A Brief Introduction to Flag Etiquette

ENSIGNS

I thought that this synopsis of flag etiquette in relation to boats might prove interesting and/or useful.

As far as I know, the UK is the only country whose vessels do not fly their national flag.  In UK, the wearing of the Union Flag is only permitted on war ships. 

From Elizabethan times, the British Navy was divided into three squadrons - Red, White and Blue.  The ships in each of the squadrons flew the appropriately coloured flag.

In 1864 the division of the Fleet into three squadrons was discarded, mainly because the advent of stream power made the system irrelevant.  Instead, the (senior) Red Ensign was assigned to merchant ships, The White Ensign to the Royal Navy and the Blue Ensign to naval auxiliary vessels.

This system is still, roughly, in place today.

The Red Ensign … is still the flag of the merchant fleet, and is the flag that should be flown by British owned vessels.  Its use on pleasure craft is, I understand, optional in UK waters, but in most foreign waters one would normally be expected to fly it.

There are still regulations in force requiring vessels flying an ensign to fly the Red Ensign.  Flying other flags (such as the Union Flag, the Saltire, The Jolly Roger, the Cross of St George or a pair of ladies undies) in the position normally occupied by the Red Ensign can lead to a prosecution and a fine not exceeding, in UK (I think) £1000.  Fines can be even heavier in foreign waters.  Two years ago, the yachting press had several reports of British skippers being heavily fined in French sea-side courts for flying improper flags.

The White Ensign … is the flag flown by Royal Navy warships.

In addition, since 1829 an Admiralty Warrant has been in existence permitting vessels owned by members of the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) to fly the White Ensign.  The RYS is a private yacht club and is the premier yacht club in Britain.  It gained the 'Royal' title in 1820 whilst the Prince Regent (later George IV) was a member.

The Blue Ensign … is the flag flown by Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.

In addition, vessels belonging to the members of certain designate yacht clubs may also be issued with a warrant permitting them to fly a defaced Blue Ensign - the defacement being a device often associated with the badge of the club.  If flying the Blue Ensign, the vessel is also required to fly the burgee of the relevant yacht club.

Courtesy Flags. It is customary for vessels in foreign waters to fly the national flag of the host country at their starboard cross-tree.  I believe that the UK regional flags and the Jolly Roger are acceptable when flown on the cross-trees.

It is customary, on the European waterways, for vessels under way to fly a small flag as a 'cruising jack'.  This can indicate to lock-keepers (and others) that the boat wishes to continue voyaging.  This neatly distinguishes a boat that is pulling into the lock-approaches to use them as a mooring (when the cruising jack would not be flown) and another that wishes to lock through (when the cruising jack would be flown).  It is allowable for UK vessels to use the pilot jack for this purpose - the pilot jack being a Union Jack surrounded by a white band.  (Originally, this flag was flown by vessels, hovering off-shore, to indicate that they were in need of a pilot).