Definition

Noun: A "flag-captain" is the captain of a flagship, which is the vessel that carries a naval flag officer (such as an admiral). This officer commands the ship itself, while the flag officer commands the entire fleet or squadron.

Usage Examples

• (The captain of the admiral's ship prepared the vessel.)
• (The captain handled the ship's operations under the admiral's command.)

Advanced Usage

• "to serve as flag-captain": to hold the position of commanding a flagship.
  • He served as flag-captain during the naval campaign in the Mediterranean. (He was the captain of the admiral's ship during that military operation.)

Variants and Related Words

• Flagship (n): the ship that carries the fleet commander and displays his or her flag.
  • The flagship led the formation into battle. (The admiral's ship was at the front.)
• Flag officer (n): a naval officer of high rank, such as an admiral, entitled to fly a flag.
  • The flag officer gave orders to the entire squadron. (The admiral commanded the fleet.)

Synonyms

• Ship's captain: the commander of a naval vessel.
• Commanding officer: the officer in charge of a military unit or ship.

Related Idioms

• "to fly the flag": to represent one's country or organization, often in a visible or symbolic way.
  • The flag-captain flew the admiral's flag proudly as the ship entered port. (The captain displayed the flag representing the admiral's authority.)

Notes

• The term is historically specific to naval contexts and is less common in modern usage, where "captain of the flagship" is more frequently used.