# Master commandant > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Master_commandant > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Master_commandant.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_commandant > Source revision: 1321654719 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Former rank in the US Navy}} '''Master commandant''' was a [rank](/source/military_rank) within the early [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy). Both the [Continental Navy](/source/Continental_Navy) (started in 1775) and the United States Navy (created by the [United States Congress](/source/United_States_Congress) in 1796) had just two commissioned ranks, [lieutenant](/source/Lieutenant_(navy)) and [captain](/source/Captain_(naval)). Master commandant, who would command smaller vessels, was used unofficially as early as 1799. The rank was made official in 1806 and was changed to "[commander](/source/Commander_(United_States))" in 1837. The early US Navy had three "grades" of officer who were typically placed in charge of warships: captain; master commandant; and lieutenant, commanding (which was not a distinct rank but a title given to an ordinary lieutenant). That structure remains largely in place in the modern US Navy, with the distinct ranks of captain, commander, and [lieutenant commander](/source/lieutenant_commander_(United_States)). Master commandant was roughly equivalent to the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) rank of [master and commander](/source/Commander_(Royal_Navy)), which was shortened to "commander" in 1794. When he was in command of a ship, such as a [sloop](/source/Sloop-of-war) or [brig](/source/brig), a master commandant would be addressed as "captain" by the sailors on board. Contemporary paintings show the main difference of a master commandant's uniform from a captain's uniform was that while a captain wore an [epaulet](/source/Epaulette) on each shoulder a master commandant had a single epaulet on the right shoulder, and a lieutenant commandant wore a single epaulet on the left shoulder. American naval officer [Stephen Decatur](/source/Stephen_Decatur) notably never held the rank of master commandant. After leading a raid to destroy the captured U.S. [frigate](/source/frigate) {{USS|Philadelphia|1799|2}} in [Tripoli](/source/Tripoli%2C_Libya) Harbor in 1804, Decatur returned to the U.S. as a national hero and was given a direct promotion from lieutenant to captain. Also in 1804, Master Commandant [Richard Somers](/source/Richard_Somers) led a dozen volunteer sailors on [USS ''Intrepid''](/source/USS_Intrepid_(1798))—[loaded with explosives](/source/Fire_ship)—toward the pirate fleet in the harbor of Tripoli during the [First Barbary War](/source/First_Barbary_War).{{cite news |first=Edward |last=Colimore |title=Effort under way to bring back U.S. sailors buried in Libya |date=October 25, 2011 |newspaper=[The Philadelphia Inquirer](/source/The_Philadelphia_Inquirer) |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20111025_Effort_under_way_to_bring_back_U_S__sailors_buried_in_Libya.html |access-date=2011-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027210934/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20111025_Effort_under_way_to_bring_back_U_S__sailors_buried_in_Libya.html |archive-date=October 27, 2011 |url-status=live}} In 1825 a master commandant was paid $60 per month, while a captain of a ship with 20–32 cannons was paid $75 per month. A lieutenant commandant was paid $50 per month, while a lieutenant or a sailing master earned $40 per month. Midshipmen earned $19 per month. Captains of ships with more than 32 cannons earned $100 per month. ==References== {{Reflist|refs= {{cite news | url = https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/2014/09/18/all-that-glitters-us-navy-unifor/ | title = All That Glitters: The US Navy Uniform Regulations of 1802 | work = [US Constitution Museum](/source/US_Constitution_Museum) | date = 2014-09-18 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160721160445/https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/2014/09/18/all-that-glitters-us-navy-unifor/ | archivedate = 2016-07-21 | accessdate = 2019-12-22 | url-status = live | quote = Oddly, the 1802 regulations say nothing about the uniform of a master commandant, but from descriptions and subsequent uniform regulations, we know that Master Commandant John Cassin is wearing the proper uniform for his rank. Virtually the same as a captain’s uniform, the only difference is his epaulet; instead of wearing one on each shoulder, he only wears one on the right. }} {{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Kfeau_qg2-gC&q=USN+OR+%22US+Navy%22+OR+%22United+States+Navy%22+%22Master+commandant%22&pg=PA13 | title = UNITED STATES NAVY GRADE INSIGNIA 1776 - 1852 | publisher = [Preston Perrenot](/source/Preston_Perrenot) | date = | pages = 13, 14, 20, 26, 34 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20191223013947/https://books.google.ca/books?id=Kfeau_qg2-gC&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=USN+OR+%22US+Navy%22+OR+%22United+States+Navy%22+%22Master+commandant%22&source=bl&ots=IXL3gpwJ-s&sig=ACfU3U0wy29wFnLlksSLFhlmrRS86GAvwA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-8d3mucrmAhVMKqwKHQ_-Ac0Q6AEwK3oECGYQAQ#v=onepage&q=USN%20OR%20%22US%20Navy%22%20OR%20%22United%20States%20Navy%22%20%22Master%20commandant%22&f=false | archivedate = 2019-12-23 | accessdate = 2019-12-22 | url-status = live | quote = }} {{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ahIYAAAAMAAJ&q=USN+OR+%22US+Navy%22+OR+%22United+States+Navy%22+%22Master+commandant%22&pg=PA28 | title = Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps and Reserve Officers on Active Duty | publisher = [U.S. Government Printing Office](/source/U.S._Government_Printing_Office) | year = 1825 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20191223014138/http://web.archive.org/screenshot/https://books.google.ca/books?id=ahIYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=USN+OR+%22US+Navy%22+OR+%22United+States+Navy%22+%22Master+commandant%22&source=bl&ots=m5dx-_LaQT&sig=ACfU3U1wT7PZ0sWYx8tVRTJFoCxpv5rM6A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-8d3mucrmAhVMKqwKHQ_-Ac0Q6AEwKHoECGUQAQ | archivedate = 2019-12-23 | accessdate = 2019-12-22 | url-status = live | quote = }} {{cite news | url = https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/2019/11/01/the-history-of-navy-rank-the-officer-corps/ | title = The History of Navy Rank: The Officer Corps | work = [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy) | date = 2019-11-01 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20191215125047/https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/2019/11/01/the-history-of-navy-rank-the-officer-corps/ | archivedate = 2019-12-15 | accessdate = 2019-12-22 | url-status = live | quote = When the U.S. Navy’s predecessor, the Continental Navy, was established in 1775, the first set of Navy regulations stipulated the commissioned offices of captain and lieutenant. When the United States Navy was created by Congress in 1794, the legislation again provided for the ranks of captain and lieutenant “who shall be appointed and commissioned in like manner as other officers of the United States are.” In 1799, master commandant was authorized as a rank between lieutenant and captain. Although master commandant was changed to commander in 1837, this simple rank system survived intact until the Civil War. }} {{cite news |url = http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-110111-034.pdf |title = Why is the Colonel Called "Kernal"? The Origin of the Ranks and Rank Insignia Now Used by the United States Armed Forces |work = [McClennan Aviation Museum](/source/McClennan_Aviation_Museum) |author = Raymond Oliver |date = August 1983 |page = 14 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131228085119/http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-110111-034.pdf |archivedate = 2013-12-28 |accessdate = 2019-12-22 |url-status = dead |quote = }} }} ==Further reading== * {{cite book |last=Toll |first=Ian W. |author-link=Ian W. Toll |title=Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy |url=https://archive.org/details/sixfrigatesepich00toll |url-access=registration |publisher=W. W. Norton |year=2006|isbn=9780393058475 }} + Category:Military ranks of the United States Navy {{US-navy-stub}} {{mil-rank-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Master commandant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_commandant) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_commandant?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.