Grand admiral

Template:Short description Template:Navalranks 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 Template:Lang. A comparable rank in modern navies is that of admiral of the fleet.

Grand admirals in individual navies

Austria-Hungary

The Austrian grand admirals were all members of the Imperial family, except for Template:Lang, the commander of the Austro-Hungarian Navy for part of World War I:Template:Citation needed

Portrait	Name Template:Small	Appointed	Template:Abbr
	Anton Haus Template:Small	12 May 1916
	Kaiser Charles I of Austria Template:Small	1 November 1916
	Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany Template:Small	22 February 1917

France

In Bourbon Restoration France, the rank was an honorific one equivalent to that of marshal in the French Army.Template:Citation needed

Germany

Template:Infobox military rank In the Imperial German Navy, and later in the Template:Lang, 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.<ref>BROCKHAUS, The encyclopedia in 24 volumes (1796–2001), Volume 9: 3-7653-3660-2, page 164; definition: «Großadmiral»</ref>

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 Template:Lang (admiral-general).Template:Citation needed

Imperial Germany

Before and during World War I, the following were made grand admirals of the Imperial German Navy (Template:Lang):

Portrait	Name Template:Small	Appointed	Template:Abbr
	King Edward VII of the United Kingdom Template:Small	26 June 1902	<ref>Template:Cite newspaper The Times</ref>
File:Koester, Admiral Hans von, Agence Rol, BNF Gallica.jpg	Hans von Koester Template:Small	28 June 1905
File:Porträtt av Oscar II i amiralsuniform. 1900-1907. Foto Lars Larsson (Cropped).jpg	King Oscar II of Sweden Template:Small	13 July 1905
File:Prince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929), brother of Kaiser Wilhelm II.jpg	Prince Henry of Prussia Template:Small	4 September 1909
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 134-C1743, Alfred von Tirpitz.jpg	Alfred von Tirpitz Template:Small	27 January 1911
File:Henning von Holtzendorff.jpg	Henning von Holtzendorff Template:Small	31 July 1918

Nazi Germany

Template:Infobox military rank Template:Lang was the most senior rank of the Template:Lang, immediately senior to Template:Lang. The rank was reintroduced in 1939 and held only by the Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine.

Portrait	Name Template:Small	Appointed	Template:Abbr
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1980-128-63, Erich Raeder.jpg	Erich Raeder Template:Small	1 April 1939
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1976-127-06A, Karl Dönitz (cropped)(2).jpg	Karl Dönitz Template:Small	30 January 1943

Italy

Template:Main The rank of grand admiral (Template:Langx) was created by Template:Lang in 1924. It was established primarily to honour Template:Lang, who had been head of the Italian Template:Lang 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.Template:Citation needed

Peru

In 1967 the rank of Grand Admiral of Peru (Template:Langx) was awarded posthumously to Miguel Grau Seminario and is equivalent to the army rank of Grand Marshal of Peru.Template:Citation needed

Sweden

In 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Turkey

Template:Main Grand 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.Template:Citation needed

In fiction

Among the grand admirals appearing in fiction and science fiction, one notable figure is Grand Admiral Thrawn from the Star Wars science fiction franchise.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>