Oberleutnant zur See

Oberleutnant zur See
shoulder board / cuff title / mounting loop
Country Germany
Service branch German Navy
AbbreviationOLt zS
NATO rank codeOF-1
Formation1898
Next higher rankKapitänleutnant
Next lower rankLeutnant zur See
Equivalent ranksOberleutnant

Oberleutnant zur See (OLt zS or OLZS[1] in the German Navy, Oblt.z.S. in the Kriegsmarine) is traditionally the highest rank of Lieutenant in the German Navy. It is grouped as OF-1 in NATO.

The rank was introduced in the Imperial German Navy by renaming the former rank of Premier Lieutenant in 1890. Within the navy, officers of this rank were simply addressed as Herr Oberleutnant. To distinguish naval officers from those of the army, the suffix zur See (at sea) was added in official communications, sometimes shortened to z.S. (Oblt.z.S.). The rank has since been used by the Reichsmarine, Kriegsmarine, and Bundesmarine. In the Volksmarine, the rank was originally used in the same way until the suffix zur See was dropped. In the Kriegsmarine, engineers (Ingenieur – Ing.) of the same rank were distinguished as Oberleutnant (Ing.).

junior rank
Leutnant zur See

(German officer rank)
Oberleutnant zur See

senior rank
Kapitänleutnant
  1. ^ "Bundeswehr Dienstgrade in der Marine". www.bundeswehr-dienstgrade.de. Retrieved 22 March 2018.