''Fähnrich zur See'' (Fähnr zS or FRZS) designates in the

German Navy The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...

of the

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

a military person or member of the armed forces with the second highest Officer Aspirant (OA – german: Offizieranwärter) rank. According to the salary class it is equivalent to the

Portepeeunteroffizier , also Portepeeunteroffizier(e) (), is the designation for German senior NCO in the armed forces of Germany. The name derives from earlier traditions in which senior enlisted men would carry a sword into battle. The word ''portepee'' derives ...

ranks

Bootsmann () is a naval rank used in some navies. Finland Germany The German term ''Bootsmann'' translates to Boatswain, i.e. the senior crewman of the deck department. In a military context, '' Bootsmann '' (Btsm or B) is the lowest Portepeeuntero ...

(Marine) and

Feldwebel ''Feldwebel '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupi ...

of Heer or

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

. It is also grouped as OR-6 in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

, equivalent to

Technical Sergeant Technical sergeant is the name of two current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States Armed Forces, as well as in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. Outside the United States, it is used only by the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force and the ...

Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

, or

Petty Officer First Class Petty officer first class (PO1) is a rank found in some navies and maritime organizations. Canada Petty officer, 1st class, PO1, is a Naval non-commissioned member rank of the Canadian Forces. It is senior to the rank of petty officer 2nd-clas ...

in the US Armed forces, and to

Petty officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotation OR-5 or OR-6. In many nations, they are typically equal to a sergeant in comparison to other military branches. Often they may be superior ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and

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 ...

. In navy context NCOs of this rank were formally addressed as ''Herr/ Frau Fähnrich zur See'' also informally / short ''Fähnrich''. The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group is as follows:

e *OR-9:

Oberstabsbootsmann ''Oberstabsbootsmann''BROCKHAUS, Die Enzyklopädie in 24 Bänden (1796–2001), Band 16: 3-7653-3676-9, S. 102 (OStBtsm or OSB) is the highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in the German Navy. It is grouped as OR9 in NATO, equivalent to a ...

Oberstabsfeldwebel ''Oberstabsfeldwebel'' (OStFw or OSF, ) is the highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in German Army and German Air Force. It is grouped as OR9 in NATO, equivalent to a Sergeant Major in the United States Army and a Warrant Officer ...

*OR-8:

Stabsbootsmann '' Stabsbootsmann '' (StBtsm or SB) is the second highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in the German Navy. It is grouped as OR8 in NATO, equivalent to First Sergeant, Master Sergeant, or Senior Chief Petty Officer in the US Armed forc ...

Stabsfeldwebel ''Stabsfeldwebel '' (StFw or SF; ) is the second highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in German Army and German Air Force. It is grouped as OR-8 in NATO, equivalent to a First Sergeant in the United States Army, and to Warrant Officer C ...

*OR-7:

Oberfähnrich zur See ''Oberfähnrich zur See'' (OFähnr zS or OFRZS) designates in the German Navy of the Bundeswehr a military person or member of the armed forces with the last or highest Officer Aspirant (OA – german: Offizieranwärter) rank. According to the ...

and

Hauptbootsmann '' Hauptbootsmann '' (HptBtsm or in lists HB) designates in the German Navy of the Bundeswehr a military person or member of the armed forces. It belongs to the particular rank group Senior NCOs with port épée. According to the salary class ...

Oberfähnrich (OFähnr or OFR) designates in the Heer of the Bundeswehr a military person or member of the armed forces with the last or highest Officer Aspirant (OA – de: ) rank. According to the salary class it is equivalent to the ranks of or , an ...

and

Hauptfeldwebel In the German Wehrmacht, Hauptfeldwebel (short: HptFw; address: ''Herr Hauptfeldwebel'') was not a rank but a position title, assignment or appointment, equivalent to the Commonwealth company sergeant major or U.S. company-level first serge ...

*OR-6a:

Oberbootsmann ''Oberbootsmann'' (OBtsm or in lists OB) designates in the German Navy of the Bundeswehr a military person or member of the armed forces. It belongs to the particular rank group Senior NCOs with port epée. According to the salary class it is eq ...

Oberfeldwebel (OFw or OF) is the fourth-lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in German Army and German Air Force. History The rank was introduced first by the German Reichswehr in 1920. Preferable most experienced Protégée-NCO of the old army ...

*OR-6b: Fähnrich zur See and

Fähnrich Fähnrich () is an officer candidate rank in the Austrian Bundesheer The Austrian Armed Forces (german: Bundesheer, lit=Federal Army) are the combined military forces of the Republic of Austria. The military consists of 22,050 active-d ...

and

Career and rank insignia

A ''Fähnrich zur See'' of the ''Deutsche Marine'' is a soldier who serves in the ranks, first as

Seekadett ''Seekadett'' (short SKad or SK; ,Langenscheidt´s Encyclopaedic Dictionary of the English and German language: „Der Große Muret-Sander“, Part II German-English, Second Volume L–Z, 8th edition 1999, ; p. 1.381 ) is a military rank of the B ...

(OR-4, comparable to the junior

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

rank

Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name t ...

), then in subsequent grades: ''Fähnrich zur See'' (OR-6, equivalent to

), and

(OR-7 equivalent to

). In the ''Deutsche Marine'', an officer candidate (german: Offiziersanwärter) can be promoted to the rank of ''Fähnrich zur See'' after 21 months of service. The equivalent in Heer and Luftwaffe is "Fähnrich". An officer candidate's career is indicated by the enlisted rank with the golden nautical star on the shoulder strap and sleeve in the ''Deutsche Marine'', and a thin silver cord on the shoulder strap in ''Heer'' and ''Luftwaffe''. Already below the lowest officer designated rank "Seekadett" any military person, assigned to an officer career, has to wear additionally to the particular rank the two capital letters “OA”, indicating to the “Officer Aspirant” career. The "nautical star" symbolizes the "OA" career.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fahnrich zur See Naval ranks of Germany

Career and rank insignia

See also

References