Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, etc. In militaries, the captain is typically at the level of an officer commanding a company or battalion of infantry, a ship, or a battery of artillery, or another distinct unit. The term also may be used as an informal or honorary title for persons in similar commanding roles.

Etymology

The term "captain" derives from (, , or 'the topmost'), which was used as title for a senior Byzantine military rank and office. The word was Latinized as capetanus/catepan, and its meaning seems to have merged with that of the late Latin "capitaneus" (which derives from the classical Latin word "caput", meaning head). This hybridized term gave rise to the English language term captain and its equivalents in other languages (, , , , , , , , , kapitány, Kapudan Pasha, Kobtan, etc.).

Occupations or roles

Captain (armed forces) The army rank of captain (from the French ) is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to the command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today, a captain is typically either the ...

, a commissioned officer rank corresponding to the field commander of a company of soldiers usually, or that of a battery of an artillery battalion (company second-in-command or specialist platoon commander in UK). *

Captain (naval) Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...

, a commissioned officer rank in the navy, corresponding to the rank of Army colonel, Air force colonel. *

Captain (nautical) A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and effici ...

, a licensed civilian mariner or person who is legally in command of a merchant ship, a yacht or another type of vessel that may or may not be carrying passengers for hire; corresponds to the work condition of

shipmaster A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficie ...

or, as usually said, master. *

Captain (airlines) The pilot in command (PIC) of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the captain in a typical two- or three- pilot aircrew, or "pilot" if there is onl ...

, a licensed civilian airman or person who is legally in command of a civilian aircraft; corresponding to the work condition of

pilot in command The pilot in command (PIC) of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the captain in a typical two- or three- pilot aircrew, or "pilot" if there is onl ...

colloquially said PIC. * Fire captain, officer in a fire department. *

Police captain A police captain is a police rank in some countries, such as the United States and France and in the Philippines. By country France France uses the rank of ''capitaine'' for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. Th ...

, officer in a police organization. *

Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank ...

, a senior commissioned rank in many air forces. *

Captain of industry In the 19th century, a captain of industry was a business leader whose means of amassing a personal fortune contributed positively to the country in some way. This may have been through increased productivity, expansion of markets, providing more ...

, business leader. * Captain of the Port, harbour (UK) or Coast Guard (USA) post. *

Precinct captain A precinct captain, also known as a precinct chairman, precinct delegate, precinct committee officer or precinct committeeman, is an elected official in the American political party system. The office establishes a direct link between a political ...

, political party's representative at an election precinct. *

School captain A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulso ...

, student elected or appointed to represent the school. *

Captain Regent The Captains Regent ( Italian: ''Capitani reggenti'') are the two heads of state of the Republic of San Marino. They are elected every six months by the Grand and General Council, the country's legislative body. Normally the Regents are chosen ...

, head of state of

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

. *

Captain-major A donatary captain was a Portuguese colonial official to whom the Crown granted jurisdiction, rights, and revenues over some colonial territory. The recipients of these grants were called (donataries), because they had been given the grant as a ( ...

, colonial officer of a Portuguese possession. * Captain-commandant, a Belgian military rank. *

Katepano The ''katepánō'' ( el, κατεπάνω, lit. " he oneplaced at the top", or " the topmost") was a senior Byzantine military rank and office. The word was Latinized as ''capetanus/catepan'', and its meaning seems to have merged with that of th ...

, a senior Byzantine officer (and word from which "captain" derived). *

Kapudan Pasha The Kapudan Pasha ( ota, قپودان پاشا, modern Turkish: ), was the Grand Admiral of the navy of the Ottoman Empire. He was also known as the ( ota, قپودان دریا, links=no, modern: , "Captain of the Sea"). Typically, he was base ...

Kapitan Cina Kapitan Cina, also spelled Kapitan China or Capitan China ( en, Captain of the Chinese; ; nl, Kapitein der Chinezen), was a high-ranking government position in the civil administration of colonial Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo and th ...

Captal Captal (Lat. capitalis, first, chief ), was a medieval feudal title in Gascony. According to Du Cange the designation captal (capital, captau, capitau) was applied loosely to the more illustrious nobles of Aquitaine, counts, viscounts, etc., pro ...

, a regional title in

Southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', A ...

Military ranks

India

Captain (Indian Navy) Captain is a rank in the Indian Navy. Captain ranks above the rank of Commander and lower than a Commodore. It is equivalent to colonel in the Indian Army and group captain in the Indian Air Force. Terminology An officer in command of any warshi ...

Group captain (India) Group Captain is a rank in the Indian Air Force. Group Captain ranks above the rank of Wing commander and lower than an Air Commodore. It is equivalent to colonel in the Indian Army and captain in the Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the mari ...

Israel

* Seren, an

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...

officer rank whether Army, Air Force, or Navy

United Kingdom

Captain (Royal Navy) Captain (Capt) is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above commander and below commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a colonel in the British Army and Royal Marines, and to a group captain in ...

, NATO OF-5 grade *

Captain (British Army and Royal Marines) Captain (Capt) is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines and in both services it ranks above lieutenant and below major with a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a ...

, NATO OF-2 grade *

(Royal Air Force), NATO OF-5 grade

United States

Captain (United States) In the uniformed services of the United States, United States uniformed services, captain is a Officer (armed forces), commissioned-officer rank. In keeping with the traditions of the militaries of most nations, the rank varies between the ser ...

Captain (United States O-3) In the United States Army (), U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), U.S. Air Force (USAF), and U.S. Space Force (USSF), captain (abbreviated "CPT" in the and "Capt" in the USMC, USAF, and USSF) is a company-grade officer rank, with the pay grade ...

(US Air Force, Army, Marines, or Space Force) *

Captain (United States O-6) In the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHS), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps), captain is the senior-most comm ...

(US Navy, US Public Health Service, or Coast Guard)

Canada

* Captain (Canadian naval rank) *

Captain (Canadian army and air force) Captain is a rank in the Canadian military. In the Canadian Army, the rank insignia of an army captain is three pips. In the Royal Canadian Air Force, the rank insignia of an air force captain is two wide bars. In the Royal Canadian Navy, the ra ...

Germany

* Kapitän bzw. „Kapitän zur See“ (Deutsche Marine), Nato OF-5 grade

Generic

* Captain at sea * Captain of sea and war * other captain grades **

Ship-of-the-line captain Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...

** Senior Captain ** Staff captain

References

Military command staff occupations Military ranks Naval ranks Police ranks Former disambiguation pages converted to set index articles Captains {{SIA