In the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

of the 18th and 19th centuries a captain of the fleet could be appointed to assist an

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

when the admiral had ten or more ships to command. The equivalent post was called

fleet captain Fleet captain is a historic military title that was bestowed upon a naval officer who served as chief of staff to a flag officer. Historical background In the Royal Navy, during the 18th and 19th centuries, an admiral's flagship might have a " ...

in the U.S. Navy of the 18th and 19th century. This was a post rather than a rank in itself, and if its holder's permanent rank was below that of an admiral then he ranked just below the most junior

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarded ...

and was entitled to the pay and allowance of a rear-admiral whilst he held the post. The admiral's commands would be issued through his captain of the fleet, and the fleet's responses would be passed back to him. This role of intermediary between the overall commander and the commanded was analogous to that of a

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

on a large warship, through whom orders were relayed to the crew and responses received. He would also act in some senses and instances as the admiral's

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

. A captain of the fleet would usually be stationed on the admiral's flagship as its "first captain", and so that ship would also have a

flag captain In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First ...

or "second captain" for everyday command of the ship itself. Much later, in 1950–52, then Captain

Hilary Biggs Vice Admiral Sir Hilary Worthington Biggs, (15 January 1905 – 2 January 1976) was a senior Royal Navy officer. Naval career Hilary Worthington Biggs was born on 15 January 1905, the son of Lieutenant Colonel C. W. Biggs. After attending the ...

was Captain of the Fleet,

Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...

, afterwards being promoted to rear-admiral and finishing his career as a vice-admiral.

References

See also