Lieutenant commander
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Lieutenant Commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr,
The NATO rank code is mostly OF-3.[6]
A Lieutenant Commander is a department officer or the executive officer (second-in-command) on many warships and smaller shore installations, or the commanding officer of a smaller ship/installation.[7] They are also department officers in naval aviation squadrons.
Etymology
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2022) |
Some navies address Lieutenant Commanders by their full rank or the positions they occupy ("captain" if in command of a vessel).
The United States Navy and British Royal Navy, however, addresses officers by their full rank or the higher grade of the rank. For example, oral communications in formal and informal situations, a Vice-Admiral is abbreviated as "Admiral" and a Lieutenant Commander is abbreviated as "Commander.".[8]
Two famous examples of this are Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, who even today is commonly referred to as “Admiral Nelson”, and Lieutenant Commander Lionel Crabb (a celebrated Second World War Diver) who in conversation, biopics, Admiralty correspondence and even statements in Parliament by the Prime Minister is almost invariably referred to as “Commander Crabb”.[9]
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", "lieutenant and commander", or "senior lieutenant" 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.[10]
Canada
In the
United Kingdom
The insignia worn by a
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 ostensibly abolished when the rank of lieutenant commander was introduced, although promotion to the latter rank for officers on a full career commission (FCC) was automatic following accumulation of eight years' seniority as a lieutenant. Automatic promotion was stopped at the start of the 21st Century and promotion is now only awarded on merit.
Royal Observer Corps
Throughout much of its existence, the British Royal Observer Corps (ROC) maintained a rank of observer lieutenant commander. The ROC wore a Royal Air Force uniform and their rank insignia appeared similar to that of an RAF squadron leader except that the stripes were shown entirely in black. Prior to the renaming, the rank had been known as observer lieutenant (first class).
United States
In the
Within the U.S. Navy, lieutenant commanders are listed as
Gallery
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Lieutenant commander
(Barbados Coast Guard) -
Lieutenant commander
(Belize Coast Guard) -
Lieutenant commander
(Republic of Fiji Navy) -
Lieutenant commander
(Gambian Navy) -
Lieutenant commander
(Ghana Navy) -
Lieutenant commander
(Guyanese Coast Guard) -
Lieutenant commander
(Jamaican Coast Guard)[20] -
Lieutenant commander
(Papua New Guinea Maritime Element) -
Lieutenant commander
(Saint Kitts and Nevis Coast Guard) -
Lieutenant commander
(Sierra Leone Navy) -
Lieutenant commander
(Tanzania Naval Command) -
Lieutenant commander
(Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard)[34] -
Lieutenant commander
(Vanuatu Maritime Wing)
References
- ^ "Triservice Officers Pay and Grade" (PDF). UK Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ^ "A Dane giving the orders". Admiral Danish Fleet. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ^ "US Navy Ranks". United States Navy. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
- ^ "Uniform Ranks". Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Royal Canadian Navy ranks and badges". Department of National Defence (Canada). 2023-08-30. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ^ a b "NATO Standard Agreement (STANAG) 2116: NATO Codes for Grades of Military Personnel". NATO standardization agreement (5 ed.). NATO Standardization Agency (published 25 February 2010). 13 March 1996. Archived from the original on 1 September 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ "United States Navy - O-4 Lieutenant Commander". FederalPay.org. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- U.S. Navy. 22 Aug 2002. Archived(PDF) from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
- ^ "THE CASE OF COMMANDER CRABB (Hansard, 14 May 1956)".
- ^ "Lieutenant Commander mokong Ibana". Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
- ^ "United States Department of Defense". www.defenselink.mil. Archived from the original on 30 December 2004. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
- ^ Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force. "Paratus" (PDF). Regional Publications Ltd. pp. 12–13. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Badges of rank" (PDF). defence.gov.au. Department of Defence (Australia). Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ "OFFICER RANKS". rbdf.gov.bs. Royal Bahamas Defence Force. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "Ranks and appointment". canada.ca. Government of Canada. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ "BADGES OF RANK". Official Jamaica Defence Force Website. 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ "Pakāpju iedalījums". mil.lv/lv (in Latvian). Latvian National Armed Forces. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ "Defense Act of 2008" (PDF). 3 September 2008. p. 8. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ "Karių laipsnių ženklai" [Marks of soldiers]. kariuomene.kam.lt (in Lithuanian). Ministry of National Defence (Lithuania). Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ "Pangkat". mafhq.mil.my (in Malay). Malaysian Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "Government Notice" (PDF). Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia. Vol. 4547. 20 August 2010. pp. 99–102. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "Badges of Rank". nzdf.mil.nz. New Zealand Defence Force. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- LCCN 92009026. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ "Grade militare (Military ranks)". defense.ro (in Romanian). Romanian Defence Staff. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Tonga Defence Services (Amendment) Regulations 2009" (PDF). Tonga Government Gazette Supplement Extraordinary. 5: 151–153. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ^ "Rank Chart (Commissioned Officers)". 69.0.195.188. Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ Department of Defense. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- Media related to Lieutenant Commanders at Wikimedia Commons