ADMIRAL, a great officer or magistrate, who has the government of a navy, and the hearing of all maritime causes.
Authors are divided with regard to the origin and denomination of this important officer. Sir Henry Spelman thinks that both the name and dignity were derived from the Saracens, and, by reason of the holy wars, brought amongst us; for admiral, in the Arabian language, signifies a prince, or chief ruler, and was the ordinary title of the governors of cities, provinces, &c.; and therefore they called the commander of the navy by that name, as a name of dignity and honour. Ducange assures us that the Sicilians were the first, and the Genoese the next, who gave the denomination of admiral to the commanders of their naval armaments; and that they took it from the Saracen or Arabic emir, a general name for every commanding officer. As for the exact time when the word was introduced among us, it is uncertain. Some think it was in the reign of Edward I. Sir Henry Spelman is of opinion that it was first used in the reign of Henry III. because neither the laws of Oleron, made in 1266, nor Bracton, who wrote about that time, make any mention of it. In the latter part of that reign, not only the historians, but the charters themselves, very frequently use the word admiral.
Anciently there were generally three or four admirals appointed for the English seas, all of them holding the office durante beneplacito, and each of them having particular limits under his charge and government; as admirals of the fleet of ships from the mouth of the Thames, northward, southward, or westward. Besides these, there were admirals of the Cinque Ports. We sometimes find that one person had been admiral of the fleets to the southward, northward, and westward; but the title of Admiralis Angliæ was not frequent till the reign of Henry IV. when the king's brother had that title given him, which in all commissions afterwards was granted to the succeeding admirals. It may be observed, that there was a title above that of admiral of England, which was, locum tenens regis super mare, the king's lieutenant-general of the sea: this title we find mentioned in the reign of Richard II. Before the use of the word admiral was known, the title of custos maris was made use of.
Of the rank of admiral there are three degrees; admiral, vice-admiral, rear-admiral. Each of these degrees consists of three divisions, which are distinguished by as many different colours or flags; hence all admirals assume the common title of flag-officers, and take rank and command in the following order:—
Admirals of the Red, of the White, of the Blue Squadrons, bearing their respective flags at the main-top-gallant-mast head; Vice-admirals of the Red, of the White, of the Blue Squadrons, bearing their respective flags at the fore-top-gallant-mast head; Rear-admirals of the Red, of the White, of the Blue Squadrons, bearing their respective flags at the mizen-top-gallant-mast head.
It may be remarked, that for a century nearly we had no Admiral of the Red Squadron; that flag, according to a vulgar error, having been taken from us by the Dutch in one of those arduous struggles for naval superiority which that nation was once able to maintain against the naval power of England. But the fact is, the red flag was laid aside on the union of the two crowns of England and Scotland, when the Union flag was adopted in its place, and usually hoisted by the admiral commanding in chief. The red flag, however, has recently been revived, on an occasion worthy of the event; namely, on the promotion of naval officers which took place in November 1805, in consequence of the memorable victory off Trafalgar. See NAVY.
ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET is a mere honorary distinction, which gives no command, but an increase of half-pay, his being three guineas a day, and that of an admiral two guineas. It is sometimes conferred, but not always, on the senior admiral on the list of naval officers, being held at present by his royal highness the duke of Clarence. If the admiral of the fleet should happen to serve afloat, he is authorized to carry the union flag at the main-top-gallant-mast head; which was the case when the duke of Clarence escorted Louis XVIII. across the Channel to take possession of the throne of France.
The comparative rank which flag-officers hold with officers in the army has been settled as follows by his Majesty's order in council:—
The admiral and commander-in-chief of the fleet has the rank of a field-marshalling in the army; admirals with flags at the main take rank with generals of horse and foot; vice-admirals with lieutenant-generals; rear-admirals with major-generals; commodores with broad pendants with brigadier-generals. See NAVY.