Captain

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A captain is the sixth lowest rank of commissioned officer in most naval organizations, and the third lowest rank (highest company grade rank) in marine or militia-based organizations.

Contents 1 Historical Context 1.1 Naval Use 1.2 Army/Marine Use 2 Starfleet Usage 3 Other Usage 3.1 Bajoran Defense Force Navy 3.2 Bajoran Defense Force Militia 3.3 Rikon Defense Force 4 See Also

Historical Context

Naval Use

From Latin, capitaneus, the head or chief. The evolution of the commanding officer of ships derives from the batsuen (boatswain) or the rector in the eleventh century; about 1300, the rank of captain came into general use. The master, although he sailed the ship, was of lower rank than the captain. In a British order in council in 1748, the relative rank was settled with the Army by dividing Navy captains into three grades. It was deemed at that time that any officer in command was entitled to the title of captain while in command, regardless of actual rank. All captains not eligible on the list for promotion to rear admiral were originally called "masters and commanders" and had "C" after their names. The rank was shortened to "commander" in 1794. The term "cdr." in the British Navy was used after the names of commanders in 1826. "Post captain," a term used in the Royal Navy and once used in the American Navy, distinguished captains commanding frigates from master commanders or commanders next in rank. There never was a commission of "post captain." In 1747, the rank of captain was first clearly defined in the British Navy. Captains who commanded post ships took rank, if of three years standing, with colonels in the Army. Until the year 1824, the Royal Navy list classed such captains as post captains. Until 1862, captain was the highest commissioned officer in the US Navy, and according to his duty, ranks with lieutenant colonel, colonel, or brigadier general.

Army/Marine Use

Prior to the professionalization of the armed services of European nations subsequent to the French Revolution, a captain was a nobleman who purchased the right to head a company from the previous holder of that right. He would in turn receive money from another nobleman to serve as his lieutenant. The funding to provide for the troops came from the monarch or his government; the captain had to be responsible for it. If he was not, or was otherwise court-martialed, he would be dismissed ("cashiered"), and the monarch would receive money from another nobleman to command the company. Otherwise, the only pension for the captain was selling the right to another nobleman when he was ready to retire.

Starfleet Usage

In Starfleet, captains serve as commanding officers of capital ships, such as heavy cruisers and battleships. They may also serve on admiralty staff as operations officers. The abbreviation for a Captain in Starfleet is CAPT, while a marine captain is abbreviated as CPT.

Starfleet used the following rank insignia to denote this rank of officer:

Period	2410-Present	2373-2410	2368-2373	2365-2373	2352-2365	2280-2352	2270-2280	2255-2270
Naval Insignia (O-6)
Marine Insignia (O-3)

Other Usage

Some military and paramilitary groups use the rank "captain" in their organizations:

Bajoran Defense Force Navy

Grade	Rank	Insignia (Sleeve)
O-6	Captain

Bajoran Defense Force Militia

Grade	Rank	Insignia (Collar/Shoulder)
O-3	Captain

Rikon Defense Force

Grade	Rank	Insignia (Shoulderboard)
O-6	Captain

See Also

• Starfleet Ranks

Starfleet Rank Structure
Grade	Enlisted		Training	Officer
1	PVT	CREC	MID4	2LT	ENS
2	PFC	CAPP	MID3	1LT	LTJG
3	LCPL	CRMN	MID2	CPT	LT
4	CPL	PO3	MID1	MAJ	LCDR
5	SGT	PO2	OC	LTCOL	CDR
6	SSGT	PO1		COL	CAPT CDRE
7	GYSGT	CPO		BRGEN	BADM
8	MSGT	SCPO		MAJGEN	RADM
9	MGYSGT SGTMAJ	MCPO		LTGEN	VADM
10	SGTMAJOS	MCPOS		GEN	ADM
11					GADM