Ranks of the Turkish Navy

The ranks of the Turkish Navy are in fact quite similar to those in any other NATO country. Similar insignia is worn. Here is a list of all ranks in the Turkish Navy, ordered from lowest to highest:

Officers’ ranks

Asteğmen (Midshipman)Asteğmen is a commissioned officer, but cannot be promoted. An asteğmen is a person with at least a bachelor's degree carrying out his compulsory military service of one year. Most men serve as privates or corporals, but some specialists (for example Engineers, Doctors, Dentists, various Ph.D.s) serve as asteğmen.Rank is indicated by a narrow stripe of gold lace with a curl (as in the Royal Navy) on the shoulder boards and sleeves.

Tegmen (Ensign)Tegmen is the first rank after graduation from the Naval Academy. Tegmens wear a stripe of gold lace (about twice the width of that of an asteğmen) with the curl, both on their shoulders and sleeves.

Ustegmen (Lieutenant Junior Grade)Ustegmens wear a stripe with a curl with a narrow stripe below.

Yüzbasi (Lieutenant)A Yüzbası wears two stripes, the top one with the curl.

Binbasi (Lieutenant Commander)A binbasi is the first 'upper level officer' rank (üstsubay). Binbasis wear three stripes, the top one with the curl. Binbasis also have a row of embroidered leaves on the brim of their cap as do the next two ranks.

Yarbay (Commander)A yarbay wears three normal and one narrow stripe. The top one with the curl is normal width, follwoed by the narrow stripe, then two more of normal width.

Albay (Captain)Albay is the last rank before admiral. Albays wear four stripes.

Note : Commodores in the Turkish navy are not given special ranks or insignia. In the Turkish navy a commmodore is not a rank but a position (usually group commander). Commodores almost always have the rank of Captain (Albay), but can fly their special pennants and wear special ribbons.

Tugamiral (Rear Admiral/Lower Half)Tugamiral is the lowest admiral's rank. Tugamirals wear a broad, 1.75 inch wide, stripe of lace and an ordinary stripe above that with a curl on their sleeves. Their shoulderboards are covered in gold lace, and have a silver garland with swords crossed in the middle (General’s mark) and a silver five pointed star above that. All admirals also wear two rows of leaves on their caps.

Tümamiral (Rear Admiral/Upper Half)Tümamirals wear the same shoulderboards as Tugamirals, but with two silver stars. On their sleeves they wear the broad stripe and two normal stripes.

Koramiral (Vice Admiral)There are usually six Koramirals in the whole navy. Koramirals wear three silver stars on the usual shoulder boards. On their sleeves, they wear a normal stripe with the curl, a narrow stripe, another stripe, and below that the broad stripe.

Oramiral (Admiral)There are two oramirals, one of them is the Commander of the Naval Forces (Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutani), while the other is Commander of the Turkish Fleet (Donanma Komutani). Oramirals wear shoulder boards with four silver stars, and three normal stripes (the top one with the curl) above the broad stripe.

Genelkurmay Baskani (Chief of General Staff)The Chief of General Staff, assumes command of the Turkish Armed Forces, and although he is always appointed from the army, he is entitled to wear all uniforms in the Turkish Armed Forces, including the Navy’s. When he wears the Navy’s uniform, he wears the oramiral’s shoulder boards with specially embroidered lace as the base, and he wears the oramiral’s sleeve stripes with the broad stripe also embroidered and decorated with leaves.

Büyük Amiral (Admiral of the Fleet)This is a wartime-only rank and has never been awarded to any member of the Navy. Its army equivalent, Maresal (Field Marshall), has had only two bearers in the republic’s history: F.Marshall Fevzi Çakmak and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself. A Büyük Amiral would wear shoulder boards with special gold handwork on red velvet, decorated with golden leaves, and with a general’s garland on top of that. On his sleeves he would wear four stripes above the broad stripe.

Rank Pennants and Flags(Ensigns)

Note that pennants are only flown for officers who assume command of an independent unit. So staff officers who work in headquarters do not fly pennants.

Flandra (Masthead Pennant) : The Flandra is flown when the ship’s commanding officer boards the ship. It is quite like a very long red stripe with a crescent moon and star close to the mast.

Group Commander : For group commanders, a red triangular pennant with one bomb (twenty pointed white star) is flown.

Regiment Commanders : For regiment commanders, a square red flag with an anchor in the middle is flown.

Commodores : A swallow-tailed red pennant with two bombs (one on the upper left corner, the other one below that) is flown.

Rear Admirals(LH) : A R.Adm. LH flies a square red flag with a bomb right at the center.

Rear Admirals(UH) : A square red flag with two bombs (aligned parallel to the mast and halfway through the flag) is flown for a R.Adm. UH

Vice Admirals: For Vice Admirals, a red square flag with three bombs (two of them aligned parallel to the mast and are close to it, the other one is on the further side, forming an equilatereal triangle with the others) is flown.

Admirals: For the admiral who assumes command of the Turkish Fleet (Donanma), a red square flag with four bombs is flown.

Commander of the Naval Forces : For the Commander of the Naval Forces, a red square flag with four bombs and an anchor in the middle is flown.

Rates (Insignia of Category)

There are several major categories in the Navy for different professions. Insignia of category are worn right above the circle in the topmost stripe, both on the sleeve and the shoulder board. It is a small round patch with gold-coloured needlework. Line officers and admirals do not wear these patches. (Admirals with special circumstances (doctors and engineers) may wear them on their sleeves, but not shoulders)

Naval Infantry (Marines) : In the Turkish armed forces, marines are subordinates to the navy and wear the Navy’s uniforms. Their patch consists of an anchor and two rifles crossing it.

Combat Engineer (Civil Engineer) : A combat engineer wears a patch with the portrayal of what seems to be a fortress, beyond the sea.

Supply : Supply officers wear a branch with three gold-colourred leaves.

Hydrography/Oceanography : These officers wear a patch which portrays a lighthouse, with two beams of light heading away from each other.

Medical Corps (Medical Doctors) : Doctors bear the Staff of Asclepius, a staff with a single snake entangled around it.

Pharmacists : Pharmacists wear the image of a cup, with a snake around it and a branch surrounding both.

Dentists : Dentists wear a staff with a branch around it.

Engineers : An engineer wears the image of a protractor and a pair of compasses beneath that.

Legal (Prosecutors/Judges) : Officers of this category wear a patch that includes a book laying open and a pair of scales behind that.

Instructors : Instructors wear a patch with a book laying open with a torch behind.

Band Musician : A band musician wears a patch with a musical harp.

Nurse : Officers from the Nurses’ Corps wear a single golden crescent with the corners pointed upwards.

Intelligence : The Intelligence patch consists of a golden circle with a cross in between; embroidered with arrows at each point the cross cuts the circle. Portrayed as if this Wheel was turning around its own axis.

Staff Officers : Staff officers, are the officers who assume command or important positions in other headquarters, with a specialty in military personnel and supplies management. They wear a single golden five-point star as their patch of category.

Petty Officers (noncomissioned)

Petty officers (Astsubay) wear patches sewn with gold-coloured thread on their upper arms indicating their rank. Their patches include a crescent and star in the middle and hashmarks at the sides. The number of hashmarks depends on the ranks and varies from 2 to 7. Also very senior petty officers may wear two thin stripes on their sleeves as a mark of exceptional seniority.

The ranks of petty officers are as follows in ascending order.

-Astsubay Cavus (Petty Officer 3rd Class)

-Astsubay Kıdemli Cavus (Petty Officer 2nd Class)

-Ustcavus (Petty Officer 1st Class)

-Kidemli Ustcavus (Chief Petty Officer)

-Bascavus (Senior Chief Petty Officer)

-Kidemli Bascavus (Master Chief Petty Officer)

Petty officers also wear a patch of category above their star in rank patches.

Contracted Seamen

Contracted Seamen (Uzman Cavus), are people that have been employed on four year contracts because of need. They act as subordinates to all officers and petty officers. They wear a red crescent and star, with red hashmarks at each side indicating seniority. Here are their ranks in ascending order:

-Uzman Onbasi (Contracted Corporal)

-Kademeli Uzman Onbasi (Cont. Corp. 1st Class)

-Uzman Cavus (Contracted Sergeant)

-Kademeli Uzman Cavus (Cont. Serg. 1st Class)

Contracted seamen can also wear insignia of category (also red in color)

eamen

Seamen are citizens carrying out the compulsory military service. In Turkey this service is recognized as a mission of citizenship and is carried out with great pride and honor. Their ranks are as follows (ascending order) :

-Er (Private) (wears no rank insignia)

-Onbasi (Corporal) (Wears a single inverted chevron, red in color)

-Cavus (Sergeant) (Wears two inverted chevrons, red in color)

Some seamen with specialties (chaffeurs, cooks etc.) also wear rates.

Coast Guard

The Turkish Coast Guards, are an independent branch of the Navy, which acts under the command of the Interior Ministry. The Force's highest ranking officer is a R.Adm. UH (Tümamiral). The coast guards wear the same rank and rate insignia as ordinary navy officers only with an orange thin arc-shaped stripe, with the words "Sahil Güvenlik" (Coast Guards) emroidered in black, worn on their upper left arm, close to the shoulder.

Also, special pennants are flown for the senior officers of the Coast Guard. Below, are their designs.

Commander of the Coast Guard : For the Commander of the Coast Guard, a square orange coloured flag with a black stripe connecting the lower mast side and upper right corner of the flag, also bearing two bombs (one on the upper mast side, the other on the opposite corner) is flown.

Coast Guard Commander (Rank of Captain) : For these officers, a swallow tailed pennant with a horizontal black stripe across the flag, dividing it in two, also bearing a bomb on each side of the stripe, is flown.

Coast Guard School Commander : The Coast Guard School Commander has a square orange flag, with a white anchor in the center and a vertical black stripe just near the mast.

Coast Guard Group Commander : The Group Commander has a triangular orange pennant, with a black anchor in the middle.