Ship - of - the - line captain Ship - of - the - line captain ( French : " capitaine de vaisseau " ; German : " linienschiffskapitän " ; Italian : " capitano di vascello " ; Spanish : " capitán de navío " ; Serbo - Croatian : " kapetan bojnog broda " ) is a rank that appears in several navies . The name of the rank derives from the fact the rank corresponded to command of a warship of the largest class , the ship - of - the - Line , as opposed to smaller types ( corvettes and frigates ) . It is normally above the rank of frigate captain . Ship - of - the - line captain is equivalent to the naval rank of captain in most of the Commonwealth navies and captain in the United States Navy , and to the rank of captain at sea used in Germany and the Netherlands . Ship - of - the - line captain is rank OF - 5 in the NATO rank codes , and equates to the land - forces rank of full colonel . Austro - Hungarian Empire . " Linienschiffskapitän " was an officer rank in the Austro - Hungarian Navy , equivalent to " oberst " in the land forces or " kapitän zur see " in the " Kaiserliche Marine " . It is still partly used by the navies of the Empire ' s successor states , such as Yugoslavia and Croatia . In order , the other officer ranks below ship - of - the - line captain were Belgium . In the Belgian Navy the rank of " capitaine de vaisseau " or " kapitein - ter - zee " is the third grade of superior officer , equivalent to colonel in the land forces . Its insignia is made up of four bands . He or she commands a capital ship ( cruiser , battleship or aircraft carrier ) or a shore establishment . Smaller vessels such as destroyer s and frigates are commanded by a " kapitein - luitenant " . Canada . In the Royal Canadian Navy or the navy of " Ancien Régime " France , the rank of captain ( N ) ( ) is a Naval rank equal to a colonel of the Army or Air Force . Like colonel , captain ( N ) is the highest rank of senior officer . A captain ( N ) is senior to a commander or an army or air force lieutenant - colonel , and junior to a commodore or brigadier - general . Typical appointments for captains ( N ) include : The rank insignia for a captain ( N ) is four ½ " stripes , worn on the cuffs of the service dress jacket , and on slip - on s on other uniforms . On the visor of the service cap is one row of gold oak leaves along the edge . Captains wear the officers ' pattern branch cap badge . The " ( N ) " is a part of the rank descriptor , and is used in official publications and documents to distinguish a captain ( N ) from a captain in the army or air force . It is also important to distinguish between the rank of captain and the appointment of captain , meaning the commanding officer of a ship , regardless of his or her rank . A captain ( N ) is addressed initially as " Captain Bloggins " , thereafter by superiors and peers as " Captain " and by subordinates as " Sir " or " Ma ' am " . The " ( N ) " is not part of the address . Note : Before Unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968 , rank structure and insignia followed the British pattern . France . " Capitaine de vaisseau " is a rank in the French Navy , corresponding to that of colonel in the French Army . They usually command the Navy ' s most important ships . He has five stripes and is addressed as " commandant " . In naval slang , he is also known as a " " cap ' de veau " " . Italy . The rank of ship - of - the - line captain ( Italian : " capitano di vascello " , lit . " naval vessel captain " ) also exists in the Italian Navy . He is addressed as " " comandante " " . Vietnam . " Đại tá hải quân " ( lit . " captain of the navy " ) is a rank in the Vietnamese People ' s Navy , corresponding to that of colonel in the Vietnam People ' s Army . He has four stars with two stripes on shoulder rank .