Fleet Admiral (U.S.)

A Fleet Admiral in the United States Navy is an admiral considered to be the equivalent of the United States Army's General of the Army. The United States rank of Fleet Admiral was created in 1944 and was held during and after the Second World War by the following officers:

Fleet Admiral Sleeve Insignia

Fleet Admiral Shoulder Board

William D. Leahy,	15 December 1944,
•	Ernest J. King,	17 December 1944,
•	Chester W. Nimitz,	19 December 1944,
•	William F. Halsey,	11 December 1945.

Note the careful timing of the first three appointments. The dates of rank for the corresponding five-star generals are 16, 18, 20, and 21 December 1944, to establish both a clear order of seniority and a near-equivalence between the services.

The insignia for Fleet Admiral comprises five stars in a pentagon design with a thick rank strip, below four smaller stripes, on the service dress blue uniform.

A close contender to the rank of Fleet Admiral was Raymond A. Spruance, however Representative Carl Vinson (a strong supporter of William F. Halsey) was reported to have on several occasions blocked the final appointment of Spruance to Fleet Admiral.

Since the close of the Second World War, there have been no additional Fleet Admirals appointed in the United States Navy. However, the rank still remains listed on official U.S. rank insignia precedence charts and could be reestablished at the discretion of the United States Congress.

U.S. Naval tradition holds that the rank Admiral of the Navy is considered senior to that of Fleet Admiral. The only person to ever hold the rank of Admiral of the Navy was George Dewey.

See also

*U.S. Navy officer rank insignia
*List of U.S. military leaders by rank
*List of Fleet and Grand Admirals
*Comparative military ranks

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