Grand admiral
Grand admiral is a historic naval rank, the highest rank in the several European navies that used it. It is best known for its use in Germany as Großadmiral. A comparable rank in modern navies is that of admiral of the fleet. Grand admirals in individual naviesAustria-Hungary
The Austrian grand admirals were all members of the Imperial family, except for Anton Haus, the commander of the Austro-Hungarian Navy for part of World War I:[citation needed]
FranceIn Bourbon Restoration France, the rank was an honorific one equivalent to that of marshal in the French Army.[citation needed] Germany
In the Imperial German Navy, and later in the Kriegsmarine, the rank Großadmiral was the equivalent of a British admiral of the fleet or a United States fleet admiral; as a five-star rank (OF-10). Its holders were authorised to carry a baton.[1] The rank was created in 1901 and discontinued in 1945, by which time a total of eight men had been promoted to it. The next most junior rank was Generaladmiral (admiral-general).[citation needed] Imperial GermanyBefore and during World War I, the following were made grand admirals of the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine):
Nazi GermanyGroßadmiral was the most senior rank of the Kriegsmarine, immediately senior to Generaladmiral. The rank was reintroduced in 1939 and was only awarded to the Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine.[citation needed]
ItalyThe rank of grand admiral (Italian: Grande ammiraglio) was created by Benito Mussolini in 1924. It was established primarily to honour Paolo Thaon di Revel, who had been head of the Italian Regia Marina during World War I — he was the only person to be awarded the rank. It was equivalent to marshal of Italy in the army and also marshal of the Air Force.[citation needed] PeruIn 1967 the rank of Grand Admiral of Peru (Spanish: Gran Almirante del Perú) was awarded posthumously to Miguel Grau Seminario and is equivalent to the army rank of Grand Marshal of Peru.[citation needed] SwedenIn Sweden the rank of grand admiral was only ever awarded twice. Once to Duke Charles (later king Charles XIII), who was given the title at birth and which was used by him as the commander of the Swedish Royal Navy and once to crown prince Oscar (I) as a courtesy title to honour his adoptive grandfather, the late king Charles XIII.[3] TurkeyGrand Admiral (Turkish: Büyük Amiral) is nominally a rank in the Turkish Navy. It is the equivalent of the ranks of field marshal in the Army and Air Force. Since the foundation of the Republic in 1923, no person has held the rank. It is awarded by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to persons who are holding the rank of admiral and displayed distinguished merit in wartime.[citation needed] In fictionAmong the grand admirals appearing in fiction and science fiction:
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