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Admiral of the fleet
Адмирал флота
Admiral flota
Marshal's star (small version)
Shoulder strap (1955–1990)
Country Soviet Union
Service branch Soviet Navy
Rank groupGeneral officer
Formation1940 1st
1962 2nd
AbolishedMarch 1955 1st
1991 2nd
Next higher rankAdmiral of the fleet of the Soviet Union
Next lower rankAdmiral
Equivalent ranksGeneral of the army

The rank of admiral of the fleet or fleet admiral[a] (Russian: aдмирал флота, romanized: 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.

Insignia

The first insignia was only sleeve insignia.[2] In February 1943, traditional Russian ranks were reintroduced and the sleeve insignia was changed and shoulder straps were added with four "Nakhimov stars".[3] In 1945, the stars were replaced with a single, bigger star to look similar to marshal's shoulder boards.[4]

Use 1940–1943 1943–1945 1945–1955 1962–1974 1974–1991
Insignia

Officers promoted to admiral of the fleet

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Promoted Retired Ref.
Ivan Isakov
(1894–1967)
Nikolai Kuznetsov
(1904–1974) 		May 1944 February 1956
Sergey Gorshkov
(1910–1988) 		28 April 1962 December 1985
Vladimir Kasatonov
(1910–1989) 		18 July 1965
Nikolai Sergeyev
(1909–1999) 		30 April 1970 1992
Semyon Lobov
(1913–1977) 		28 July 1970 12 July 1977 †
Georgy Yegorov
(1918–2008) 		5 November 1973 1992
Nikolay Ivanovich Smirnov
(1917–1992) 		5 November 1973
Vladimir Chernavin
(1928–2023) 		4 November 1983 1992
Alexey Sorokin
(1922–2020) 		16 February 1988 1992
Ivan Kapitanets
(1928–2018) 		4 November 1989 1992
Konstantin Makarov
(1931–2011) 		4 November 1989 1992

See also

Notes

  1. ^ A literal translation of the Russian "aдмирал флота" would be "admiral of the fleet" (aдмирал - "admiral", nominative singular, флота - "of the fleet", genitive singular of флот, "fleet"). This equates in meaning and form with the Commonwealth rank "admiral of the fleet", but equally well to the rank "fleet admiral". Either translation is acceptable.

References

  1. ^ "О ВОИНСКОМ ЗВАНИИ АДМИРАЛ ФЛОТА" [About the Military Rank Admiral of the Fleet]. wikisource (in Russian). Vedomosti of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. 1955. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  2. ^ Mollo 1981, p. 177.
  3. ^ Mollo 1981, p. 177-178.
  4. ^ "Указ Президиума ВС СССР от 25.05.1945 об изменении знаков различия — погонов для адмиралов флота" [Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces of 25 May 1945 on changing the insignia - epaulettes for fleet admirals]. wikisource (in Russian). Vedomosti of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. 1945. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
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