An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to Field marshal and Marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral.
It is also a generic term for a senior admiral in command of a large group of ships, comprising a fleet or, in some cases, a group of fleets. If actually a rank, its name can vary depending on the country. In addition to "fleet admiral" and "admiral of the fleet", such rank names include "admiral of the navy" and "grand admiral".
The following articles contain specific information on the rank as it pertains to individual countries:
Ambiguity exists when translating the French amiral into English (into admiral of the fleet or admiral). A French title of amiral de la flotte, outranking a full admiral was created in 1939 for Darlan, who was the only person in French history to hold that title. Amiral de la flotte became a rank in 1942, when Darlan was commander in chief of the military forces of the Vichy Regime. The rank of Amiral de la flotte was still mentioned in French laws in 1957.[1]
While the rank of admiral of the fleet/fleet admiral is used in some of NATO countries, it is ranked differently depending on the country.
| NATO code | Country[2] | English equivalent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | US | |||
| OF-10 | Croatia, Portugal | Admiral of the Fleet | Fleet admiral | |
| OF-8 | Poland | Vice admiral | Vice admiral | |