Would a Royal Navy submarine Commanding Officer be OF-5 or OF-4?
I fully hrok the distinction between the RANK of OF-4 (Commander) v. Commanding Officer, the official title of the skipper of a ship.
BBC's Vigil, Season 1, Episode 4 has a continuity error that portrays CO Neil Newsome as OF-5 (Captain), but in previous episodes Newsome was OF-4 (Commander). Which rank is correct? I'm guessing OF-5 for 3 reasons.
Unquestionably, nuclear submarines would benefit from OF-5 by being critical (as nuclear deterrent), abstruse and byzantine. OF-4 usually commands smaller ships like destroyers, like USN Commander Ernest Krause in Greyhound (2020) and USN Commander Kara Green (née Foster) in Last Ship (2014-2018).
I can't reason why a navy WOULDN'T require at least OF-5 to CO a submarine! Why would a Navy prefer an OF-4 to an OF-5? It's straightforward for a navy to promote an OF-4 to OF-5, if somehow there aren't enough OF-5s!
In real life, many OF-5s aren't wise or sensible. In 2017 Oct 31, a RN submarine OF-4 Commander was involved in a sex scandal. On Apr 30 2020, RN Commander Jonathan Lewis was relieved. On Oct 19 2020, a RN Lt Commander was inebriated.
Best Answer
According to royalnavy.mod.uk,
HMS Vanguard (S28) - Commander S. A. Waller
HMS Vengeance (S31) - Commander Daren Mason
HMS Vigilant (S30) - Commander M. J. Walker
HMS Victorious (S29) none listed
HMS Astute (S119) - Commander Andrew Pariser
HMS Ambush (S120) - Commander S E McAllister
HMS Artful (S121) - Commander Daniel Crosby
HMS Audacious (S122) - Commander L Bull
HMS Anson (S124) - Captain N S Bower
HMS Agincourt - not yet in service
HMS Agamemnon - not yet in service
HMS Talent (S92) - Lieutenant Commander C R Bate
HMS Trenchant (S91) - Commander David Burrell (2018) - Decommissioned March 2021 (ref comment by Snow)
HMS Triumph (S93) - Commander S A Waller (also listed under HMS Vanguard)
So, in all, in real life, there are/were 8 Commanders, 1 Lt Commander and 1 Captain.
As far as the show goes, technically speaking, both ranks would be possible, and it appears Newsome was promoted to Captain. Chances are, if the series goes another year, there is the possibility the character could be moved on to a bigger command within the Royal Navy, or indeed, he could remain in command of his boat.
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What rank commands a submarine?
In the submarine community, a captain typically commanded a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) until the early 21st century when the requisite rank for the position was downgraded to that of a commander.Who commands a Navy submarine?
Commander, Submarine Force, US Atlantic Fleet (COMSUBLANT) was designated as the Commander, Naval Submarine Forces (COMNAVSUBFOR) for the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, with the Commander, U.S. Submarine Forces, Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC) as his deputy.What is the commander of a submarine called?
MEET THE CREW OF A USN SUBMARINE Either way, he can be addressed as \u201cSkipper.\u201d Reporting immediately to him are the Executive Officer (XO) who is overall leader of the officers on board and the Chief of the Boat (COB) who is overall leader of the enlisted men on board.How much does a submarine captain earn UK?
The highest salary for a Nuclear Submarine Officer in United Kingdom is \xa386,131 per year. What is the lowest salary for a Nuclear Submarine Officer in United Kingdom? The lowest salary for a Nuclear Submarine Officer in United Kingdom is \xa327,354 per year.Look at Life Vol 2 Military Submarine 1960
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Answer 2
It is not uncommon for OF-4 (Commander) to be the captain of a Royal Navy submarine (I'm actually fairly certain it's the norm, but can't find a source on that - traditionally submarines are considered boats not ships, and the RN submarine service has some odd quirks from its inception).
HMS Conqueror - the only nuclear-powered submarine to fire a torpedo at an enemy combatant.
HMS Vengeance - a ballistic missile boat in the current fleet.
Answer 3
Submarine captains are always Commanders who have passed Perisher.
The Lt Cdr will be the XO of Talent and she will be in refurbishment, therefore will not require a captain.
The Captain looking after Anson will be responsible for a few things, but will officially be the commanding officer while she is not in service and does not have an official XO or CO yet.
Source: one of those names you’ve mentioned above is my husband so I do know how this all works.
BTW - Vigil was as far away from the truth as anything!
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Images: Mike B, Sergey Platonov, Kindel Media, Kindel Media