Captain (United States O-6)

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Captain
The insignia, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes of a U.S. Navy captain
Country United States of America
AbbreviationCAPT
RankCaptain
NATO rank codeOF-5
Non-NATO rankO-6
Next higher rankRear admiral (lower half)
Next lower rankCommander
Equivalent ranksColonel (United States Army, Marine Corps, Space Force and Air Force)
U.S. Coast Guard Captain Jessica Rozzi-Ochs of USCGC Eagle, left, and U.S. Navy Commander Billie J. Farrell of USS Constitution, right, were the first female commanding officers of their respective ships.
Navy submarine captain Michael Bernacchi, serving as a chief of staff to a flag officer

In the

commissioned officer rank below that of flag officer (i.e., admirals). The equivalent rank is colonel in the United States Army, Air Force, Space Force, and Marine Corps
.

Reflecting its nautical heritage, the term

) usually use the less formal title "skipper".

Insignia

  • USN, USCG, USPHSCC, and NOAACOC collar, cover (hat), or shoulder rank insignia (on select uniforms)
    USN, USCG, USPHSCC, and NOAACOC collar, cover (hat), or shoulder rank insignia (on select uniforms)
  • The eagle, shoulder boards, and dress blue sleeve stripes of a U.S. Navy captain (Line officer)
    The eagle, shoulder boards, and dress blue sleeve stripes of a U.S. Navy captain
    (Line officer)
  • The eagle, shoulder boards, and dress blue sleeve stripes of a U.S. Coast Guard captain
    The eagle, shoulder boards, and dress blue sleeve stripes of a U.S. Coast Guard captain
  • The eagle, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes (dress blues + female dress whites) of a USPHS captain
    The eagle, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes (dress blues + female dress whites) of a USPHS captain
  • The eagle, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes (dress blues + female dress whites) of a NOAA Corps captain
    The eagle, shoulder boards, and sleeve stripes (dress blues + female dress whites) of a NOAA Corps captain

U.S. Navy

In the

Naval Flight Officer Astronaut, unrestricted line officer captains in the Navy will have successfully completed at least one commanding officer assignment at the commander (O-5) level, typically a destroyer or frigate for surface warfare officers, a nuclear-powered attack submarine or ballistic missile submarine
for submarine warfare officers, a SEAL team for special warfare officers, or an aviation squadron for Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers, before being selected for promotion to captain. All those selected to the rank of captain by the U.S. Navy are confirmed by the United States Senate.

Navy captains with sea commands in the

surface warfare officer community generally command ships of cruiser size or larger; the larger the ship, the more senior the commanding officer. Others may hold command as commodores
of destroyer squadrons (DESRON) consisting of multiple destroyers and frigates. Surface Warfare Officers may also command large deck amphibious warfare ships or combat support ships, or serve as commodores of amphibious squadrons (PHIBRON) or other type of surface ship squadrons.

In the submarine community, a captain typically commanded a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) until the early 21st century, when the requisite rank for the position was downgraded to commander. Today, like their surface warfare counterparts, captains in the submarine community may serve as commodores of submarine squadrons (SUBRON), commanding a group of SSBNs or attack submarines (SSN).

In

).

In the Naval Special Warfare "Sea Air Land" (SEAL) community, captains with sea commands are typically commodores in command of Naval Special Warfare Groups (NAVSPECWARGRU).

In contrast, commanders of aircraft carrier strike groups (CSG) and expeditionary strike groups (ESG) are normally

Marine Expeditionary Unit
(MEU) commanding officer will always be a Marine Corps colonel. Adding to the confusion, all commanding officers of commissioned U.S. Navy warships and submarines (e.g., USS or "United States Ship") are called "captain" regardless of actual rank.

Navy captains who are line officers may also fill senior command and staff positions ashore as Chiefs of Staff/Executive Assistants or senior operations officers to

Joint Staff
.

As opposed to unrestricted line captains, restricted line and staff corps captains will command facilities and organizations appropriate to their designators, such as intelligence centers commanded by intelligence officers; naval aviation depots/fleet readiness centers commanded by aeronautical engineering duty officers; naval hospitals commanded by

Supply Corps (SC) officers; Construction Battalions or civil engineering centers by Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) officers; or region legal service offices, trial service offices, or defense service offices commanded by Judge Advocate General's Corps
(JAGC) officers..

U.S. Coast Guard

The

and aviators commanding Coast Guard air stations. Coast Guard captains will also command all types of major Coast Guard shore installations and activities, as well as serve as chiefs of staff / executive assistants, senior operations officers, and other senior staff officers for Coast Guard flag officers. The Coast Guard has no staff corps officers.

Like the U.S. Navy, all commanding officers of commissioned cutters (e.g., USCGC or "United States Coast Guard Cutter") are addressed as "captain" regardless of their actual rank.

U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and NOAA Corps

In the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps), captains are senior non-combatant officers that serve as directors or ranking supervisors in their respective uniformed services. Seagoing NOAA Corps captains command certain National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) ships, while NOAA Corps aviators command NOAA flight operations activities. USPHS rapid-deployment force teams, containing 105 USPHS physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals, are commanded exclusively by USPHS Commissioned Corps captains.

U.S. Maritime Service

Although it exists largely as a maritime training organization, the United States Maritime Service also uses the rank of captain. Even though the Maritime Service is an auxiliary service, the grade is appointed by the President via the Secretary of Transportation, making it a federally recognized rank with corresponding pay grade of O-6.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Naval History and Heritage Command - Navy Captain". History.navy.mil. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2021.