Captain at Sea
Encyclopedia
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
.
The equivalent in other navies is Ship-of-the-line Captain
Ship-of-the-Line Captain
Ship-of-the-line captain is a rank that appears in several navies...
or the naval rank of captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
in the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
and USA.
Germany
Captain at Sea (Kapitän zur See, KptzS/KZS) was and is the highest staff officer rank in the Kaiserliche MarineKaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
and the German Navy
German Navy
The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...
, corresponding to command of a ship-of-the-line or capital ship
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
. It is equivalent to Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
in the Bundeswehr
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
or to Flottenarzt/Oberstarzt, Flottenapotheker/Oberstapotheker and Oberstveterinär in the Zentraler Sanitätsdienst der Bundeswehr
Central Medical Services
The Bundeswehr's Joint Medical Service is a part of the German Armed Forces but explicitly no new branch of arms. Medical personnel of all three branches were assigned to a centralized authority which was installed to concentrate their capabilities. However these troops remain members of their...
.
Its rank insignia, worn on the sleeves and shoulders, are one five-pointed star above four gold stripes (without the star when rank loops are worn). It is grade B3 in the pay rules of the Federal Ministry of Defence
Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)
The Federal Ministry of Defence is a top-level federal agency, headed by the Federal Minister of Defence as a member of the Cabinet of Germany...
. Holders of the rank commanded or command capital ships and heavy cruisers, naval schools, and the staff-officer sections of all training-schools - even the Gorch Fock
Gorch Fock (1958)
The Gorch Fock is a tall ship of the German Navy . She is the second ship of that name and a sister ship of the Gorch Fock built in 1933. Both ships are named in honor of the German writer Johann Kinau who wrote under the pseudonym "Gorch Fock" and died in the battle of Jutland/Skagerrak in 1916...
is commanded by a Captain at Sea.
Netherlands
In the Royal Netherlands NavyRoyal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
the rank of Kapitein-ter-zee is the third grade of superior officer, equivalent to colonel in the land-forces. Its insignia is made up of four bands. He or she commands a capital ship
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
(cruiser, battleship or aircraft carrier) or a shore establishment (until recently, a Kapitein-ter-zee commanded the Onderzeedienst and Mijnendienst, the Netherlands Navy's submarine and mine-laying training establishments). Smaller vessels such as destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s and frigates are commanded by a Kapitein-Luitenant ter zee
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
.
Until recently flagships of the Netherlands Navy (such as Tromp class frigates) were also commanded by a Kapitein-ter-zee. Currently De Zeven Provinciën class frigate
De Zeven Provinciën class frigate
The De Zeven Provinciën class frigates are highly advanced air-defence and command frigates in service with the Koninklijke Marine . This class of ships is also known as LCF...
s are commanded by a kapitein-luitenant-ter-zee.