140:
43:
530:
distinguished between commanders and post-captains of various seniorities. A commander wore a single epaulette on the left shoulder. A post-captain with less than three years' seniority wore a single epaulette on the right shoulder, and a post-captain with three or more years seniority wore an
484:
or a comparable ship, while more senior post-captains would command larger ships. An exception to this rule was that a very junior post-captain could be posted to command an admiral's flagship, which was almost always a large
531:
epaulette on each shoulder. In the O'Brian series, Aubrey "wets the swab" – that is, he celebrates his promotion to commander and the acquisition of his "swab" or epaulette with the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol.
447:
In the Royal Navy of the 18th and 19th centuries, an officer might be promoted from commander to captain, but not have a command. Until the officer obtained a command, he was "on the beach" and on
489:. The admiral would usually do this to keep his most junior captain under close observation and subject to his direct supervision. Captains commanding an admiral's flagship were called "
455:– that is, a ship too important to be commanded by a mere commander – but was occasionally an unrated one. Once a captain was given a command, his name was "posted" in
523:", and would serve as the admiral's chief-of-staff. These two captains would be listed in the ship's roll as the "second captain" and "first captain", respectively.
469:. Once an officer was promoted to post-captain, further promotion was strictly by seniority; if he could avoid death or disgrace, he would eventually become an
427:, who received the title of captain as a courtesy, whether they currently had a command or not (e.g. the fictional Captain Jack Aubrey in
382:
107:
494:
79:
126:
451:. An officer "took post" or was "made post" when he was first commissioned to command a vessel. Usually this was a
86:
614:
429:
547:
474:
452:
505:
64:
511:
Sometimes, a high-ranking admiral would have two post-captains on his flagship. The junior would serve as the
93:
60:
17:
326:
75:
421:
Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) addressed as captain regardless of rank;
439:
461:. Being "made post" is portrayed as the most crucial event in an officer's career in both Forester's
336:
375:
280:
599:
53:
538:
was descriptive only. It was never used as a title in the manner of "Post-Captain John Smith".
526:
After 1795, when they were first introduced on Royal Navy uniforms, the number and position of
424:
260:
204:
572:
515:
and retain responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the vessel. The senior would be the
466:
520:
407:
316:
164:
31:
100:
8:
498:
368:
346:
462:
457:
434:
331:
311:
219:
194:
321:
486:
295:
234:
229:
224:
189:
290:
250:
214:
179:
576:
341:
255:
608:
516:
351:
270:
169:
512:
490:
265:
209:
199:
184:
155:
139:
411:
356:
552:
527:
417:
The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:
285:
42:
448:
481:
470:
174:
573:"The London Gazette – Treasure Trove of Historical Information"
67:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
606:
406:is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of
480:A junior post-captain would usually command a
493:". One example of this is the appointment of
376:
600:National Maritime Museum Uniform Collection
383:
369:
27:Obsolete rank of captain in the Royal Navy
127:Learn how and when to remove this message
138:
14:
607:
65:adding citations to reliable sources
36:
143:A 1807 depiction of a post-captain.
30:For the Patrick O'Brian novel, see
24:
504:, flagship of his cousin, Admiral
25:
626:
593:
41:
548:Rating system of the Royal Navy
52:needs additional citations for
565:
443:); this custom is now defunct.
13:
1:
558:
7:
541:
327:Ship-of-the-line lieutenant
10:
631:
440:Hornblower and the Hotspur
29:
433:or the fictional Captain
281:Ship-of-the-line captain
615:Royal Navy appointments
337:Lieutenant junior-grade
261:Captain of sea and war
205:Admiral-superintendent
144:
467:Aubrey-Maturin series
465:series and O'Brian's
142:
521:captain of the fleet
430:Master and Commander
317:Lieutenant commander
165:Admiral of the fleet
61:improve this article
32:Post Captain (novel)
347:Corvette lieutenant
150:Naval officer ranks
497:to the command of
463:Horatio Hornblower
458:The London Gazette
435:Horatio Hornblower
332:Frigate lieutenant
312:Captain lieutenant
220:Divisional admiral
195:Lieutenant admiral
145:
393:
392:
137:
136:
129:
111:
16:(Redirected from
622:
587:
586:
584:
583:
569:
487:ship of the line
473:(even if only a
385:
378:
371:
296:Corvette captain
235:Schout-bij-nacht
230:Flotilla admiral
190:Squadron admiral
147:
146:
132:
125:
121:
118:
112:
110:
69:
45:
37:
21:
630:
629:
625:
624:
623:
621:
620:
619:
605:
604:
596:
591:
590:
581:
579:
571:
570:
566:
561:
544:
506:Sir Samuel Hood
389:
304:Junior officers
291:Frigate captain
243:Senior officers
215:Counter admiral
180:General admiral
133:
122:
116:
113:
70:
68:
58:
46:
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
628:
618:
617:
603:
602:
595:
594:External links
592:
589:
588:
577:London Gazette
563:
562:
560:
557:
556:
555:
550:
543:
540:
495:Alexander Hood
475:yellow admiral
445:
444:
422:
391:
390:
388:
387:
380:
373:
365:
362:
361:
360:
359:
354:
349:
344:
342:Sub-lieutenant
339:
334:
329:
324:
319:
314:
306:
305:
301:
300:
299:
298:
293:
288:
283:
278:
273:
268:
263:
258:
256:Captain at sea
253:
245:
244:
240:
239:
238:
237:
232:
227:
222:
217:
212:
207:
202:
197:
192:
187:
182:
177:
172:
167:
159:
158:
152:
151:
135:
134:
76:"Post-captain"
49:
47:
40:
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
627:
616:
613:
612:
610:
601:
598:
597:
578:
574:
568:
564:
554:
551:
549:
546:
545:
539:
537:
532:
529:
524:
522:
518:
517:fleet captain
514:
509:
507:
503:
502:
496:
492:
491:flag captains
488:
483:
478:
476:
472:
468:
464:
460:
459:
454:
450:
442:
441:
436:
432:
431:
426:
423:
420:
419:
418:
415:
413:
409:
405:
401:
397:
386:
381:
379:
374:
372:
367:
366:
364:
363:
358:
355:
353:
350:
348:
345:
343:
340:
338:
335:
333:
330:
328:
325:
323:
320:
318:
315:
313:
310:
309:
308:
307:
303:
302:
297:
294:
292:
289:
287:
284:
282:
279:
277:
274:
272:
271:Fleet captain
269:
267:
264:
262:
259:
257:
254:
252:
249:
248:
247:
246:
242:
241:
236:
233:
231:
228:
226:
223:
221:
218:
216:
213:
211:
208:
206:
203:
201:
198:
196:
193:
191:
188:
186:
183:
181:
178:
176:
173:
171:
170:Grand admiral
168:
166:
163:
162:
161:
160:
157:
156:Flag officers
154:
153:
149:
148:
141:
131:
128:
120:
109:
106:
102:
99:
95:
92:
88:
85:
81:
78: –
77:
73:
72:Find sources:
66:
62:
56:
55:
50:This article
48:
44:
39:
38:
33:
19:
580:. Retrieved
567:
536:post-captain
535:
533:
525:
513:flag captain
510:
500:
479:
456:
453:rated vessel
446:
438:
428:
416:
403:
400:post captain
399:
396:Post-captain
395:
394:
276:Post-captain
275:
266:Flag captain
210:Port admiral
200:Rear admiral
185:Vice admiral
123:
114:
104:
97:
90:
83:
71:
59:Please help
54:verification
51:
18:Post captain
404:postcaptain
582:2011-05-30
559:References
528:epaulettes
425:Commanders
412:Royal Navy
357:Midshipman
322:Lieutenant
87:newspapers
553:Post-ship
534:The term
286:Commander
225:Commodore
609:Category
542:See also
501:Barfleur
449:half-pay
117:May 2016
482:frigate
471:admiral
410:in the
408:captain
251:Captain
175:Admiral
101:scholar
519:, or "
352:Ensign
103:
96:
89:
82:
74:
402:, or
108:JSTOR
94:books
499:HMS
80:news
477:).
437:in
63:by
611::
575:.
508:.
414:.
398:,
585:.
384:e
377:t
370:v
130:)
124:(
119:)
115:(
105:·
98:·
91:·
84:·
57:.
34:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
