United States Navy Ranks

Flag Officers
The Flag Officer ranks were based on those of the British Royal Navy.

Commodore
"Commodore" is better considered a title or appointment than a proper rank.

In American service the position was originally a brevet rank held by the senior-most captain in a formation of two or more ships. Captains who had held the post often styled themselves as such unofficially afterwards.

Due to the rapid expansion of the Navy the rank was re-established on April 1943. It generally denoted an officer who commands a detachment of ships or aircraft, but is not yet senior enough to rank as an Admiral. No further appointments were made after 1947 but holders were allowed to remain in the rank until they were promoted or retired. The last World War II holder of the rank was Commodore Tully Shelley, who retired in July, 1949 with the rank of Rear Admiral.

Rear Admiral
In the British Royal Navy, the Rear Admiral and his flagship coordinated the ships at the back of a formation and passed on signals and orders from the commanding Admiral.

The rank in American service was divided into two Divisions by seniority in grade. Rear Admiral Lower Half, the junior division, was roughly equivalent to a Brigadier General, and Rear Admiral Upper Half, the senior division, was roughly equivalent to Major General. However, the rank of Rear Admiral was a two-star rank with 8th Pay Period salary regardless of Division.

Vice Admiral
In the British Royal Navy, the Vice Admiral was an assistant to the Admiral. He and and his flagship coordinated the ships at the front (or "Van") of a formation and passed on gathered information to and signals and orders from the commanding Admiral.

Admiral
The title Admiral is derived from the Arabic title Emir (amīr-al-'umarā, "ruler of rulers"). In the British Navy the Admiral commanded the center of a formation and coordinated the actions of his subordinates.

Fleet Admiral
The five-star Fleet Admiral rank was approved on December 14, 1944 under Public Law 78-482 as a temporary rank and was made permanent in 1946. It was a command rank equivalent to that of Admiral of the Fleet in European navies that was created alongside General of the Army to create a similar rank and prestige for the Navy. Only four men were awarded the rank of Fleet Admiral. It was the first American honorary military rank to be given to multiple holders simultaneously. Seniority between the rank's holders was by the date it was granted.


 * William D. Leahy [Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive] (December 15, 1944).
 * Ernest J. King [Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (December 30, 1941), Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) (March 1942)] (December 17, 1944)
 * Chester W. Nimitz [Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet (December 31, 1941), Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas (March 30, 1942)] (December 19, 1944)
 * William F. Halsey [Commander, Carrier Division 2 / Commander, Aircraft Battle Force, Pacific Fleet (June, 1940), Commander, Task Force 16 (February, 1942), Commander, Air Forces, Pacific Fleet (September, 1942), Commander-in-Chief, South Pacific Area (October 18, 1942), Commander-in-Chief, 3rd Fleet (May, 1944)] (December 11, 1945).

The promotions were made parallel to the Army's 5-star General of the Army promotions. They were staggered so the Navy, the "Senior Service", would have precedence over the Army.

Leahy's and King's promotions were created to facilitate coordination with the US Army and the many allied forces they would be dealing with. Leahy was the link between the President and the Army and Navy service chiefs (General George C. Marshall and Admiral King respectively) and acted as a combined chief of staff over both of them.

Nimitz's promotion was designed to coordinate the overall Pacific Area strategy. This was difficult to manage as MacArthur technically had seniority in grade (having been promoted to General of the Army the day before him on December 18th). However, he would have seniority in Navy matters due to military courtesy; two officers of equivalent rank in different services would defer to their sphere of influence (the Army on the ground and the Navy at sea).

Halsey's promotion, like that of General Omar Bradley, was as a reward for his service and accomplishments rather than a wartime command authority.

Enlisted Ranks (1942-1948)
These base pay scales were in force from July 1, 1942 to June 30,1946.

Recruits were paid $21 a month for the first 4 months of service. (This was increased to $31 a month after July 1, 1942).

Officer Ranks (1942-1946)
These base pay scales were in force from June 16, 1942 to June 31, 1946.