Posted by Robert Dilley on May 24, 2002 at 17:25:27 from 216.211.68.96 user rdilley.
In Reply to: Re: Promotion and Demotion of Cmdr Walker. posted by Charles Coull on May 24, 2002 at 08:04:25:
My knowledge of Naval rankings in distinctly rusty (not to say barnacle-encrusted) but I think the solution to this problem is that the term "Captain" has two different meanings. One is a substantive rank, following Lieutenant, Lieutenant-Commander and Commander. The other is as a courtesy title for an individual in command of a vessel. At the time of his appointment to HMS Ganges (the Naval Training School at Shotley, not named as such in the books) he presumably held the substantive title of Commander but was sometimes addressed as "Captain" as commanding officer of a ship (even if only a land-based one). Even a lowly Lieutenant would be so addressed if he had an independent command. What I do not know is whether it was normal for an officer with Commander rank to be put in charge of Ganges -- it was a pretty big establishment when I was just up river at Woolverstone.