Admiral of the fleet (Soviet Union)
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The rank of admiral of the fleet or fleet admiral[lower-alpha 1] (Russian: адмирал флота, romanized: admiral flota) was the highest naval rank of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1955 and second-highest from 1962 to 1991.
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| Admiral of the fleet Адмирал флота Admiral flota | |
|---|---|
 Marshal's star (small version) | |
 Shoulder strap (1955–1990) | |
| Country |  Soviet Union |
| Service branch |  Soviet Navy |
| Rank group | General officer |
| Formation | 1940 1st 1962 2nd |
| Abolished | March 1955 1st 1991 2nd |
| Next higher rank | Admiral of the fleet of the Soviet Union |
| Next lower rank | Admiral |
| Equivalent ranks | General of the army |
It was first created by a Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet in 1940 as an equivalent to general of the army, but was not used until 1944, when Ivan Isakov and Nikolai Kuznetsov were promoted to the rank.
The rank was abolished on 3 March 1955 with the creation of the rank of admiral of the fleet of the Soviet Union.[1] It was restored in 1962 as the second-highest navy rank.
The rank has been retained by the Russian Federation after 1991.
The first insignia was only sleeve insignia.[2] In February 1943, traditional Russian ranks were reintroduced and the sleeve insignia was changed and shoulder straps were added with four "Nakhimov stars".[3] In 1945, the stars were replaced with a single, bigger star to look similar to marshal's shoulder boards.[4]
| Use | 1940–1943 | 1943–1945 | 1945–1955 | 1962–1974 | 1974–1991 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insignia |  |
.svg) |
.svg) |
   |
 |
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Promoted | Retired | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Ivan Isakov (1894–1967) |
|||
 |
Nikolai Kuznetsov (1904–1974) |
May 1944 | February 1956 | |
 |
Sergey Gorshkov (1910–1988) |
28 April 1962 | December 1985 | |
 |
Vladimir Kasatonov (1910–1989) |
18 July 1965 | ||
 |
Nikolai Sergeyev (1909–1999) |
30 April 1970 | 1992 | |
 |
Semyon Lobov (1913–1977) |
28 July 1970 | 12 July 1977 † | |
 |
Georgy Yegorov (1918–2008) |
5 November 1973 | 1992 | |
 |
Nikolay Ivanovich Smirnov (1917–1992) |
5 November 1973 | ||
 |
Vladimir Chernavin (1928–2023) |
4 November 1983 | 1992 | |
 |
Alexey Sorokin (1922–2020) |
16 February 1988 | 1992 | |
 |
Ivan Kapitanets (1928–2018) |
4 November 1989 | 1992 | |
 |
Konstantin Makarov (1931–2011) |
4 November 1989 | 1992 |
- A literal translation of the Russian "адмирал флота" would be "admiral of the fleet" (адмирал — "admiral", nominative singular, флота — "of the fleet", genitive singular of флот, "fleet"). This equates in meaning and form with the Commonwealth rank "admiral of the fleet", but equally well to the rank "fleet admiral". Either translation is acceptable.