Maniac, during one flight briefing, makes a comment that 'We might as well dig up Tolwyn' or something to that effect. Its early on, but unfortunately, I can't remember the context. I don't think he mentions the Black Lance in that comment, although I could be wrong.
AFAIK, Commodore is typically used as an acting rank to denote which Captain in a squadron is in command. Of course, my familiarity with the term is largely from the game Star Fleet Battles. Some of the people involved with the game are real world military consultants, and I think a lot of this real world experience is found in the military structure of the in-game Federation.
Of course, countering that is the fact that Wing Commander ranks don't necessarily have to be based on real world counterparts.