commodore

Commodore is a military rank used in some navies for officers whose position exceeds that of a captain, but is less than that of an admiral. It is sometimes abbreviated as Cdre or COMO.

History

The rank of Commodore derives from the French commandeur, which was one of the highest ranks in orders of knighthood, and in military orders the title of the knight in charge of a commenda (a local part of the order's territorial possessions).

The Royal Netherlands Navy also used the rank of commandeur from the end of the 16th century for a variety of temporary positions, until it became a conventional permanent rank in 1955. The Royal Netherlands Air Force has adopted the English spelling of Commodore for an equivalent rank.

The rank of Commodore was at first a position created as a temporary title to be bestowed upon Captains who commanded squadrons of more than one vessel. In many navies, the rank of Commodore was merely viewed as a Senior Captain position, whereas other naval services bestowed upon the rank of Commodore the prestige of flag officer status - Commodore is the highest rank in the Irish Naval Service, for example, and is held by only one person. In the Royal Navy, the position was introduced to combat the cost of appointing more Admirals - a costly business with a fleet as large as the Royal Navy's at that time.

Naval rank

The following articles deal with the rank of Commodore (or its equivalent) as it is employed in various countries.

• Commodore (United Kingdom)
• Commodore (United States)
• Kommodore (Germany)
• Commodore (Netherlands) (historic name: Commandeur)
• Komodor (Croatia)

Air force ranks

Commodore, in Spanish Comodoro, is a rank in the Argentine Air Force. This rank is the equivalent of a Colonel in the Argentine Army, and a Colonel or Group Captain in other air forces of the world.

The Argentine rank below Commodore is the rank of Vice-Commodore, in Spanish Vicecomodoro, equivalent to a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Argentine Army, and a Lieutenant-Colonel or Wing Commander in other air forces.

Many air forces, use the rank of Air Commodore. This rank was first used by the Royal Air Force and is now used in many countries such as India, Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Thailand, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Nigeria. It is the equivalent rank to an army Brigadier.

The German air force used the concept of a unit Commodore, although this was a unit command appointment rather than a rank.

Merchant and boating rank

Commodore is also a title held by the senior captain within a shipping company. It is also a title held by the senior officer of many yacht clubs and boating associations.

Other uses

In the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, the senior elected officer of the organization is the National Commodore, while there are Commodores elected for the Atlantic and Pacific regions.

Vanderbilt University's intercollegiate athletics teams are nicknamed the Commodores, a reference to Cornelius Vanderbilt's self-appointed title (he was the master of a large shipping fleet).

In the U.S. Sea Scouting program (which is part of the Boy Scouts of America), all National, Regional, Flotilla, and Council committee chairs are titled as Commodore, while senior committee members are addressed as Vice Commodore. Ship Committee chairs do not hold this recognition.

See also

• Air Commodore
• Commodore-in-Chief
• Commodore (Star Trek)

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