Captain

Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. The word came to English via French from the Latin capitaneus ("chief") which is itself derived from the Latin word for "head" (caput).

Naval

Captain is the name most often given to the naval rank (equivalent to NATO rank code OF-5) of a commissioned officer between Commander (OF-4) and Commodore or Rear Admiral (OF-6). The navy of Poland is however, a notable exception, with Comandor being OF-5. Naval officers below the rank of Captain who are assigned to command a ship are addressed as captain while aboard that ship, by nautical custom. A naval captain traveling aboard a vessel he does not command is never referred to by rank to avoid confusion with the nautical captain, who remains in charge of the entire ship (including the passengers who outrank the nautical captain).

Related Topics:
NATO rank code - Commissioned officer - Commander - Commodore - Rear Admiral - Poland

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Captains with field naval commands generally command ships of cruiser size or larger. The more senior the officer, the larger the ship. Commanders of aircraft carriers can be Rear Admiral, but generally, ship commanders are of Captain rank or lower. Also, many Captains are either retired or have desk jobs.

Related Topics:
Cruiser - Aircraft carrier - Rear Admiral

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