As I understand it, the terms refer to the same station: the boss of the boat or aircraft.
Are they true synonyms, or is there a subtle difference. As in, all skippers are captains, but not all captains are skippers. Is skipper a position, and captain a rank?
When the Coast Guard pulls me over, they address me as “skipper.” I’ve never been called captain.
Skipper is an informal term for the master or commanding officer of a vessel.
In naval parlance (along with the Coast Guard and similar services using naval ranks), a vessel’s commanding officer may have a rank of Captain or some other rank (Commander, Lieutenant Commander, etc.) but would known to the crew as the captain or the skipper. At times, a vessel with a lower-ranking officer in command may have an officer with the rank of Captain aboard (or, indeed, an officer with the rank of Captain in a land/air service), but that officer would not be know as “the” Captain.
I believe that the officer in charge of a merchant vessel is formally known as the “master”, but commonly referred to as the captain, or less formally, the skipper.
In civil aviation, at lease in the U.S., there are generally two “ranks” of pilots, Captain (4 stripes) and First Officer (3 stripes). Formerly, when some planes required a third pilot, there were also Second Officers (2 stripes). Most flights have a Captain and a First Officer aboard, with the Captain in command. However, on some long-haul flights, due to maximum work time rules, there may be may be multiple pilots of Captain or First Officer aboard that rotate on and off duty (and may sleep in crew bunks for that purpose in long-haul aircraft). I assume that one of the Captain pilots is designated as the aircraft commander…
Don’t forget Little Buddy.
US Navy vessels often have Marines on board. Both services have the rank of captain, though it’s a junior officer rank among the Marines ( O-3, versus OO-6 in the Navy). A Marine O-3 is addressed as “Major” ( O-4, equivalent to Navy Lieutenant Commander) while on board ship. And if two Navy Captains are on the same ship, the one not commanding is addressed as Commodore as a courtesy.
We called our Commanding Officer (an LtJg) at the LORAN station I was at “Skipper”, never “Captain”. Behind his back, we referred to him as “The Old Man”.
I’ve heard it claimed that a “Skipper” is the master of a boat- a vessel too small to be called a ship. Anything to this?
It’s etymologically related, unsurprisingly, to the word “ship” and it came into English in the fourteenth century, probably from Dutch/Frisian/German. It refers to a ship’s master, especially a small merchant or fishing vessel. In the mid-nineteenth century it started to be used of the captain or coach of a sporting team, and from the early twentieth century it was used informally for the officer in command of a small military unit, an aircraft or a squadron, and for boy scout leaders. From the mid-twentieth century it was also used informally in the US for a police captain or sergeant.
So skipper comes from skip, like the lil boat? If true, I don’t think I’ve ever put that together before. Not that I’ve ever really thought about it before, either.
A man or woman with a master’s license can and will normally sign his Captain Jones.
But the master of a ship is the man with a master’s license in charge. And on the ship only he will be referred as Captain Jones. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd mates will be referred by their name only regardless of the license held.
To clarify: In the US Army, Air Force and Marinesthe rank of Captain is above 1st Lieutenant and below Major. The Naval equivalent of this rank would be Lieutenant (above the naval ranks of Lieutenant junior grade and below Lieutenant Commander). However in the Navy the rank of Captain is the equivalent of (full) Colonel in the other services, above Lieutenant Colonel and below General…
I admit I have never heard of the word “skip” having the sense of a little boat, and I find on checking that it’s also unknown to the Oxford English Dictionary.
It’s not impossible that there might be such a word in American English, in which case it’s probably an import from Dutch, German or Norwegian. If that’s the case, English skipper is not derived from English skip, but both share a common a common root.
I’ve heard that in a way, “Skipper” is more respectful than “Captain”, precisely because it’s less formal. If you’re a sailor, you call the boss “Captain” because you have to; you only call him “Skipper” if you think he actually deserves it.
Any actual sailor should feel free to correct me, though.
Yes, although…
…this is certainly true in my experience. I have never heard the master of a large vessel called a “skipper”.
And “old man” is also common slang, particularly amongst the crew in my experience.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard the pilot of an aircraft addressed as “Skipper”.
The English word is skiff.
I’ve been called “skipper” before, but from a crew member with a nautical background and as a sign of familiarity. It’s very rare that I get called “captain” directly, we’re not that formal.
Ah, but to add to the clarity (insert sarcasm smilie), a ship’s commanding officer, aka “The Captain” may not necessarily be a Captain (O-6). Naval officers from Ensign (O-1) to Lt Commander (O-4) are addressed as Mr (or Ms) Lastname. Officers from Commander (O-5) and higher are addressed as Commander Lastname, Captain Lastname, or Admiral Lastname. Though, if you want to butter up a LtCdr, you’ll address him/her as “Commander Lastname”
Captain as a rank: A Navy and Coast Guard O-6 is a Captain (in the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force it’s a Colonel). In the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force, a Captain is also an O-3 (Lieutenant in the Navy and Coast Guard).
Captain as a position: The Commanding Officer of the ship is the Captain. Doesn’t matter what the rank is. (An admiral is never the CO, so that isn’t an issue.) In this one instance, Captain and skipper are somewhat synonymous. An Office with the rank of Captain, but not a Commanding Officer would never be referred to as “skipper.”
This is antiquated. It was the case in my father’s day (1950’s) and I did hear it a bit in my first sea tour (late 1980’s) but I haven’t heard that in a long time and I’d be somewhat surprised to hear “Mister So-and-so” today.
Calling the senior Marine Officer a Major even though he has the rank of Captain (O-3) seems very odd to me, but I can’t dispute it.
The only time the term Commodore is used in the Navy is with aviation squadron commands. I’ve never heard a ship driver called a Commodore, at least in 25 years.
Keep in mind that the term skipper is informal. Usually used as a adjective not a pronoun such as: “the skipper said we need to do it this way” as opposed to “heh skipper, where do you want us to go?” but it does happen. If (what am I saying, WHEN) I had bad news for the CO, it was always Captain. It’s a slang friendly term if you will. One hears the term skipper much less frequently than they used to, and more in aviation that in the surface Navy.