Commodore as an appointment and the Falklands command problem

Why did the United States Navy seem to drop the rank of commodore, and how has the rank worked in naval service?

Commodore has often been an appointment for a senior captain, so prestige and command seniority can differ from the officer's substantive rank.

Commodore was long an appointed operational rank in the Royal Navy rather than a substantive promotion. Michael Clapp commanded the Falklands amphibious force as a commodore while remaining a captain in permanent rank. If Admiral Sandy Woodward had been killed, it was not automatic that Clapp would become the senior naval commander because another captain could outrank him substantively. The example shows why navies distinguish permanent rank, operational appointment, and the command relationships written for a particular force. American discomfort with senior naval ranks developed through a different institutional history, but the same status questions surround commodore.