← Back to catalogue
Research draft

captain

vr.tr.captain · SOC.PER

Let an agent handle the rank and title of captain at a general, comparative and heritage level across services and civilian uses, without operational detail.

Thing Registry Society, people and institutions

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent handle the rank and title of captain at a general, comparative and heritage level across services and civilian uses, without operational detail.

A rank or title of command: in many armies a junior officer rank (NATO OF-2) commanding a company, in navies a senior rank (OF-5) commanding a ship, with related ranks such as frigate captain (OF-4); the title is also used for merchant ship masters, airline pilots in command and sports team captains. Described here at a general level.

What it is for: Understanding ranks, titles and command roles.

It can be compare army, navy and air force captain ranks; explain civilian uses such as ship masters and airline captains; explain forms of address; learn about historical ranks with sources.

Distinguishing features

Title of command

Different grade in army and navy

Civilian uses

Varies by country

What it looks like

Rank insignia on uniforms, which vary by country and service.

How it is recognised

Army captain insignia such as bars or stars

Naval captain sleeve stripes

Team captains wear armbands

Related models

is a kind of - category

military officer rank

is coded as - code

NATO OF-2 or OF-5

is related to - senior naval rank

admiral

is related to - civilian use

aircraft pilot

In practice

Families and kinds

army captain

naval captain

frigate and corvette captain ranks

merchant ship master

airline captain and team captain

Identifiers

NATO rank code OF-2 (army) or OF-5 (navy) officer grade

Standards and regulation

NATO STANAG 2116 rank comparisons

IMO STCW certification for ship masters

Failure modes and hazards

Confusing army and naval captain grades

Providing operational detail

Glorifying ranks of criminal regimes

Also called

Frigate Captaincapitano di fregatacapitáncoudelfronteiroHauptsturmführercapitaineHauptmanncorvette captainlochagosflag captainserenHauptmann (Bundeswehr)Hauptmann (Wehrmacht)Hauptmann (Austrian Bundesheer)Hauptmann (Prussia)lieutenant-commander

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Also registered as vr.tr.captain-5

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Rank Military ranks.

Grades differ.

Service

Army or navy.

Service

Service.

  1. Is an army, air force or naval captain meant, and what grade is it? provenance
  2. What are the equivalents in other services? provenance

Insignia

Badges.

Insignia

Insignia.

  1. What insignia marks a captain in this service, according to official sources? provenance
  2. How is it told apart from nearby ranks? definition
Civilian Other captains.

Civilian roles differ.

Ship

Ship masters.

Ship

Ship masters.

  1. What certification does a merchant ship master need? provenance
  2. What responsibilities do they have? provenance

Other

Airline and team captains.

Other

Airline and team captains.

  1. What does an airline captain or sports team captain do? definition
  2. How are they chosen? provenance
History Historical ranks.

History needs sources.

Origins

Origin of the title.

Origins

Origins.

  1. Where does the title captain come from, according to etymological sources? provenance
  2. How did historical ranks differ? provenance

Context

Criminal regimes.

Context

Historical context.

  1. Is a rank of a criminal organisation, such as the SS, involved? boundary
  2. How should it be described factually, with historical context and without glorification? action
Limits Agent conduct.

General level only.

Operational

No operational detail.

Operational

Operational limits.

  1. Does the request seek operational or tactical information? boundary
  2. How should the agent decline and stay general? action

Impersonation

Scams.

Impersonation

Impersonation.

  1. Is someone claiming to be a military captain in a suspicious message? boundary
  2. How can the scam be reported? action

What the second pass must settle

  • Should each national rank be a separate entry?
  • How should civilian captain roles be linked?
  • How should historical ranks of criminal organisations be framed?