Officer Rank Insignia
1943-1965
Naval officers wore their rank devices in different ways, depending upon the type of uniform. The four basic uniforms and the rank devices were: khakis and grays (working uniforms) — pins on the collar; whites — stripes on shoulder boards; and blues — stripes sewn on the lower sleeve. Shoulder boards were also worn on bridge coats and reefers.
The gray uniform was eliminated in 1949. The navy blue cover of the officer’s combination cap — the hat with a black bill, gold “chin strap” and cloth cover — was replaced with white at about the same time.
Collar devices were worn on the right side of the garrison cap (a miniature officer’s crest was worn on the left) and slightly larger devices were worn on the epaulets of the raincoat and working jacket. The senior ensign on a vessel sometimes wore oversized gold bars engraved with the word bull, and was known as a bull ensign.
Line officers wore an inverted star above the stripes of the shoulder boards or sleeves, but staff and warrant officers wore specialty insignia.
Before the 1950s, warrant officers were known by their job specialties, such as Gunner or Boatswain. All male officers below the rank of commander were called Mister (thus Mister Roberts); female officers were known as Miss or Mrs..
| Pay Grade | Rank | Abbreviation | Collar | Shoulder | Sleeve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W-1 | Warrant Officer Junior Grade Warrant Officer (after 1949) Abolished in 1970s |
WO1 |  |
 |
 |
| W-2 | Commissioned Warrant Officer Chief Warrant Officer (after 1954) |
CWO2 |  |
 |
 |
| W-3 | Commissioned Warrant Officer (1949-1954) Chief Warrant Officer (after 1954) |
CWO3 |  |
 |
 |
| W-4 | Commissioned Warrant Officer (1949-1954) Chief Warrant Officer (after 1954) |
CWO4 |  |
 |
 |
| W-5* | Chief Warrant Officer (Established 2002) |
CWO5 |  |
 |
 |
| Pay Grade | Rank | Abbreviation | Collar | Shoulder | Sleeve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O-1 | Ensign | ENS |  |
 |
 |
| O-2 | Lieutenant Junior Grade |
LTJG |  |
 |
 |
| O-3 | Lieutenant | LT |  |
 |
 |
| O-4 | Lieutenant Commander |
LCDR |  |
 |
 |
| O-5 | Commander | CDR |  |
 |
 |
| O-6 | Captain | CAPT |  |
 |
 |
| O-7 | Commodore (Now Rear Admiral lower half) |
RDML |  |
 |
 |
| O-8 | Rear Admiral (Now Rear Admiral upper half) |
RADM |  |
 |
 |
| O-9 | Vice Admiral | VADM |  |
 |
 |
| O-10 | Admiral | ADM |  |
 |
 |
| O-11 | Fleet Admiral (Not used since 1966) |
FADM |  |
 |
 |
Source:
U.S. Navy Office of Information