17-620: Rear Admiral John Moresby (15 March 1830 – 12 July 1922) was a British naval officer who explored the coast of New Guinea and was the first European to discover the site of Port Moresby . Moresby was born in Allerford , Somerset , England , the son of Eliza Louisa and Admiral of the Fleet Sir Fairfax Moresby . He joined the navy at an early age as a Volunteer 1st Class in HMS Victor . On 23 January 1871, he
34-694: Is a flag officer rank of the Royal Navy . It is immediately superior to commodore and is subordinate to vice admiral . It is a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7. The equivalent rank in the British Army and Royal Marines is major-general ; and in the Royal Air Force it is air vice-marshal . The rank originated in the 17th century, in the days of naval sailing squadrons when each naval squadron would be assigned an admiral as its head. The admiral would command from
51-401: Is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies . In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral . Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral . It is usually equivalent to the rank of major general in armies. In the U.S. Navy and some other navies, there are two rear admiral ranks . The term originated in
68-620: Is the Crown of St. Edward above a crossed sword and baton, above two silver stars, above the word "Australia". Like the Royal Navy version, the sword is a traditional naval cutlass . The stars have eight points, unlike the four pointed Order of the Bath stars used by the army (which are often referred to as "pips"). Prior to 1995, the RAN shoulder board was identical to the Royal Navy shoulder board. The Royal Navy shoulder board changed again in 2001 and
85-564: Is the Navy rank equivalent to major-general of the Army and Air Force . A rear-admiral is a flag officer , the naval equivalent of a general officer . A rear-admiral is senior to a commodore and brigadier-general , and junior to a vice-admiral and lieutenant-general . The rank insignia for a rear-admiral is two silver maple leaves beneath a silver crossed sword and baton, all surmounted by St Edward's Crown , worn on gold shoulder boards on
102-733: The Australian and UK shoulder boards are now identical except for the word "Australia". Rear Admiral Robyn Walker AM , RAN became the first female admiral in the Royal Australian Navy when she was appointed Surgeon-General of the Australian Defence Force on 16 December 2011. In the Royal Canadian Navy , the rank of rear-admiral (RAdm) ( contre-amiral or CAm in French )
119-850: The United Kingdom . In the United States, there have been two ranks with the title of rear admiral since 1985: rear admiral (lower half) (RDML), a one-star rank; and rear admiral (RADM), a two-star rank. Prior to that, a combination of ranks was used. Both the rear admiral (lower half) and rear admiral ranks exist in four of the uniformed services of the United States : the United States Navy , United States Coast Guard , United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps , and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (NOAA Corps). Rear Admiral (Royal Navy) Rear admiral ( RAdm )
136-412: The centre vessel and direct the activities of the squadron. The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice admiral, who commanded the lead ships which would bear the brunt of a naval battle. In the rear of the naval squadron, a third admiral would command the remaining ships and, as this section of the squadron was considered to be in the least danger, the admiral in command of the rear would typically be
153-431: The days of naval sailing squadrons and can trace its origins to the Royal Navy . Each naval squadron was assigned an admiral as its head, who commanded from the centre vessel and directed the squadron's activities. The admiral would in turn be assisted by a vice admiral, who commanded the lead ships that bore the brunt of a battle. In the rear of the squadron, a third admiral commanded the remaining ships and, as this section
170-481: The most junior of the squadron admirals. This has survived into the modern age, with the rank of rear admiral the most junior of the admiralty ranks of many navies. Prior to 1864 the Royal Navy was divided into coloured squadrons which determined career path . The command flags flown by a rear-admiral changed a number of times during this period. The Royal Navy rank of rear admiral should be distinguished from
187-640: The rear admiral rank is superior to commodore and captain. However, the rank is junior to the three-star rank vice-admiral and four-star rank admiral, who is generally a Chief of Naval Staff of the Navy. The highest ordinary rank currently filled in the Royal New Zealand Navy is rear admiral and this is the rank held by the Chief of Navy unless that person is also Chief of Defence Force . The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has two ranks with
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#1732776255091204-524: The title of rear admiral: rear-admiral (one-star), a one-star rank; and rear-admiral (two-star), a two-star rank. Rear admiral is a two-star rank in the Sri Lanka Navy . In Sweden , rear admiral is a two-star admiral rank of the Swedish Navy . The Royal Navy maintains a rank of rear admiral. Note that the rank of rear admiral is quite different from the honorary office Rear-Admiral of
221-512: The white short-sleeved shirt or the tropical white tunic. The service dress features a wide strip of gold braid around the cuff and, since June 2010, above it a narrower strip of gold braid embellished with the executive curl. On the visor of the service cap are two rows of gold oak leaves. A rear admiral in the Pakistani Navy is a senior and two-star rank naval officer, appointed in higher naval commands. Like most Commonwealth navies,
238-662: Was also searching for a shorter route between Australia and China and on the eastern tip of the island he discovered the China Strait . He continued exploring along the north west coast as far as the Huon Gulf . Basilisk , under the command of Moresby, visited the Ellice Islands in July 1872. On 29 September 1876, Moresby took command of HMS Endymion , remaining in this position until 6 March 1878, when he
255-649: Was appointed Captain-in-Charge of the Royal Naval Dockyard in the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda . He was later promoted to rear admiral and died on 12 July 1922 in Fareham , Hampshire , England. In 1859 he married Jane Willis Scott (? – 1876) of Queenstown , Ireland and had six children: During the 1890s he lived on Tower Street in Chichester . Rear Admiral Rear admiral
272-424: Was appointed to the command of the 1,031 ton paddle steamer cruiser HMS Basilisk , in which he made hydrological surveys around eastern New Guinea. During the survey of the southern coast he discovered the harbour which he named Fairfax after his father. The town established there, based on already existing native villages (principally Hanuabada ) was named Port Moresby and is now the nation's capital. Moresby
289-424: Was considered to be in the least danger, the admiral in command of it was typically the most junior. This has continued into the modern age, with rear admiral the most junior admiralty of many navies. The Royal Australian Navy maintains a rank of rear admiral; refer to Australian Defence Force ranks and insignia . The abbreviation is RADM. Since the mid-1990s, the insignia of a Royal Australian Navy rear admiral
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