Sub-lieutenant

Common military ranks in English
Navies	Armies	Air forces
Commissioned officers
Admiral of the fleet	Marshal or Field marshal	Marshal of the air force
Admiral	General	Air chief marshal
Vice admiral	Lieutenant general	Air marshal
Rear admiral	Major general	Air vice-marshal
Commodore	Brigadier or Brigadier general	Air commodore
Captain	Colonel	Group captain
Commander	Lieutenant colonel	Wing commander
Lieutenant commander	Major or Commandant	Squadron leader
Lieutenant	Captain	Flight lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant	Lieutenant or First lieutenant	Flying officer
Ensign	Second lieutenant	Pilot officer
Midshipman	Officer cadet	Officer cadet
Enlisted grades
Warrant officer or Chief petty officer	Warrant officer or Sergeant major	Warrant officer
Petty officer	Sergeant	Sergeant
Leading seaman	Corporal	Corporal
Seaman	Private	Aircraftman

Naval officer ranks
Flag officers:
Admiral of the fleet • Fleet admiral • Grand admiral Admiral • General admiral Vice admiral • Squadron vice-admiral • Lieutenant admiral Rear admiral • Counter admiral • Divisional admiral Commodore • Flotilla admiral
Senior officers:
Captain • Captain at sea • Captain of sea and war • Ship-of-the-line captain Commander • Frigate captain Lieutenant commander • Corvette captain
Junior officers:
Captain lieutenant • Lieutenant • Ship-of-the-line lieutenant Frigate lieutenant • Lieutenant (junior grade) • Sub-lieutenant Corvette lieutenant • Ensign Midshipman

Sub-lieutenant is a junior military officer rank.

In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy (RN) the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of flying officer in the Royal Air Force (RAF).

In some armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain it is the second highest non-commissioned rank.

The NATO rank code is OF-1 (senior).

History of naval rank

In the British Royal Navy, a passed midshipman awaiting promotion often elected to become a master's mate, normally an experienced petty officer who assisted the sailing master. Though formally the rating did not lead to promotion to lieutenant, master's mates were paid more than any other rating and were the only ratings allowed to command any sort of vessel. A midshipman who became a master's mate got an increase in pay from £1 13s 6d to £3 16s per month, but initially reduced his chances at a commission. Over time, however, service as a master's mate became a normal part of the path to a commission. The situation caused some confusion during the last part of the 18th century, when two parallel roles—master's mates trying to become masters, and former midshipmen working toward a commission—held the same title and responsibilities aboard ship.

By the first years of the 19th century, the prefix "master's" was dropped for passed midshipmen, to distinguish them from master's mates in the navigator's branch. In 1824 two further grades were also introduced, consisting of master's assistants and second-class volunteers. These corresponded to midshipmen and first-class volunteers respectively in the executive line. From this point, passed midshipmen had the rating master's mate, abbreviated as mate, and prospective masters had the rating master's assistant. These changes helped eliminate the confusion caused by the mingling of midshipmen in the navigator's branch.

In 1838 a Royal Commission, presided over by the Duke of Wellington, recommended the institution of the rank of mate as an official step between midshipman and lieutenant. In 1861 mate was abolished in favour of sub-lieutenant.

Acting sub-lieutenant

In 1955, the Royal Navy created the rank of acting sub-lieutenant. Unlike their substantive counterparts, acting sub-lieutenants are subordinate officers, as they hold their ranks by order and not by commission. Upon passing Fleet Board, acting sub-lieutenants were confirmed as sub-lieutenants and issued commissions backdated to the date when they were appointed acting sub-lieutenants. The rank of acting sub-lieutenant was abolished in the Royal Navy around 1993 but remained in the Royal Naval Reserve until 2013, officers in both the RN and RNR now commission into the rank of Midshipman. The rank of Acting Sub-lieutenant remains in the Royal Navy only within the University Royal Naval Unit where Training Officers enter at this rank.

Before its abolition, the rank of acting sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy corresponded with, but was junior to, the ranks of lieutenant (Army) and flying officer (RAF). This can be seen in print versions of STANAG 2116 edition 5 (1992).

Canadian Acting Sub-lieutenant's insignia

In many Commonwealth navies (e.g. Canada and Australia) however, the rank of acting sub-lieutenants still exists as a commissioned rank equivalent to Second lieutenant, while the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to that of an army lieutenant. As the term "acting" is a designation, both acting and substantive ranks should be orally addressed as "sub-lieutenant;" the full designation including "acting" should be used in written documents, however. Indeed, when someone is addressed as "Acting sub-lieutenant" it can be seen as a way of patronising an individual in a derogatory manner due to the emphasis of their "acting" rank.

The Royal New Zealand Navy follows the US precedent in titling its lowest commissioned officer ensign.

In the Royal Thai Army, Army Reserve Force Students who complete grade 5 and their B.D. are promoted to the rank of acting second lieutenant (ว่าที่ ร้อยตรี).

Modern practice

In the modern Royal Navy, all officer cadets now commission as midshipmen, regardless of whether they are a graduate, upper yardsmen, or a school leaver. They are subsequently promoted to sub-lieutenant one year after entering Britannia Royal Naval College.

In the Royal Canadian Navy, all undergoing basic officer training join as naval cadets, but upon graduation those who joined with a bachelor's degree receive an immediate promotion to acting sub-lieutenant while those that do not retain their rank as naval cadet until such time as they finish more career-related training.

Rank insignia: armies

In France, a sub-lieutenant (sous-lieutenant) is the junior commissioned officer in the army or the air force. He wears a band in the colour of his corps (e.g. gold for infantry, silver for armoured cavalry, etc.). During the 18th century a rank of sous-lieutenant de vaisseau existed in the French Navy. It was the equivalent of the master's mate rank of the Royal Navy. It is now replaced by the rank of "first ensign" (enseigne de vaisseau de première classe).

An Argentinian sub-lieutenant wears a single silver sun on each shoulder, while Brazilian sub-lieutenants (the most senior non-commissioned rank) wear a golden lozenge. In Mexico, the sub-lieutenant is the most junior officer in the rank scale, and wears a single gold bar. Thai sub-lieutenants and acting sub-lieutenants wear a single star on each shoulder.

Rank insignia: naval

UK sub-lieutenant sleeve insignia

In the Royal Navy, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy, the insignia of both sub-lieutenants and acting sub-lieutenants consists of one medium gold braid stripe with an executive curl. The size of this stripe should not be confused with the narrow stripe, colloquially referred to as "spaghetti strap," used on the Royal New Zealand Navy rank of ensign and the Royal Canadian Navy's naval cadets. The Royal Air Force also followed this example of braiding when developing their rank system (see flying officer).

The insignia of sub-lieutenants in most commonwealth countries are identical to the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard grade of ensign (although US ranks do not use the executive curl), even though its equivalent grade in the USN is actually lieutenant junior grade.

In the Royal Canadian Navy, acting sub-lieutenants display one medium stripe. A sub-lieutenant adds a narrow stripe below the medium stripe to maintain the executive curl on the top. The equivalent air force lieutenant rank has the narrow stripe above the medium stripe, since these elements do not need to maintain spacing on top due to the lack of an executive curl; the Royal Canadian Navy followed this pattern before the addition of the curl in 2010.

NATO rank code	Student officer	OF-1		OF-2	OF-3	OF-4	OF-5	OF-6 *	OF-7 **	OF-8 ***	OF-9 ****	OF-10 *****
Royal Canadian Navy	NCdt	A/SLt	SLt	Lt(N)	LCdr	Cdr	Capt(N)	Cmdre	RAdm	VAdm	Adm	Not used
Canadian Army	OCdt	2Lt	Lt	Capt	Maj	LCol	Col	BGen	MGen	LGen	Gen	Not used
Royal Canadian Air Force	OCdt	2Lt	Lt	Capt	Maj	LCol	Col	BGen	MGen	LGen	Gen	Not used

British Army

The British Army briefly had a rank of sub-lieutenant in the late 19th century, replacing the ranks of ensign in the infantry and cornet in the cavalry. After a few years, it was replaced in turn by the rank of second lieutenant.

See also

• Comparative military ranks
• Lieutenant (junior grade), as in the United States Navy

Unterleutnant of the Volksmarine

External links

NATO rank code / Service branch	student officer	OF-1		OF-2	OF-3	OF-4	OF-5	OF-6 ★	OF-7 ★★	OF-8 ★★★	OF-9 ★★★★	OF-10 ★★★★★
Royal Navy	OC	Midshipman	Sub-Lt	Lt	Lt Cdr	Cdr	Capt	Cdre	RAdm	VAdm	Admiral	Adm of the Fleet
Royal Marines	OCdt	2Lt	Lt	Capt	Major	Lt Col	Colonel	Brig	Maj-Gen	Lt-Gen	General	Captain-General
British Army	OCdt	2Lt	Lt	Capt	Major	Lt Col	Colonel	Brig	Maj-Gen	Lt-Gen	General	Field marshal
Royal Air Force	Off Cdt / SO	APO / Plt Off	Fg Off	Flt Lt	Sqn Ldr	Wg Cdr	Gp Capt	Air Cdre	AVM	Air Mshl	Air Chf Mshl	Mshl of the RAF
lists	rear admirals vice admirals admirals RM full generals Army full generals air chief marshals female senior officers