Admiral of the fleet (Soviet Union) should not be confused with Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union.
| Admiral of the fleet | |
| Native Name: | Russian: Адмирал флота Russian: Admiral flota |
| Image Size2: | 50px |
| Rank Group: | General officer |
| Formation: | 1940 1962 |
| Abolished: | March 1955 1991 |
| Higher Rank: | Admiral of the fleet of the Soviet Union |
| Lower Rank: | Admiral |
| Equivalents: | General of the army |
The rank of admiral of the fleet or fleet admiral (Russian: адмирал флота|admiral flota) was the highest naval rank of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1955 and second-highest from 1962 to 1991.
It was first created by a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet in 1940 as an equivalent to general of the army, but was not used until 1944, when Ivan Isakov and Nikolai Kuznetsov were promoted to the rank.
The rank was abolished on 3 March 1955 with the creation of the rank of admiral of the fleet of the Soviet Union.[1] It was restored in 1962 as the second-highest navy rank.
The rank has been retained by the Russian Federation after 1991.
The first insignia was only sleeve insignia. In February 1943, traditional Russian ranks were reintroduced and the sleeve insignia was changed and shoulder straps were added with four "Nakhimov stars". In 1945, the stars were replaced with a single, bigger star to look similar to marshal's shoulder boards.[2]
| Portrait | Name | Promoted | Retired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Isakov | |||||
| Nikolai Kuznetsov | May 1944 | February 1956 | |||
| Sergey Gorshkov | 28 April 1962 | December 1985 | |||
| Vladimir Kasatonov | 18 July 1965 | ||||
| Nikolai Sergeyev | 30 April 1970 | 1992 | |||
| Semyon Lobov | 28 July 1970 | 12 July 1977 † | |||
| Georgy Yegorov | 5 November 1973 | 1992 | |||
| Nikolay Ivanovich Smirnov | 5 November 1973 | ||||
| Vladimir Chernavin | 4 November 1983 | 1992 | |||
| Alexey Sorokin | 16 February 1988 | 1992 | |||
| Ivan Kapitanets | 4 November 1989 | 1992 | |||
| Konstantin Makarov | 4 November 1989 | 1992 |