First Navy Jack

Last updated
United States of America
Naval jack of the United States (2002-2019).svg
The "First Navy Jack", currently flown only by the oldest warship in the U.S. Navy.
The First Navy Jack
Proportion2:1
AdoptedOctober 13, 1975 (as U.S. naval jack)
August 18, 1980 (for oldest U.S. warships)
September 11, 2002 (as U.S. naval jack)
RelinquishedDecember 31, 1976 (as U.S. naval jack)
June 4, 2019 (as U.S. naval jack)
Design13 horizontal stripes of alternating red and white, charged with a rattlesnake and inscribed on the lowest white stripe: "DONT[ sic ] TREAD ON ME".

The First Navy Jack was the naval jack of the United States from 1975 to 1976 and again from 2002 to 2019. It was authorized by the U.S. Navy and was flown from the jackstaff of commissioned vessels of the U.S. Navy while moored pierside or at anchor. Since then, it is used only as a naval jack by the oldest active warship in the U.S. Navy. [lower-alpha 1] The design is traditionally regarded as that of the first U.S. naval jack, flown soon after independence, but this is not supported by the historical record.

Contents

The First Navy Jack was replaced as the U.S. naval jack by the U.S. Union Jack (consisting of white stars on a blue field, not to be confused with the flag of the United Kingdom, also commonly called "the Union Jack") on June 4, 2019, by order of the Chief of Naval Operations. [1] [2] [3]

History

Historically probable first naval jack. US Naval Jack 13 stripes.svg
FIAV historical.svg Historically probable first naval jack.
Variant featuring all-gold rattlesnake; typically seen during the 1970s. Naval jack of the United States (1975-1976).png
FIAV variant.svg Variant featuring all-gold rattlesnake; typically seen during the 1970s.

In late 1775, as the first ships of the Continental Navy readied in the Delaware River, Commodore Esek Hopkins issued an instruction directing his vessels to fly a "striped" jack and ensign. The exact design of these flags is unknown. But, since about 1880, this jack has traditionally been depicted as consisting of thirteen red and white stripes charged with an uncoiled rattlesnake and the motto "Dont Tread on Me" [ sic ]; this design appeared in a color plate in Admiral George Henry Preble's influential History of the Flag of the United States. Recent scholarship, however, has demonstrated that this design never existed but "was a 19th-century mistake based on an erroneous 1776 engraving". [4]

In 1778, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sicily, thanking him for allowing entry of revolutionary ships into Sicilian ports. The letter describes the new flag of the colonies according to the 1777 Flag Resolution, but also describes a flag of "South Carolina, a rattlesnake, in the middle of the thirteen stripes." [5]

The rattlesnake had long been a symbol in the colonies of resistance and defiance to the Crown. The phrase "Don't Tread on Me" may have been coined during the American Revolutionary War, a variant perhaps of an earlier image. A snake severed in segments and labelled with the names of the colonies and the legend "Join, or Die", had first been published in Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754, as a political cartoon reflecting on the Albany Congress.

The rattlesnake (specifically, the Timber Rattlesnake) is especially significant and symbolic to the American Revolution. The rattle has thirteen layers, signifying the original Thirteen Colonies. Additionally, the snake does not strike until provoked, a characteristic expressed by the phrase "Don't tread on me" (see Gadsden flag).

Typically the flag's rattlesnake is depicted with red scales on its back, [6] but some have depicted the snake as all-gold. [7] [8] [9]

Modern use

Shipboard

Raising of the "Navy Jack" for the first time at morning colors, on September 11, 2002, aboard the guided missile cruiser Thomas S. Gates in honor of those killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Raising the First Naval Jack.jpg
Raising of the "Navy Jack" for the first time at morning colors, on September 11, 2002, aboard the guided missile cruiser Thomas S. Gates in honor of those killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Modern use of the flag is usually traced to 1976, when the United States celebrated its Bicentennial. All commissioned naval vessels were directed to fly the First Navy Jack for that calendar year while moored or anchored, and their commanding officers were authorized to retain and fly it thereafter.

The flag that had been used before, and afterward was the standard, was the fifty-star Union Jack. In 1980, Secretary of the Navy Edward Hidalgo directed that the warship or fleet auxiliary (e.g. a vessel designated as a "United States Ship" or "USS") with the longest active status shall display the First Navy Jack until decommissioned or transferred to inactive service. [10]

The status of the flag was changed on May 31, 2002. Navy Secretary Gordon England issued SECNAV Instruction 10520.6, directing all warships and auxiliaries of the U.S. Navy to fly the First Naval Jack as a "temporary substitution" for the Jack of the United States "during the Global War on Terrorism". [10] The idea was based on a post-9/11 suggestion from retired Captain Brayton Harris, who in 1975 and 1976 had been Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy for the bicentennial. Most vessels made the symbolic switch on September 11, 2002 during the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Not all US vessels flew the flag while moored or at anchor. Those that did not included commissioned vessels of the U.S. Coast Guard designated as "United States Coast Guard Cutter" ("USCGC"), USCG patrol boats, vessels of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and predominantly civilian-crewed vessels of the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command.

On February 21, 2019, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson, announced the blue Union Jack would be returned to nearly all commissioned warships of the U.S. Navy. He restored the 1980 practice of reserving the First Navy Jack to the longest active status warship. This order disregards the USS Constitution, which technically is the oldest in the Navy but is used only for ceremonial purposes, and the USS Pueblo, which was captured by North Korea in 1968 and is currently a museum ship though is still commissioned in the U.S. Navy. [11] The honor of "oldest ship" in the Fleet [lower-alpha 2] was conferred on the following U.S. Navy vessels:

Ship nameTypeCommission dateDecommission dateYears as oldestAge [lower-alpha 3] HomeportFate
USS Dixie (AD-14) Destroyer tender April 25, 1940June 15, 19821981–198242 Subic Bay, Philippines Scrapped
USS Prairie (AD-15) Destroyer tenderAugust 5, 1940March 26, 19931982–199352—Scrapped
USS Orion (AS-18) Submarine tender September 30, 1943September 3, 1993199350 Newport, Rhode IslandScrapped
USS Sierra (AD-18) Destroyer tenderMarch 20, 1944October 15, 1993199349 Charleston, South Carolina Scrapped
USS Jason (AR-8) Repair ship June 19, 1944June 24, 1995 [lower-alpha 4] 1993-199551 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
San Diego, California		Scrapped
USS Mauna Kea (AE-22) Ammunition ship March 30, 1957June 30, 1995199538 Concord, CaliforniaSunk as target
USS Independence (CV-62) Aircraft carrier January 10, 1959September 30, 19981995–199839 Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia
San Diego, California
Yokosuka, Japan 		Scrapped
USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) Aircraft carrierApril 29, 1961May 12, 20091998–200948 Bremerton, WashingtonUndergoing scrapping
USS Enterprise (CVN-65) Aircraft carrierNovember 25, 1961December 1, 20122009–201251 Naval Station Norfolk, VirginiaAwaiting scrapping
USS Denver (LPD-9) Amphibious transport dock October 26, 1968August 14, 20142012–201445 Sasebo, JapanSunk as target
USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) Amphibious command ship November 14, 1970—2014–present53 Yokosuka, JapanActive

Other U.S. Navy uses

Since September 11, 2002, U.S. Navy installations and facilities ashore have been allowed but not required to fly the First Navy Jack from multi-halyard gaff-rigged flagpoles when the United States ensign is also flown.

The First Navy Jack has also been authorized for wear as a patch by sailors and naval officers on flight suits and certain versions of the Navy Working Uniform (NWU), including sailors and naval officers wearing the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) while assigned to and serving with Army units, at the discretion of the local Army commander. [12] [13] For the NWU and ACU, the patch is typically worn on the opposite sleeve as the U.S. flag.

This First Navy Jack, along with the Serapis flag, is also featured on the crest of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones. [14]

During the War in Afghanistan, U.S. Navy sailors and officers assigned to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were authorized to wear the First Navy Jack on their MultiCam-patterned Army Combat Uniform (ACU) on the right sleeve, below the U.S. flag. [15]

Non-military uses

Like other snake flags, the First Navy Jack has been used by non-Navy people in protest or commemoration. For example, opponents to a smoking ban in Franklin, Indiana, flew Navy Jacks outside their homes and businesses. [16] A First Navy Jack flag was also placed at a makeshift memorial on Boylston Street after the Boston Marathon bombing. [17] [18]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ USS Constitution, technically in active service, is excluded.
  2. ↑ In modern times (post-1980 in this case).
  3. ↑ This column reflects the ship's age at the given decommissioning date
  4. ↑ USS Jason was the last remaining U.S. naval commissioned ship to serve in World War II.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Winston S. Churchill</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She is named after Sir Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This ship is the 31st destroyer of her class and the 18th ship of the class to be built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Construction began on 7 May 1998, and the vessel launched and christened on 17 April 1999. On 10 March 2001, she was commissioned during a ceremony at Town Point Park in Norfolk, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ensign (flag)</span> Maritime flag used for national identification of ships

An ensign is a maritime flag that is used for the national identification of a ship. It is the largest flag and is generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. Depending on the ship's origin, it may sometimes be identical with a jack on the bow of the ship when in a port. Jacks are more common on warships than on merchant ships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confederate States Navy</span> Military unit

The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War against the United States's Union Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flags of the United States Armed Forces</span> Banners which represent branches of US military forces

The several branches of the United States Armed Forces are represented by flags. Within the U.S. military, various flags fly on various occasions, and on various ships, bases, camps, and military academies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime flag</span> Flag designated for use on ships or at sea

A maritime flag is a flag designated for use on ships, boats, and other watercraft. Naval flags are considered important at sea and the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced. The flag flown is related to the country of registration: so much so that the word "flag" is often used symbolically as a metonym for "country of registration".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Ensign</span> Flags used in Royal Navy vessels

The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign because of the simultaneous existence of a crossless version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cross on a white field, identical to the flag of England except with the Union Flag in the upper canton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack (flag)</span> Banner flown from a ships bow

A jack is a flag flown from a short jackstaff at the bow (front) of a vessel, while the ensign is flown on the stern (rear). Jacks on bowsprits or foremasts appeared in the 17th century. A country may have different jacks for different purposes, especially when the naval jack is forbidden to other vessels. The United Kingdom has an official civil jack; the Netherlands has several unofficial ones. In some countries, ships of other government institutions may fly the naval jack, e.g. the ships of the United States Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the case of the US jack. Certain organs of the UK's government have their own departmental jacks. Commercial or pleasure craft may fly the flag of an administrative division or municipality at the bow. Merchant ships may fly a house flag. Yachts may fly a club burgee or officer's flag or the owner's private signal at the bow. Practice may be regulated by law, custom, or personal judgment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commissioning pennant</span> Pennant flown from the masthead of a warship

The commissioning pennant is a pennant flown from the masthead of a warship. The history of flying a commissioning pennant dates back to the days of chivalry with their trail pendants being flown from the mastheads of ships they commanded. Today, the commissioning pennants are hoisted on the day of commissioning and not struck until they are decommissioned. Some navies have a custom of flying a "paying off" or "decommissioning pennant," the length of which often reflects the length of service of the warship.

USS <i>Robert Smalls</i> Ticonderoga-class cruiser

USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser built during the Cold War for the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1989, the warship was originally named USS Chancellorsville for the American Civil War Battle of Chancellorsville. In March 2023, she was renamed for Robert Smalls, a former slave who freed himself and others by commandeering a Confederate transport ship.

USS <i>Paul Hamilton</i> (DDG-60)

USS Paul Hamilton (DDG-60) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy currently in service. The ship is named after Paul Hamilton, the third United States Secretary of the Navy.

USS <i>Dewey</i> (DDG-105) Guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy

USS Dewey (DDG-105) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. Dewey is the third Navy ship named after Admiral of the Navy George Dewey, hero of the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War.

USS <i>Alfred</i> 1774 frigate

Alfred was the merchant vessel Black Prince, named for Prince Edward, Duke of Cornwall and launched in 1774. The Continental Navy acquired her in 1775, renaming her Alfred after 9th century English monarch Alfred of Wessex, and commissioned her as a 24-gun frigate. During the American Revolutionary War, the Alfred participated in two major naval operations; the battles of Nassau and Block Island. The Royal Navy captured her in 1778, took her into service as HMS Alfred, and sold her in 1782. She then became the merchantman Alfred, and sailed between London and Jamaica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gadsden flag</span> Historical American flag

The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a timber rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Beneath the rattlesnake are the words Dont Tread on Me. Some modern versions of the flag include an apostrophe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack of the United States</span> United States maritime flag

The jack of the United States, referred to as the Union Jack by the U.S. Navy, is a maritime jack flag flown on the bow of U.S. vessels that are moored or anchored. In addition to commissioned U.S. Navy ships, the jack is used by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Military Sealift Command, the ships of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other U.S. government entities. While anchored or moored, the jack is flown on the bow of a ship, and the ensign is flown on the stern. Once under way, the jack is lowered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the United States Navy</span>

The flag of the United States Navy consists of the seal of the U.S. Department of the Navy in the center, above a yellow scroll inscribed "United States Navy" in dark blue letters, against a dark blue background.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Command at Sea insignia</span> Badge in the US military

The Command at Sea insignia is a badge of the United States' seagoing services worn by officers on their uniforms to denote that they are the commander, or formerly a commander, of a warship. If the wearer is currently the commander of a warship, it is worn above the nametag, which is worn a quarter of an inch above the right chest pocket on a uniform shirt. Afterwards, the pin is moved to the left side of the shirt or jacket. For the commanders of land-based installations, a different but similar version known as the Command Ashore insignia instead.

USS <i>Gravely</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Gravely (DDG-107) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named after Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Commissioned in 2010, she has been on several overseas deployments.

United States ship naming conventions for the U.S. Navy were established by congressional action at least as early as 1862. Title 13, section 1531, of the U.S. Code, enacted in that year, reads, in part,

The vessels of the Navy shall be named by the Secretary of the Navy under direction of the President according to the following rule: Sailing-vessels of the first class shall be named after the States of the Union, those of the second class after the rivers, those of the third class after the principal cities and towns and those of the fourth class as the President may direct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Navy</span> Maritime warfare service branch of the U.S. military

The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the world's most powerful navy and the largest by tonnage, at 4.5 million tons in 2021 and in 2009 an estimated battle fleet tonnage that exceeded the next 13 navies combined. It has the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with 11 in service, one undergoing trials, two new carriers under construction, and six other carriers planned as of 2024. With 336,978 personnel on active duty and 101,583 in the Ready Reserve, the U.S. Navy is the third largest of the United States military service branches in terms of personnel. It has 299 deployable combat vessels and about 4,012 operational aircraft as of July 18, 2023.

USS <i>Rafael Peralta</i>

USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. The destroyer can operate with a Carrier Strike Group (CSG), Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG), as an element of a Surface Action Group (SAG), or independently. The ship can conduct a variety of missions in support of national military strategy. From peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, 115 will be capable of carrying out Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), Undersea Warfare (USW), Surface Warfare (SW), and Strike Warfare (STW) in multi-threat environments.

References

  1. ↑ Affairs, This story was written by Chief of Naval Operations Public. "Navy Returns to Flying Union Jack". www.navy.mil. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  2. ↑ "The Colors of a Navy and Nation". The Sextant. Archived from the original on 2019-02-26. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  3. ↑ [ dead link ]
  4. ↑ Ansoff, Peter. (2004). "The First Navy Jack." Raven: A Journal of Vexillology, 11, ISSN   1071-0043, LCCN   94-642220.
  5. ↑ The Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States, Volume 2 Available
  6. ↑ "Navy.mil - View Image". www.navy.mil. Retrieved Jun 6, 2019.
  7. ↑ Faram, Mark D. (Jun 5, 2019). "Why the Union Jack is back and here to stay". Navy Times. Retrieved Jun 6, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Legati ad Defendendam Libertatem - USS John Warner Commissioned | Naval Historical Foundation". Jun 2, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-06-02. Retrieved Jun 6, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Navy returning to traditional blue-and-white flag after 17 years of flying First Navy Jack". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved Jun 6, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "The U.S. Navy's First Jack". Archived from the original on 2012-10-04. Retrieved 2006-10-01.
  11. ↑ Harkins, Gina (February 21, 2019). "Navy Ships Will Again Fly the Union Jack as US Enters Great Power Competition". Military.com. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  12. ↑ office of the Chief of Naval Operations. "SPECIAL UNIFORM SITUATIONS FOR NAVY PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO AND SERVING WITH AN ARMY UNIT". VADM MARK FERGUSON. Archived from the original on 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  13. ↑ David Tomiyama. "Deployed USS Sampson FC2 earns award in Afghanistan". Provincial Reconstruction Team Khost Public Affairs. Retrieved 2012-02-06.
  14. ↑ See the patch and description on the official website at http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg53/Pages/ourShip.aspx Archived 2011-06-15 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ US National Support Element. "US National Standards, HQ, International Security Assistance Force" (PDF). Headquarters, International Security Assistance Force. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
  16. ↑ "Red, White, Rattlesnake – Opponents Fight Smoking Ban – Indiana News Story – WRTV Indianapolis". Theindychannel.com. 2006-04-28. Archived from the original on 2012-02-23. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  17. ↑ "Boylston Street Marathon Memorial" (JPG). Sarahfit.com. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  18. ↑ "Boylston Memorial" (JPG). S3.amazonnaws.com. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.