Ranks in the French Navy

This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Ranks in the French Navy" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

French Navy

Naval Ensign of France
Command

* Naval Ministers
* Maritime Prefect

Components

* Naval Action Force
* Submarine Forces
* FOST
* ESNA
* Naval Aviation
* FORFUSCO
* Marine Commandos
* Naval Fusiliers
* Maritime Gendarmerie

Equipment

* Current fleet
* Current deployments

Personnel

* Ranks in the French Navy

History

* History of the French Navy
* Future of the French Navy
* Ensigns and pennants
* Historic ships
* Battleships
* Cruisers
* Destroyers
* Submarines
* Ships of the line
* Sail frigates
* Historic fleets

Awards

* Cross of War
* Military Medal
* Legion of Honour
* Ribbons

* v
* t
* e

The rank insignia of the French Navy (French: Marine Nationale) are worn on shoulder straps of shirts and white jackets, and on sleeves for navy jackets and mantels. Until 2005, only commissioned officers had an anchor on their insignia, but enlisted personnel are now receiving them as well. Although the names of the ranks for superior officers contain the word "Capitaine" (Capitaine de corvette, Capitaine de frégate and Capitaine de vaisseau), the appropriate style to address them is "Commandant", "Capitaine" referring to "lieutenant de vaisseau", which is translated as lieutenant. The two highest ranks, Vice-amiral d'escadre and Amiral (Admiral), are functions, rather than ranks. They are assumed by officers ranking Vice-amiral (Vice-Admiral).

The rank of Vice-Admiral of France (French: Vice-Amiral) was formerly designated as Lieutenant-General of the Naval Armies until 1791, such as in the Levant Fleet and Flotte du Ponant of the Ancien Régime. Major of the French Navy has a similar history to that of the former Lieutenant-General of the Naval Armies.

The only Amiral de la Flotte (Admiral of the Fleet) was François Darlan after he was refused the dignity of Admiral of France. Equivalent to the dignity of Marshal of France, the rank of Admiral of France remains theoretical in the Fifth Republic; it was last granted in 1869, during the Second Empire, but retained during the Third Republic until the death of its bearer in 1873. The title of Amiral de la Flotte was created so that Darlan would not have an inferior rank to that of his counterpart in the British Royal Navy, who was an Admiral of the Fleet.

## Insignia

[edit]

The insignia below depict the configuration on shoulder boards. Shoulder straps are slightly different, notably without the golden frame for general officers.

### Great officers

[edit]

NATO
rank  | Rank insignia  | Name

|
|

Shoulder  | Sleeve  | French  | English translation
OF-10  |  |  | Amiral de France | Admiral of France

### Officers

[edit]

#### Officiers généraux – flag officers

[edit]

NATO
rank  | Rank insignia  | Name

|
|

Shoulder  | Sleeve  | Flag  | French  | English translation
OF-9  |  |  |  | Amiral | Admiral
OF-8  |  |  |  | Vice-Amiral d'escadre | Squadron vice-admiral
OF-7  |  |  |  | Vice-Amiral | Vice-admiral
OF-6  |  |  |  | Contre-Amiral | Counter admiral

#### Officiers supérieurs – senior officers

[edit]

NATO
rank  | Rank insignia  | Name

|
|

Shoulder  | Sleeve  | French  | English translation
OF-5  |  |  | Capitaine de vaisseau | Ship-of-the-line captain
OF-4  |  |  | Capitaine de frégate | Frigate Captain
OF-3  |  |  | Capitaine de corvette | Corvette Captain

#### Officiers subalternes – junior officers

[edit]

NATO
rank  | Rank insignia  | Name

|
|

Shoulder  | Sleeve  | French  | English translation
OF-2  |  |  | Lieutenant de vaisseau | Ship-of-the-line lieutenant
OF-1  |  |  | Enseigne de vaisseau de première classe | Ship-of-the-line ensign, first class
|  | Enseigne de vaisseau de deuxième classe | Ship-of-the-line ensign, second class
OF-(D)  |  |  | Aspirant | Midshipman

### Warrant, petty officers and enlisted personnel

[edit]

#### Officiers mariniers – warrant and petty officers

[edit]

NATO
rank  | Rank insignia  | Name

|
|

Shoulder  | Sleeve  | French  | English translation
OR-9  |  |  | Major | Major
|  | Maître-principal | Principal master
OR-8  |  |  | Premier-maître | First master
OR-6  |  |  | Maître | Master
OR-5  |  |  | Second-maître | Second master

#### Matelots et quartiers-maîtres – sailors and quarter-masters

[edit]

NATO
rank  | Rank insignia  | Name

|
|

Shoulder  | Sleeve  | French  | English translation
OR-4  |  |  | Quartier-maître de 1re classe | Quartermaster first class
OR-3  |  |  | Quartier-maître de 2e classe | Quartermaster second class
OR-2  |  |  | Matelot 2ème and 1ère classe | Able seaman
OR-1  |  |  | Mousse | Seaman

## Attributions

[edit]

Personnel with a particular attribution may wear distinctive features on their rank insignia. For instance, medical officers bear two red stripes on their insignia. Similarly, the Ingénieur des études et techniques de travaux maritimes wear pearl-grey stripes.

Peintres de la Marine, who are not employed by the navy but have a special status, wear a uniform and officer straps with rank insignia replaced with the words "Peintre officiel".

* Capitaine de vaisseau
Captain of the Vessel
(Captain)

* Chief Surgeon First Class

* Chief engineer first class

* Peintre de la Marine

* Chief War Commissar First Class

## Military chaplains

[edit]

Chief Military Chaplain  |

|

Deputy Chief Military Chaplain  |
Regional military chaplain  |
Military chaplain  |

## Ranks formerly used in the Navy

[edit]

* Vice-amiral de France (Vice Admiral of France)
* Lieutenant général des armées navales
* Chef d'escadre
* Brigadier des armées navales and Chef de division
* Major de vaisseau
* Capitaine de vaisseau et de port
* Lieutenant de vaisseau et de port
* Capitaine de brûlot
* Lieutenant de frégate
* Capitaine de flûte
* Sous-lieutenant de vaisseau
* Sous-lieutenant de port
* Enseigne de vaisseau non entretenu
* Élèves de la Marine
* Garde de la marine
* Maître amiral
* Maître vice-amiral
* Contre maître
* Aide pilote
* Second maître appelés
* Second maître de 1re classe
* Second maître de 2e classe
* Quartier-maitre-chef de carrière

## See also

[edit]

* French Navy

## References

[edit]

* v
* t
* e

French Armed Forces

Armée de terre (Army) Marine nationale (Navy) Armée de l'air et de l'espace (Air and Space Force) National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie)

Leadership|

* Minister of the Armed Forces
* Chief of the Defence Staff
* Chief of Army Staff
* Chief of Navy Staff
* Chief of Air Force Staff

Ranks|

* Army ranks
* Navy ranks
* Air Force ranks

Formations & Commands|

* Foreign Legion
* Space Command
* Paratroopers
* Marines

Joint forces|

* Franco-German Brigade
* Combined Joint Expeditionary Force

Nuclear forces|

* Force de Dissuasion
* Strategic Air Forces Command
* Strategic Oceanic Force

Equipment|

* Army
* Navy
* Air and Space Force

Military bases|

* Overseas

France and weapons of mass destruction

* v
* t
* e

Military ranks and insignia by country

* List of comparative military ranks

Africa|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* DR Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

States with
limited recognition|

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Former|

* People's Republic of Angola
* Biafra
* Bophuthatswana
* Ciskei
* Kingdom of Egypt
* Ethiopian Empire
* Katanga
* People's Republic of Mozambique
* Rhodesia
* South West Africa
* Transkei
* Venda
* Zaire

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Apartheid States in Southern Africa

Americas|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Argentina
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Cuba
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* Guatemala
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* Officers:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Coast Guard
* Enlisted:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Coast Guard
* Other:
* Marine Corps
* Space Force
* Warrant officer
* Opposing forces
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Former|

* Canada (pre-Unification)
* Confederate States of America
* Union
* Army
* Navy
* Costa Rica
* Republic of Cuba
* Empire of Brazil
* Panama
* Republic of Texas
* Army
* Navy
* United States Army enlisted
* World War I
* World War II

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Asia|

* Afghanistan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* PR of China
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Rocket Force
* Armed Police
* India
* Army
* Air Force
* Navy
* Coast Guard
* Border Roads Organisation
* Paramilitary forces
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Korea
* North
* South
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Marines
* Civil Armed Forces
* Maritime Security Agency
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Coast Guard
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan (Republic of China)

Former|

* Artsakh
* China
* Empire
* Republic (1912–1949)
* Dutch East Indies
* East Turkestan (Second Republic)
* People's Republic of Kampuchea
* Imperial Iran
* Imperial Japan
* Army
* Navy
* Korea
* Empire
* Liberation Army
* Kingdom of Laos
* Manchukuo
* Mengjiang
* Mongolian People's Republic
* Vietnam
* State
* South
* South Yemen
* Tibet
* Tuva

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Europe|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Home Guard
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Army
* Navy
* Gendarmerie
* Air and Space Force
* Foresters
* Germany
* Georgia
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Land Forces
* Coast Guard
* Ireland
* Italy
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Carabinieri
* Finance Guard
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* North Macedonia
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Cossacks
* Between 1994 and 2010
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* Officers:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Other:
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* Vatican

States with
limited recognition|

* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* Transnistria

Former|

* Albania
* Kingdom
* People's Socialist Republic
* Austria–Hungary
* Army
* Navy
* Bulgaria
* Kingdom
* People's Republic
* Independent State of Croatia
* Czechoslovakia
* German Empire
* Weimar Republic
* Nazi Germany
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* East Germany
* Kingdom of Greece
* Army
* Navy
* Air Force
* France
* Napoleonic Grand Army
* Hungary
* Kingdom
* People's Republic
* Italy
* Kingdom
* Social Republic
* Ottoman Empire
* Polish People's Republic
* Republika Srpska
* Romania
* Kingdom
* Socialist Republic
* Russian Empire
* White Movement
* Slovakia (First Republic)
* Soviet Union
* 1918–35
* 1935–40
* 1940–43
* 1943–55
* 1955–91
* Spain
* 2nd Republic
* State
* Yugoslavia
* Kingdom
* Socialist Federal Republic
* Federal Republic

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Oceania|

* Australia
* Fiji
* New Zealand
* Papua New Guinea
* Tonga
* Vanuatu

Comparative|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Language|

| Anglophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

|

Arabophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Francophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Gendarmerie
* Officers
* Enlisted

Hispanophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Lusophone|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Military police
* Officers
* Enlisted

Post-Soviet states|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Commonwealth of Nations|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

European Union|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air force
* Officers
* Enlisted

NATO|

* Army
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Navy
* Officers
* Enlisted
* Air Force
* Officers
* Enlisted

Comparative ranks of

* Star ranking
* WWI
* Officers
* WWII
* Officers
* Women's services
* Marine forces
* Space forces
* Gendarmeries
* UK and US

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template