The Government Service Ensign is a defaced Blue Ensign flown by vessels owned by the British Ministry of Defence for which no other ensign is appropriate. [1] It is most commonly seen flown by warships undergoing contractors' trials before being commissioned into the Royal Navy, and former Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service vessels now operated by Serco Denholm. [2] [3]
The Government Service Jack is a square flag of similar design. [4]
When the Royal Navy was re-organized in 1864, and the Red, Blue and White squadrons were abolished, a Blue Ensign defaced with a horizontal anchor and know as the Admiralty Ensign was designated the ensign of all Royal Navy auxiliary vessels owned by the Admiralty. In 1905, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) was formed, and was directed to fly this flag. [2]
In 1969, the RFA was awarded its own ensign, similar to the Admiralty Ensign, but with a vertical anchor. Current design approved by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1968 and introduced from June 16, 1969. [2]
Up to that time, some captains of merchant ships commissioned into naval service had flown the Red Ensign.[ citation needed ]
In 1970, two yellow wavy lines were added below the Admiralty Ensign's horizontal anchor for vessels of the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service (RMAS). In 1974, the Admiralty Ensign was renamed the Government Service Ensign (a.k.a. the Government Service Blue Ensign) and was flown by all Ministry of Defence-owned vessels that were not part of the Royal Navy, RFA or RMAS, as well as certain Government operated vessels for which no other ensign was appropriate. In 1996, most RMAS vessels were transferred to Serco Denholm, which operated them under a commercial contract, flying the Government Service Ensign. In 2008, the RMAS ensign became obsolete as all remaining RMAS vessels were transferred to Serco Denholm and the RMAS was abolished. [2]
The Government Service Ensign is now worn by the many ex-RMAS craft under the management of Serco Denholm, sail training craft, Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth training vessels and certain vessels under charter (i.e. at one time including motor vessels Northella and Colonel Templer). Also tenders to establishments (i.e. the now de-commissioned Sultan Venturer) and diving tenders (i.e. Ixworth). [2]
The Red Ensign or "Red Duster" is the civil ensign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is one of the British ensigns, and it is used either plain or defaced with either a badge or a charge, mostly in the right half.
In British maritime law and custom, an ensign is the identifying flag flown to designate a British ship, either military or civilian. Such flags display the United Kingdom Union Flag in the canton, with either a red, white or blue field, dependent on whether the vessel is civilian, naval, or in a special category. These are known as the red, white, and blue ensigns respectively.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service and provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by providing fuel and stores through replenishment at sea, transporting Royal Marines and British Army personnel, providing medical care and transporting equipment and essentials around the world. In addition the RFA acts independently providing humanitarian aid, counter piracy and counter narcotic patrols together with assisting the Royal Navy in preventing conflict and securing international trade. They are a uniformed civilian branch of the Royal Navy staffed by British merchant sailors. The RFA is one of five RN fighting arms.
The Blue Ensign is a British ensign that may be used on vessels by certain authorised yacht clubs, Royal Research Ships and British merchant vessels whose master holds a commission in the Royal Naval Reserve or has otherwise been issued a warrant. Defaced versions with a badge or other emblem are used more broadly; in the United Kingdom by authorised government or private bodies; and internationally by nations or organisations previously a part of the British Empire.
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".
The Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service(RMAS) was a British Government agency which ran a variety of auxiliary vessels for His Majesty's Naval Service (incl. Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary). The service from 2009 has been run by Serco and is known as Serco Marine Services.
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.
His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde, primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy. It is the navy's headquarters in Scotland and is best known as the home of Britain's nuclear weapons, in the form of nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles.
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.
His Majesty's Naval Service is the United Kingdom's naval warfare and maritime service. It consists of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve and Naval Careers Service. The Naval Service as a whole falls under the command of the Navy Board, which is headed by the First Sea Lord. This position is currently held by Admiral Sir Ben Key. The Defence Council delegates administration of the Naval Service to the Admiralty Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence.
The ensign of the United States is the flag of the United States when worn as an ensign. International maritime law—see International Treaty on Law of the Sea, articles 91 and 92—provides that vessels have a "national character" and thus should display a flag (ensign) that corresponds to this national character, especially when in international or foreign waters. Vessels that are formally documented under the federal vessel documentation act, vessels owned by government bodies in the United States, and vessels in the U.S. military unquestionably have U.S. national character, and thus properly hoist a U.S. ensign to show their national character. Vessels that are numbered by the states and small, non-registered craft owned by U.S. citizens and not registered in other countries may also hoist a U.S. ensign to show their national character.
The Royal Air Force Ensign is the official flag which is used to represent the Royal Air Force. The ensign has a field of air force blue with the United Kingdom's flag in the canton and the Royal Air Force's roundel in the middle of the fly.
SD Colonel Templer is an acoustic research vessel, renamed Seaway Endeavour in 2011 after she was sold to a Swedish shipping company. Between 1980 and 2011, she was in the service of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service and Serco Marine Services in support of the United Kingdom's Naval Service. Before 1980, Colonel Templer was known as MV Criscilla and worked as a stern trawler.
The flags of British India were varied, and the British Empire used several different banners during the period of its rule in the Indian subcontinent. Flags with the Star of India emblem in their design are often referred to as the Star of India flag, and were used to represent India itself and high offices in the government of India. The Viceroy's Union Flag banner, featuring the star emblem, was officially considered the "Flag of India," and the Red Ensign bearing the star was also used as an Indian flag, particularly at international events. The Royal Indian Navy also flew a blue jack flag bearing the Star of India. The East India Company, which ruled India prior to 1858, used a flag featuring the Union Jack with red and white stripes.
During the Mandate period in Palestine, between 1920 and 1948, when Palestine was governed by Britain under terms which were formalised in the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine of July 24, 1922, the de facto flag was the Union Jack or Union Flag of the United Kingdom, but several localised flags existed for Mandate government departments and government officials. The only Palestine-specific flag not restricted to official government use was the Palestine ensign, which was flown by ships registered in the British Mandate territory from 1927 to 1948. It was based on the British Red Ensign instead of the Blue Ensign since it was intended for use only at sea by non-government ships.
Serco Marine Services is a Private Finance Initiative contract, with Serco Group, to deliver auxiliary services to His Majesty's Naval Service.
Admiralty tugs were tugboats built for and operated by the Royal Navy. These were vessels built to Admiralty specifications and in specific classes during the First and Second World Wars. They were built to meet the Royal Navy's demand for auxiliary vessels and to supplement the civilian tugs requisitioned by the Admiralty for war service.
In 1989 the Royal Navy was under the direction of the Navy Department in the UK Ministry of Defence. It had two main commands, CINCFLEET and Naval Home Command.
The New Zealand White Ensign is a naval ensign used by ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) from 1968. Based on the Royal Navy's White Ensign, it features the Southern Cross from the New Zealand national flag in place of the Saint George's Cross. One of the earliest flags associated with the country, that used by the United Tribes of New Zealand, was a white ensign. This was replaced by the Union Flag when New Zealand became a British colony. A blue ensign with the Southern Cross was introduced for ships of the colonial government in 1867 and this soon became a de facto national flag. Ships in New Zealand naval service wore the Royal Navy's White Ensign until 1968 when the distinct New Zealand White Ensign was introduced. The ensign was implemented out of a desire to distinguish New Zealand vessels from those of the Royal Navy and this decision is regarded as an important step in the development of the RNZN.