Captain

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This article concerns the rank and title of Captain. Please see Captain (disambiguation) for other meanings

Captain is a nautical term, an organizational title, and a rank in various uniformed organizations. The word came to English via French from the Latin capitaneus ("chief") which is itself derived from the Latin word caput ("head").

The term has different meanings both at sea, in the private sector, and in the military. Confusion between the different types of captain (nautical, naval, army, and titular) often exists in literature, drama and real life. The customs indicated are necessary to avoid confusion at sea when the question of "Who is in charge of the ship?" may be a matter of life and death.

[edit] Nautical

Main article: Captain (nautical)

Captain is the traditional customary title and form of address given to the person in charge of a vessel at sea regardless of military rank. On most legal documents in the merchant shipping industry, he or she is correctly referred to as the ship's Master. A nautical "captain" may be a civilian or a naval commissioned officer of any rank. See skipper (boating).

[edit] Military

Main article: Captain (military)

Captain, as a military rank, has existed since as early as the Roman Empire, and perhaps even before. Translated as "Head Man", a Captain was most often in charge of a company or column of soldiers. With the founding of navies, the rank of Captain became acquainted to the sea; however, often in its original form this meant a soldier in charge of the soldiers on a ship, not the person in charge of the ship itself. Eventually, the Captain on board a ship become the same as its Commander, through a graduation of titles such as Captain General and Captain Pilot.

[edit] Police and fire

The title of "Captain" is often used to denote the person who is in charge of a police or fire department. In most U.S. police departments, the rank of captain is immediately above lieutenant. A captain is often the officer in charge of a precinct. In the New York City Police Department, the rank of captain is below deputy inspector. Unlike the military version, where the rank of Captain may be held by junior officers with 4-6 years of service, Police and Fire Captains are usually veterans with extensive experience. In the United Kingdom, the approximate equivalent rank of a Police Captain is that of chief inspector.

In most U.S. fire services, a captain ranks above a lieutenant and below a battalion chief. This varies, though, between departments – in Los Angeles County, for example, engineer is the next lowest rank below captain. A captain is in charge of a specific fire station. In paid departments, as opposed to volunteer departments, there is a captain for each shift at each station. In these cases, the senior captain is responsible for the station overall. The head of the training division is often a captain, or there may be multiple captains reporting to a battalion chief of training. Additionally, captains may be assigned over other areas, such as Hazmat response or EMS.

Captain is also the approximately equivalent to the rank of station officer in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries. In the Australian New South Wales Rural Fire Service and Country Fire Authority, the rank of captain indicates the head of a brigade.

In the New Zealand Fire Service in the early 1980's, a captain was in charge of a station. The NZFS has now moved to senior station officer and station officer as station management ranks. The person in charge of a fire brigade is the chief fire officer, and captain is no longer used.

[edit] Civil aviation

In commercial aviation, a pilot in command of an aircraft is often referred to as a "captain", although technically they are the "commander" (see AAIB reports). This practice began with the flying boats of the 1930s and quickly spread to most of the airline industry or because airplanes were regarded as flying ships to begin with. Nautical terms are common in aviation. Most airline captains wear uniforms with four bars on the sleeve and shoulderboard (imitating the rank insignia in both the U.S. and Royal Navies), although this varies among companies. Traditionally, they sit in the left hand seat of a fixed-wing aircraft, and on the right in a helicopter.

[edit] See also

• List of sea captains
• Military unit
• Maritime colleges in the United States
• United States military academies
• Hawsepiper