Fleet Captain is a rare military title that may be bestowed upon senior naval captains for a variety of reasons, the most common of which is to temporarly take command of more than one vessel. The rank can, therefore, be interpreted as a close equivalent to Commodore or to the 19th century rank of Flag Officer. The main distinction of a Fleet Captain is that normally the title is strictly temporary for the duration of a single mission.
Historical Usage
Fleet Captain has appeared in the navies of Germany and the United Kingdom as an unoffical title dating back to the 18th century. During World War II, the United States Department of the Navy proposed the rank of Fleet Captain be created for the U.S. Navy as a position between Captain and Rear Admiral. When Commodore was established in 1943, the proposal for Fleet Captain was changed in that the rank would be held by aircraft carrier captains on vessels that had multiple O-6s serving aboard. Proposals for Fleet Captain indicated the rank would display five gold stripes on a sleeve and one gold star as a collar device. The idea was dropped in 1944 and has not been proposed since.
Science Fiction
Fleet Captain has appeared in several science fiction sources, the most notable of which is Star Trek. As a Starfleet officer rank, there have only been two Fleet Captains shown in the entirety of Star Trek, both from Star Trek: The Original Series.
Garth of Izar and Christopher Pike are the only Star Trek characters to have ever held the rank of Fleet Captain. The producers of the Star Trek television series have established Fleet Captain as a rank between Captain and Commodore. An episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, entitled "Inquisition", may have shown a modern Fleet Captain insignia, that being four collar pips worn with a gold bar base. The insignia was worn by Section 31 Operative Luther Sloan. In the episode, Sloan was referred to as "Deputy Director".
