Rear admiral (Royal Navy): Difference between revisions

| image_size = 140px100px

| caption = Flag of a Rearrear admiral, [[Royal Navy]]

| caption2 = Insignia shoulder board and Sleevesleeve lace for Rearrear admiral

| abbreviation = RADM / R Adm

| Non-NATO rank = [[Two-star rank|7]]

'''Rear admiral''' ('''RAdm''') is a [[flag officer]] rank of the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Royal Navy]]. It is immediately superior to [[Commodore (Royal Navy)|commodore]] and is subordinate to [[Vice Admiral (Royal Navy)|vice admiral]]. It is a [[two-star rank]] and has a [[NATO]] ranking code of OF-7.

The equivalent rank in the [[British Army]] and [[Royal Marines]] is [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|major-general]]; and in the [[Royal Air Force]], it is [[air vice-marshal]].

The rank originated in the 17th century, in the days of [[coloured squadrons of the Royal Navy|naval sailing squadrons]] andwhen each naval squadron would be assigned an [[Admiraladmiral (Royal Navy)|admiral]] as its head. HeThe admiral would command from the centre vessel and direct the activities of the squadron.

The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice admiral, who commanded the lead ships which would bear the brunt of a naval battle. In the rear of the naval squadron, a third admiral would command the remaining ships and, as this section of the squadron was considered to be in the least danger, the admiral in command of the rear would typically be the most junior of the squadron admirals. This has survived into the modern age, with the rank of rear admiral the most- junior of the admiralty ranks of many navies.

Prior to 1864 the Royal Navy was divided into coloredcoloured squadrons which determined his [[Promotion path of admirals of the Royal Navy before 1864|career path]]. The [[command flag]]s flown by Reara rear-Admiraladmiral changed a number of times during this period included.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Perrin |first1=W. G. (William Gordon) |title=British flags, their early history, and their development at sea; with an account of the origin of the flag as a national device |date=1922 |publisher=Cambridge : The University Press |location=Cambridge, England |pages=73–109[https://archive.org/details/britishflagsthei00perrrich/page/73 73]–109 |url=https://archive.org/details/britishflagsthei00perrrich/page/n11 |chapter=IV: Flags of Command}}</ref>

File:Flag of Rear-Admiral - Royal Navy.svg|Royal Navy rear admiral command flag from, 1864–present

File:UK-British Royal Navy OF-OF7-shoulder6 (formernew).svg|Royal Navy rear admiral shoulder board prior to 2001<ref>Refer UK DCI (Joint Service) 125/2001</ref> <!-- See Royal Navy Officer Rank Insignia -->

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* [[Rear-admiral of the red|Rear-Admiral of the Red]]