Captain general of the Navy

Captain general of the Navy (capitán general de la Armada in Spanish) is a five-star naval officer rank and the highest rank of the Spanish Navy (Armada Española). The five-star NATO rank code is OF-10, the routine honorary appointments formally ceased in 1999. The rank of captain general of the Navy is equivalent to an admiral of the fleet in many nations such as the United Kingdom or the United States, a captain general of the Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra Español) or an Air captain general in the Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire).

This article is about the Spanish Navy rank. For other uses, see Captain general.
Captain general of the Navy
Navy service uniform sleeve lace with the rank of Captain general of the Spanish Navy.
CountrySpain
AbbreviationCGN
RankFive-star
NATO rankOF-10
Non-NATO rankO-11
Formationc. 1750
Next lower rankAdmiral general
Equivalent ranksCaptain general (Army)
Captain general (Air Force)

A peculiar usage of the term captain general arose in the Spanish Navy of the 16th century. A capitán-general was appointed by the king as the leader of a fleet (although the term 'squadron' is more appropriate, as most galleon fleets rarely consisted of more than a dozen vessels, not counting escorted merchantmen), with full jurisdictional powers. The fleet second-in-command was the 'almirante' (admiral), an officer appointed by the capitan-general and responsible for the seaworthiness of the squadron.[1] One captain-general that sailed under the Spanish flag that is now well known was Ferdinand Magellan, leader of the first fleet to sail around the world.

Since King Alfonso XII's reign (1874–1885), the monarchs used captain general of the Navy rank and insignia as Commander-in-chief. Briefly abolished by the Second Spanish Republic, it was restored in 1938 during the regime of Francisco Franco, an Army general. Since 19th century honorary promotions of retired admirals to this rank were also made, such as the prime ministers Juan Bautista Aznar-Cabañas (1928) and Luis Carrero Blanco (1973), the only posthumous promotion. Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, claimant to the Spanish throne (1941–1977) and father of King Juan Carlos, was also made honorary captain general of the Spanish Navy in 1992.

Date of promotion
Image
Name
Dead/Annulled
Notes
1750Juan José Navarro de Viana y Búfalo† 5 February 17721st general captain of the Navy
1783Luis de Córdova y Córdova[2]† 29 September 17962nd general captain of the Navy
1789Pedro Fitz-James Stuart y Colón de Portugal† 23 July 17913rd general captain of the Navy
1792Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán[3][4]† 4 April 1816
1794Francisco Javier Everardo y Tilly[5][6]† 11 December 17955th general captain of the Navy
1796Antonio González de Arce y Ulloa[7]† 23 February 17986th general captain of the Navy
1798Manuel Antonio Flórez y Maldonado[8][9]† 23 March 17987th general captain of the Navy
1798Juan Cayetano de Lángara y Huarte[10]† 18 January 18068th general captain of the Navy
1802José Solano y Bote[11][12]† 24 April 18069th general captain of the Navy
1805Francisco de Borja y Poyo[13]† 10 June 180810th general captain of the Navy
1805Francisco Gil de Taboada y Lemos[14]† 180911th general captain of the Navy
9 November 1805Federico Carlos Gravina y Nápoles[15]† 9 March 180612th general captain of the Navy
3 November 1808Félix Ignacio de Tejada y Suárez de Lara[16]† 20 February 181713th general captain of the Navy
24 February 1817Ignacio Maria de Álava y Sáenz de Navarrete[17]† 26 May 181714th general captain of the Navy
6 June 1817Juan María de Villavicencio y de la Serna[18]† 25 April 183015th general captain of the Navy
1 May 1830Juan Ruiz de Apodaca y Eliza[19]† 11 January 183516th general captain of the Navy
25 January 1835[20]Cayetano Valdés y Flores[21]† 16 February 183517th general captain of the Navy
16 January 1836Francisco Javier de Uriarte y Borja[22][23][24][25]† 29 November 184318th general captain of the Navy
12 February 1843José Sartorio y Terol[26]† 30 December 184319th general captain of the Navy
2 June 1843[note 1] Ramón Lorenzo Romay y Jiménez-Cisneros[27]† 23 May 1849
15 September 1847[note 2][28]José Rodríguez-Arias y Alvárez-Campana[29]† 26 January 185221st general captain of the Navy
17 February 1852Francisco Javier de Ulloa y Ramírez de Laredo[30]† 24 November 1855
  • 22nd general captain of the Navy
  • Secretary of the Navy (1832–1833)
28 November 1855Dionisio Capaz y Rendón[31]† 27 December 1855
  • 23rd general captain of the Navy
  • Minister of the Navy (1822–1823 and 11–16 September 1840)
13 February 1856Francisco Armero y Fernández de Peñaranda[32]† 1 July 1856
24 November 1858[note 3]Casimiro Vigodet y Garnica[33][34][35]† 2 January 1872
5 September 1872[note 4]Juan José Martínez de Espinosa y Tacón[36]† 14 October 1875
29 December 1874Alfonso de Borbón y Borbón† 25 November 1885
  • Ex officio
  • Captain general of the Army (1874–1885)
24 August 1875[note 4] Joaquín Gutiérrez de Rubalcaba y Casal[37]† 3 April 1881
  • Ad honorem
  • Minister of the Navy (17 January – 1 March 1864 and 1866–1867)
  • 1st Marquis Rubalcaba with sucesion (1878)[note 5][38]
18 April 1881[note 4]Luis Hernández-Pinzón y Álvarez de Vides[39]† 22 February 1891Ad honorem
27 February 1891[note 4]Guillermo Chacón y Maldonado[40]† 28 March 1899
15 April 1899[note 4]Carlos Valcárcel y Ussel de Gimbarda[41]† 23 April 1903
17 May 1902Alfonso de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena14 April 1931
(Second Spanish Republic established)[note 6]
  • Ex officio
  • Captain general of the Army (1902–1931)
30 April 1903[note 4]José María Beranger y Ruiz de Apodaca[42]† 23 January 1907
  • Ad honorem
  • Minister of the Navy
    (1870–1871, 1872–1873, 1885–1886, 1890–1891, 11 March – 11 December 1892 and 1895–1897)
21 February 1910[note 7]Juan Bautista Viniegra y Mendoza[43]† 21 February 1918
17 March 1918[44]José Pidal y Rebollo[45]† 4 May 1920
  • Ad honorem
  • Minister of the Navy (1911–1912 and 23 March – 27 July 1918)
11 May 1920[46]José María Chacón y Pery[47][48]† 13 April 1922
22 April 1922Ricardo Fernández de la Puente y Patrón[49]† 23 October 1928
  • Ad honorem
  • President of the Supreme War and Navy Council
30 October 1928Juan Bautista Aznar y Cabañas[50]† 19 February 1933[51]
18 July 1938Francisco Franco y Bahamonde† 20 November 1975
21 December 1973Luis Carrero y Blanco[52]
—
Posthumous promotion
20 November 1975[53][note 10]Juan Carlos de Borbón y BorbónActive until 19 June 2014
(Abdication)
  • Ex officio
  • Retired since 19 June 2014
  • Captain general of the Army and Air captain general
5 December 1992Juan de Borbón y Battenberg[54]† 1 April 1993
  • Ad honorem
  • Infante of Spain
  • Claim to the Spanish throne (1941–1977)
19 June 2014Felipe de Borbón y GreciaPresent
  • Ex officio
  • Captain general of the Army and Air captain general
NATO CodeOF-10OF-9OF-8OF-7OF-6OF-5OF-4OF-3OF-2OF-1OF(D)Student Officer
Spain
Capitán GeneralNote Almirante General Almirante Vicealmirante Contraalmirante Capitán de Navío Capitán de Fragata Capitán de Corbeta Teniente de Navío Alférez de Navío Alférez de Fragata Guardiamarina 4º Curso Guardiamarina 3º Curso Alumno 2º Curso Alumno 1º Curso
English translation Captain General

Note Rank reserved to H.M. The Monarch of Spain.

 General Admiral Admiral Vice Admiral Counter Admiral Ship-of-the-line Captain Frigate Captain Corvette Captain Ship-of-the-line lieutenant Ship-of-the-line ensign Frigate Ensign Midshipman 4th Year Midshipman 3rd Year Officer Cadet 2nd year Officer Cadet 1st year
USN equivalent Fleet Admiral Admiral Vice Admiral Rear Admiral Rear Admiral (lower half)
or
Commodore		 Captain Commander Lieutenant commander Lieutenant Lieutenant (junior grade) Ensign Midshipman 4th Year Midshipman 3rd Year Officer Cadet 2nd year Officer Cadet 1st year

See also

Notes
  1. Supernumerary captain general of the Navy until 30 December 1843.
  2. Supernumerary captain general of the Navy until 23 May 1849.
  3. Supernumerary captain general of the Navy until 1866. Rank replaced by Admiral of the Spanish Navy in 1869.
  4. Promoted as Admiral of the Spanish Royal Navy
  5. Vide Rubalcava.
  6. On 14 April 1931 Alfonso XIII renounced as head of state but did not formally abdicate.
  7. Admiral of the Spanish Royal Navy until 10 January 1912, when the traditional rank of Captain General of the Navy was recovered.
  8. Named himself.
  9. At Civil War until 1 April 1939.
  10. Monarch since 22 November 1975.

    References
    • Juan y Ferragut, Mariano. La Marina en 1808, Cuadernos monográficos del IHCN. Spanish Navy (In Spanish).
    1. "Spanish Galleon: 1530–1690" by Angus Konstam, copyright 2004 Osprey Publishing, Ltd.
    2. Hattendorf, John (2000): Naval policy and strategy in the Mediterranean: past, present, and future. Taylor & Francis, p. 37. ISBN 0-7146-8054-0
    3. González de Canales, Fernando (2000). Catálogo de Pinturas del Museo Naval. Tomo II. Madrid: Ministerio de Defensa.
    4. Martínez-Valverde y Martínez, Carlos. Enciclopedia General del Mar. Garriga, Madrid, 1957.
    5. Biografía del Marqués de Casa-Tilly. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    6. Biografía del Marqués de Casa-Tilly. Portal Todo a Babor. In Spanish
    7. http://www.todoababor.es/articulos/bio_arce.htm Biografía de Antonio González de Arce. Portal Todo a Babor. In Spanish
    8. Real Academia de la historia: Diccionario Bibliográfico español – Manuel Antonio Flórez
    9. "Flores, Manuel Antonio (1987)." Enciclopedia de México, v. 5. Mexico City
    10. "Flores, Manuel Antonio (1987). " Enciclopedia de México, v. 5. Mexico City
    11. José Luis Santalo Rodríguez de Viguri (1973). Don Jose Solano y Bote, Primer Marqués del Socorro Capitán General de la Armada. Madrid: Instituto Histórico de Marina. I.S.B.N. 84-00-03891-6
    12. Colección de Opusculos del Excmo. Sr. D. Martín Fernández de Navarrete, Madrid. 1848
    13. Borja y Poyo. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    14. Gil de Lemos. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    15. Federico Gravina. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    16. Tejada y Suárez de Lara. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    17. Ignacio María de Álava y Navarrete. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    18. Villavicencio de la Serna. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish.
    19. Ruiz de Apodaca. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    20. Madrid Gazette no. 26, de 26/01/1835, pp. 103 a 104.. In Spanish
    21. Cayetano Valdés y Flores. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    22. Cervera Pery, José (2004). El Panteón de Marinos Ilustres. Trayectoria Histórica, reseña biográfica. Madrid: Ministerio de Defensa.
    23. Fernández Duro, Cesáreo (1973). La Armada Española, desde la unión de los reinos de Castilla y Aragón. Madrid: Museo Naval.
    24. González de Canales, Fernando (2000). Catálogo de Pinturas del Museo Naval. Volume II.
    25. Marliani, Manuel (1850). Combate de Trafalgar. Vindicación de la Armada Española. Madrid: Impreso de Orden Superior.
    26. Sartorio y Terol. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    27. Romay y Jiménez-Cisneros en el portal TodoAvante.es
    28. XXI Capitán General de la Armada. Contando historias antiguas... de militares.
    29. Francisco Javier de Ulloa en el portal TodoAvante.es
    30. Francisco Javier de Ulloa. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    31. Capaz Rendón. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    32. "Francisco Armero Peñaranda en el portal TodoAvante.es". Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
    33. Cervera y Jácome, Juan (1926). El Panteón de Marinos Ilustres. Madrid: Ministerio de Marina.
    34. Martínez-Valverde y Martínez, Carlos (1957). Enciclopedia General del Mar. Garriga.
    35. González de Canales, Fernando (2000). Catálogo de Pinturas del Museo Naval. Volume II. Madrid: Ministerio de Defensa.
    36. Juan José Martínez de Espinosa y Tacón. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    37. Joaquín Gutiérrez de Rubalcaba y Casal. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    38. compactgen.com. In Spanish
    39. Luis Hernández-Pinzón Álvarez. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    40. Guillermo Chacón y Maldonado. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    41. Carlos Valcárcel. Portal TodoAvante.es In Spanish
    42. Rodríguez González, Agustín Ramón (1993). Isaac Peral: Historia de una Frustración. Cartagena: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena. ISBN 84-87529-21-6.
    43. Biografía de Juan Bautista Viniegra y Mendoza. Portal TodoAvante.es. In Spanish
    44. Gaceta de Madrid núm. 76, de 17/03/1918.
    45. Biografía de Ricardo Fernández de la Puente. Portal TodoAvante.es
    46. Madrid Gazette (11 May 1920). In Spanish
    47. Silva Suárez, Manuel (2007). "Chacón y Orta, Francisco" (PDF). El Ochocientos: De las Profundidades a las Alturas. II: 395. ISBN 978-84-7820-814-2.
    48. Urquijo y Goitia, José Ramón de (2008). Gobiernos y ministros españoles en la edad contemporánea. Madrid: CSIC. ISBN 978-84-00-08737-1.
    49. Biografía de Ricardo Fernández de la Puente en el portal TodoAvante.es (In Spanish)
    50. Madrid Gazette (30 October 1928)
    51. Hemeroteca Periódico ABC (21/02/33). Acceded 14 February 2017 (In Spanish).
    52. Decree 3204/1973, 20 December, approving the State funeral for HE Admiral Carrero Blanco, the President of the Government. Spanish Official Journal (21/12/73)
    53. Law-Decree 16/1975, 20 November, promoting HRH the Prince of Spain to honorary captain general of the Armies. Spanish Official Journal. In Spanish
    54. Royal Decree 1477/1992, 4 December, promoting HRH don Juan de Borbón y Battenberg, Navy Admiral, to honorary captain general of the Navy. Spanish Official Journal (05/12/1992). In Spanish
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