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In British maritime law and custom, an ensign is the identifying flag flown to designate a British ship, either military or civilian. Such flags display the United Kingdom Union Flag in the canton (the upper corner next to the staff), with either a red, white or blue field, dependent on whether the vessel is civilian, naval, or in a special category.
Royal Navy epaulettes for senior and junior officers, 18th and 19th centuries Royal Navy epaulettes for flag officers, 18th and 19th centuries. Uniforms for naval officers were not authorised until 1748. At first the cut and style of the uniform differed considerably between ranks, and specific rank insignia were only sporadically used.
The early Royal Navy also had only three clearly established shipboard ranks: captain, lieutenant, and master. This simplicity of rank had its origins in the Middle Ages, where a military company embarked on ship (led by a captain and a lieutenant) operated independently from the handling of the vessel, which was overseen by the ship's master.
The name for Officers in training for the US Navy vary depending on the particular officer commissioning program. Naval Academy, Merchant Marine Academy and NROTC are midshipmen (MIDN); United States Coast Guard Academy are cadets; U.S. Navy seaman-to-admiral 21 (STA-21) and Officer Candidate School are officer candidates (OC).
In the United States Navy, the rank of ensign superseded passed midshipman in 1862. Ensign is the junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps.
The grades, prefixed OF-(commissioned officers) and WO-(warrant officers) were established in the document STANAG 2116, formally titled NATO Codes for Grades of Military Personnel. In many navies, two separate ranks fall within the OF-1 grade.
Before 1767, there were no definite badges for Field Marshals and general officers.In 1767, the British Army issued an order to distinguish Field Marshals (once the rank was established in 1813) and different graded General officers by the combination of chevron-shaped ess pattern laces on the sleeve.
The services listed here are national, regional, local, recognised, emergency, public-serving, military and educational and support services. Members generally wear uniform, with distinct insignia so they can be identified in their distinct role. Rank structures are similar and similarities can be found between services.