75-inch-wide (44 mm) row of lace below a ring (known in naval regulations as a curl) measuring 1.75 inches in diameter on both sleeve and shoulder-board. Their uniforms were otherwise the same as for Captains.
Modern Commodores wear the insignia previously worn by Commodores Second Class.
"Naval Service Uniform Regulations" (PDF). Fleet Publications and Graphics Organisation. May 2009. http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/upload/package/66/brd81book/ch03.pdf. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
| NATO rank code | Student Officer | OF-1 | OF-2 | OF-3 | OF-4 | OF-5 | OF-6 * |
OF-7 ** |
OF-8 *** |
OF-9 **** |
OF-10 ***** |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | 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 / SO | APO / Plt Off | Fg Off | Flt Lt | Sqn Ldr | Wg Cdr | Gp Capt | Air Cdre | AVM | Air Mshl | Air Chf Mshl | MRAF | |