Counter admiral is a
rank found in many navies of the world, but no longer used in
English-speaking countries, where the equivalent rank is
rear admiral. The term derives from the French contre-amiral.[1] Depending on the country, it is either a
one-star or
two-star rank.
In modern navies that use it, rear (counter) admiral is generally, although not always, the lowest
flag officer rank (in the
German Navy, for instance, Flottillenadmiral ranks below Konteradmiral; in the
Royal Canadian Navy, contre-amiral/rear admiral ranks above commodore).
French speaking countries
In France and other French speaking countries' navies the rank of Contre-amiral is used as the lowest
flag officer. It is usually placed above
ship-of-the-line captain (
French: capitaine de vaisseau) and below
vice admiral (
French: vice-amiral).
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adding to it. (October 2021)
The rank of counter admiral is used in all the
Nordic countries.
Denmark and Norway
In 1771, the rank of Schout-bij-nacht was removed and replaced with the rank of counter admiral (Danish/Norwegian: kontreadmiral).
Finland
Counter admiral is the more direct translation of Finnish kontra-amiraali, a
two-star rank used in the
Finnish Navy and the
Finnish Border Guard. However, it is usually translated as rear admiral in international use.
In the
navies of Brazil and Angola the rank of contra-almirante is the lowest of the flag officer ranks. In the
navies of Portugal and Mozambique the rank of contra-almirante is the second lowest, above that of comodoro (
commodore).
Until the end of the 19th century, the present rank of contra-almirante was named chefe de esquadra (chief of squadron), both in the Portuguese and in the Brazilian navies.
Russia and other former communist countries
Kontr-admiral was the lowest flag officer rank of the
Soviet Navy and is the lowest flag rank of the
Russian Navy, similar to an OF-6 officer.
NATO code
While the rank of counter admiral is used in a number of NATO countries, it is ranked differently depending on the country.
^Oxford English Dictionary. counter-admiral, n.
Second edition, 1989; online version June 2011. <
http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/42655>; accessed 22 June 2011.
^NATO (2021). STANAG 2116 NATO (7th ed.). Brussels, Belgium: NATO Standardization Agency. pp. B-1–B-3.
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LCCN94043036. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
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^"IV. Izgled Činova u Vojsci". Official Gazette of Montenegro (in Montenegrin). 50/10: 22–28. 16 August 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
^Ehrenreich, Frederich (1985). "National Security". In Nelson, Harold D. (ed.). Morocco: a country study. Area Handbook (5th ed.). Washington, D.C. pp. 350–351.
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cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
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^"Militære grader". forsvaret.no (in Norwegian). Norwegian Armed Forces. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
^Cooke, Melinda W. (1990).
"Chapter 5: National Security". In Hanratty, Dennis M.; Meditz, Sandra W. (eds.). Paraguay: A Country Study. Area Handbook Series (2nd ed.). Library of Congress. pp. 216–217.
LCCN89600299. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
^"Grados Militares". ccffaa.mil.pe (in Spanish). Joint Command of the Armed Forces of Peru. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
^"НАКАЗ 20.11.2017 № 606". zakon.rada.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
^Hudson, Rex A.; Meditz, Sandra W., eds. (1992). "Chapter 5. National Security".
Uruguay: A Country Study(PDF) (2nd ed.). Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. pp. 222–223.
ISBN0-8444-0737-2. Retrieved 13 June 2021.