Admirals, Rank of
Admirals, Rank of
ADMIRALS, RANK OF. In the seventeenth century the British Royal Navy was divided into operating squadrons known as the Red, White, and Blue. These squadron names subsequently became formal terms for designating the seniority of flag officers, in the following order: admiral of the fleet (there was no admiral of the Red), admiral of the White, admiral of the Blue, vice-admiral of the Red, vice-admiral of the White, and so on, down to rear-admiral of the Blue. When a captain was promoted to flag rank for active service, he became a rear-admiral of the Blue; on promotion, he would rise to be a rear-admiral of the White, and so on up the list. Promotion to, and within, flag rank was almost always by seniority.
revised by Harold E. Selesky