Polish sea-going and staff appointments complicate rank comparisons

The Polish naval rank translated as captain does not map neatly onto the same English grade in every period. Modern NATO comparisons place it at senior-lieutenant level, with an adjacent commander grade corresponding to lieutenant commander. During the interwar and wartime period, the distinction could be less clear because sea-going and staff appointments used the titles differently. An officer at sea could therefore carry a title different from that used for a comparable officer ashore. Historical command appointments need to be read in that context.