In the

uniformed services of the United States The United States has eight federal uniformed services that Officer (armed forces), commission officers as defined by Title 10 of the United States Code, Title 10 and subsequently structured and organized by Titles Title 10 of the United States ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

is a commissioned-officer rank. In keeping with the traditions of the

militaries A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

of most nations, the rank varies between the services, being a senior rank in the naval services and a junior rank in the ground and air forces. Many fire departments and police departments in the United States also use the rank of captain as an officer in a specific unit.

Usage

For the naval rank, a captain is a senior officer of

U.S. uniformed services pay grades Pay grades are used by the eight structurally organized uniformed services of the United States (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps), ...

O-6 (the sixth officer rank), typically commanding seagoing vessels, major aviation commands and shore installations. This rank is used by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, and the U.S. Maritime Service. Seaborne services of the United States and many other nations refer to the officer in charge of any seagoing vessel as "captain" regardless of actual rank. For instance, in the civilian

United States Merchant Marine The United States Merchant Marine is an organization composed of United States civilian sailor, mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of ...

, the commander of a vessel is also referred to as a captain, and everyone in his boat must abide by his commands. While not an official rank, as in military pay grade, it is an official title. One exception to the rule is when an officer of higher rank than captain, such as admiral, is the officer in charge of one or more seagoing vessel(s), such as a carrier battle group. An admiral is never referred to as "captain". In the seaborne services, especially for submarine and aviation commands, the commanding officer is often referred to informally as " skipper" whether the officer is a captain or below. For the ground and air forces rank, a captain is of pay grade O-3 (the third officer rank), usually serving as the commander of a company-sized unit in the ground forces, as a flight leader or other squadron officer in air units, or serving as an executive officer or staff officer for a larger unit such as a

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

or squadron. This rank is used by the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Marine Corps. The rank of captain is also used in other organizations outside the military, particularly in fire departments, police, and law enforcement. US Air Force O3 shoulderboard.svg,

U.S. Air Force

File:Army-USA-OF-02.svg, Captain rank, U.S. Army OCP.png, CPT-ACU.jpg, US Marine O3 shoulderboard vertical.svg, Captain subdued rank insignia, USMC.png,

Captain (naval rank)

Captain (ground, air, and space forces)

The insignia for captains in the United States Army was first authorized in 1836. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the rank of captain was used in both the Union Army and

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

. The rank was typically held by either junior staff officers or company commanders. In the case of the latter, company officers were normally elected by the men of their unit, unless the officer in question held rank in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

. In cases where regiments had suffered high casualties, it was not uncommon for a captain to assume duties as the regimental commander. Such was the case in the 1st Mississippi Infantry which was commanded by Captain Owen Hughes after the regiment had lost over half its number at the

Battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 18 ...

. US Army O3.svg, Union army cpt rank insignia.jpg,

Rank equivalency between services

Because of the ambiguity created by the common use of "captain" for officers of different grades among the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, NOAA, Public Health Service, and Space Force, equivalency is conferred between officers by use of identical

pay grade A pay grade is a unit in systems of monetary compensation for employment. It is commonly used in public service, both civil and military, but also for companies of the private sector. Pay grades facilitate the employment process by providing a f ...

rather than title of rank. The higher the grade, the higher the rank of the officer. For example, an Army, Air Force, Marine, or Space Force captain is equivalent in rank, responsibilities, and grade to a Navy, Public Health Service, NOAA, or Coast Guard

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

, all of which are of the third officer grade, or O-3. Similarly, a Navy, Public Health Service, NOAA, or Coast Guard captain is equivalent in rank, responsibilities, and grade to an Army, Air Force, Marine, or Space Force

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, all of which are of the sixth officer grade, or O-6. Thus, Army, Air Force, Marine, and Space Force colonels together with Navy, Public Health Service, NOAA, and Coast Guard captains wear the silver eagle insignia of the grade of O-6, while Army, Air Force, Marine, and Space Force captains together with Navy, Public Health Service, and Coast Guard lieutenants wear the double silver bars of the rank insignia of the grade of O-3. Additionally, the O-6 rank of Navy, Public Health Service, NOAA, and Coast Guard captain is abbreviated as uppercase "CAPT", while the O-3 rank of captain is abbreviated as "CPT" for the Army and mixed-case "Capt" for the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force.

Early history

In the United States, the rank of captain first appeared in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

during the Revolutionary War. A captain was the

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

placed in charge of a company of soldiers and was granted a commission from the regimental

. A captain was afforded one to several

s, depending on the size of the company, and the captain's commission could be revoked or expired at the end of a particular military campaign. The

Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United Colonies and United States from 1775 to 1785. It was founded on October 13, 1775 by the Continental Congress to fight against British forces and their allies as part of the American Revolutionary ...

used the rank of captain as the commander of a sailing vessel at war, with the captain having several lieutenants on board, as well as a

sailing master The master, or sailing master, is a historical rank for a naval Officer (armed forces), officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing ship, sailing vessel. In the Royal Navy, the master was originally a warrant officer who ...

to assist in their duties. This use of the rank carried over into the U.S. Navy. Captain was the highest naval rank from 1775 until 1857, when the United States Congress created the rank of

flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command. Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways: * ...

. With the addition of the ranks of

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

and lieutenant commander between lieutenant and captain, a Navy captain became equivalent in rank to an Army

Notes

References

DA Pamphlet 600–3, Commissioned Officer Professional Development and Career Management
{{US officer ranks Military ranks of the United States