Most modern Russian military ranks appeared in the 18th century, with the formation of the first army on a regular basis. The bulk of the merit in creating a unified army and the emergence of a strict hierarchy of military ranks belongs to the great reformer - Emperor Peter I.
Rear Admiral - this title is firmly connected with the history of the formation and development of the Russian Navy. How it appeared, what duties were performed by a naval officer wearing this military rank, this will be discussed in our article.
Rank History
Traditionally, in Russia, the fleet and ground forces did not have a single leadership and were subordinate to two different departments. The fleet was led first by the Admiralty Collegium (XVIII century), and in the XIX century by the Naval Ministry. The Russian fleet had its own, different from other countries, system of military ranks.
In European countries, the highest military ranks in the fleet appeared in the 17th century, and in Russia a century later. These were: the admiral, who controlled the main forces of the fleet, the vice-admiral, who occupies a lower level in the military hierarchy, and the rear-admiral, the lowest of the ranks in the leadership of the fleet. He usually commanded a rearguard.
These ranks replaced the obsolete navaru (fleet commander in ancient Greece) and drungarii (head of the imperial Byzantine fleet).
Peter I and the Table of Ranks
The title "Rear Admiral" came from Holland. Peter I, visiting Amsterdam, not only learned how to build ships, but also adopted the European system of military naval ranks. The prefix contra meant that in battle the admiral was at the head of the fleet, and rear admiral held a position in the rear guard.
For some time in the XVIII century, this title was replaced by the rank of chautbenhacht, but then it was returned again.
In Russia, according to the Table of Ranks created by Peter the Great, the rank of rear admiral corresponded to major general in the ground forces. Today, this primary admiral rank continues to exist in most armies in the world.
Now in the fleet, Rear Admiral can command a squadron or be deputy commander of the flotilla.
In the USSR, the title of rear admiral was established in 1940.
Decals
The main signs of the differences of the admirals for a long time was the number of buttons on the cuffs of the uniform.
Rear Admiral wore one button, and then everything went on increasing: the Vice Admiral had two, and the Admiral - three.
As a decoration, and at the same time, insignia were also strips of braid of different colors that ran along the diagonal of the uniform. Gold embroidery on cuffs and collar also served to distinguish between the ranks of the officers of the fleet.
Then, in 1807, epaulettes with gold and silver twisted plaits were introduced as insignia.
After the revolution and during the Civil War, the insignia and uniform for both the ground forces and the fleet repeatedly changed. Sleeve patches with stripes and galloons were used.
Modern insignia - epaulettes - appear during the war, in 1943. At the same time, the word “officer” is also introduced.
Famous Rear Admirals of Russia
The outstanding naval commander of Russia was Vladimir Ivanovich Istomin.
During the Crimean War, he distinguished himself in the Sinop battle, under the command of the famous admiral Nakhimov. For courage received the rank of rear admiral. Together with Kornilov and Nakhimov he was one of the leaders of the heavy defense of Sevastopol. During the defense of the city he did not leave defensive positions and lived there, in the dugout. He died during shelling and was buried in the same crypt with other heroic defenders of the city.
The name of another brilliant rear admiral, Mikhail Nikolayevich Kumani, is associated with Sevastopol. With the rank of lieutenant, he participated in the defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. He served in the Baltic, Caspian Sea and the Pacific Ocean. He received the title of Rear Admiral and was soon appointed mayor of his hometown of Sevastopol. At this post, Kumani was able to do a lot in the short time before his death: Primorsky Boulevard was completed, a yacht club was founded, a shelter for the disabled was opened, St. Peter and Paul Cathedral was rebuilt, severely damaged during the defense, a city newspaper was published.
Women in the Navy
The weaker sex has long been actively involved in wars. In modern armies, female military personnel are a completely mundane phenomenon. But it should be noted that they rarely occupy high positions. Therefore, the example of American Grace Hopper is so famous, who rose to the rank of Rear Admiral of the United States Navy.
In addition, she was an outstanding scientist in the development of programming languages. She resigned at the age of 79 and was at that time the oldest US naval officer in age.
A large number of different objects are named after her. The name Grace Hopper is street, park, buildings. 4 years after she left this world, the new Hopper missile frigate, named after the “stunning Grace”, was launched. An example of this amazing woman shows that not only men can successfully serve in the Navy and achieve high rank and respect.