The morning call., 1893-01-16
The Language of a Naval
Vessel.
VARIED USES OF FLAGS
The Ensign and Penrant Symbols of
Festivity and Mourning-W What
These Emblems Cost.

only are the signal codes, national and inter-
national. expressed by means of bunting,
but world of nautical emotions as well.
Sorrow. joy, respect, pride, warnings OF
danger, signals of distress, defiance, sub
mission, and whatever else may move a
body of men harbored within the iron sides
of an American mar-of- war, ali find utter
ance by means of the banners with which
she is amply provided. All ships look alike
to the ordinary landsman, as do all horses
to the man not trained to observe or ac-
quainted with equine peeuliarities. But
TO the nautical eye. not only is there vast
difference among ships. but the same ship
has vastly different aspects nnde, different
conditions, and nothing about a ship is more
significant than the arrangement of her
bunting.
When ship of the United States navy is
placed ia commission the commandant Of
the navy-yard where she may be laying for
malIy intruSts her to the care of her future
commander. The latter in his turn reads
his orders, being the written certificate from
the Government of his authority and re-
sponsibility. This done, the new COM
mandeT says TO his executive officer,
Hoist the ensign and break the pennant."
This command deSeends by proper grada-
tons to the sailormen that carry Ii out, and
presently the flag of the United States
is unfdred at its proper place and the
'coachwhip" of the commander floats aloft
at the masthead. All this happens with
every body. men and officers, on deck. and
with the merry marine music sounding
The appearance of ensign and pennant
proclaim the fact that the ship Is upon act
i've duty, and the latter never comes down
until the commander is dead, or suspended,
or the ship is declared out OF ommissIon.
On ID,, hn, 10
tine of naval life goes on within her sides
and upon her decks, routine that has been
continued since the first year OF the repub-
lie, and will continue so long as we are a
maritime power with flag TO cheer and a
national honor TO maintain.
Bunting is to ship of the navy not only
language, but dress as well. With it she
rej0ices, in it she mourns. Il stands TO her
for jewels, ribbons, and furbelows. If she
wear train 1t is OF bunting; if she put on
gray scarf in honor OF a new friend or
ancient foe again it is bunting. Her holiday
attire is Of the same material. and she lays
aside her last stitch of bunting only when
temporarily or permanently retired from
duty. That a ship may be provided at
once with dress and speech she carries a
vast quantity of bunting. TIE number Of
flags. ensigns, remnants, aud the like that
an American man-of-war carries is not
dozens or scores, but more nearly hun
dredS. She must be supplied with all the
bunting necessary for everyday duty, for
dressing ship, Tor srecIai displays, for
domestic and international signaling and
for every emergency that is likely 10 arise.
She must carry not only her own colors, but
the flag OF every maritime nation whose
ports she is likely to enter, or whose ships
she may encounter, for she displays foreign
ensigns by courtesy when in foreign port
upon the holidays of the nation to which
he 10
courtesy when foreign officers of rank come
on board. Not Albert Edward Of Wales
himself keeps and wears greater variety
of military clothes than does an American
man-of- war in foreign waters.
The largest American flag used by the
navy is SO feet long by 10 feet hoist" as
the width OF flag Is called in naval par
lance. In such a flag the starry blue field, or
union. measures IA feet by 1912 feet. This
is the banner of honor. 1t flies in fine
weather, and especially muster Sunday if
there is no rain or high wind, and upon all
occasions, weather permitting, when the
ship is in her best trim. With the coming
on OF rain. or an increase of wind, smaller
flag goes up. No 2 is 2719 feet by 35 feet,
aud the union is 1888 by 773. Nos. 3, 4
and are smaller in varying degrees. The
last OF these Is the steTm-fiag II measures
9.75 feet by 81 feef, and the union is 80
feet by rs feet. 1t flies in wind or rain.
o.
which is the smallest ensign commonly
used, is the b0at-fag. 1t measures 5.5 feet
By % feet and its union is % feet by 1.6
ieet 1t is the boat-fag that one sees fire.
questly in New York harbor displayed at
the stern of a ships gig, manned by stout
sailormen in the uniform of the navy.
Each boat on United States ship has lis
own flag.
The ensign proclaims the nationality of
the ship aud is displayed in harbor, but not
when the ship is on the open sea, save at
the approach Of another vessel 1t flies
either from the peak of the gait on the
aftermast or from a flagstaff astern. The
ensign is hoisted at O'Clock In the morn
Ing with due ceremony. If the vessel be a
flagship the band plays. the marine music
of bugle and drum is sounded. and every
body on deck. facing aft. uncovers in honor
of the Stars and Stripes. On ships not flag
ships the same ceremony is observed, save
That the band does not play, because there
is no band on board. The music at the
hosting of the ensign is the STARS paneled
Banner" and at the lowering, which occurs
at sunset. IL is Hail, Columbia,
When the ship is in tiptop trim, when no
clothes are adrying and DO dirty work is
going on forward she carries at her bow the
union jack. which is nothing more than the
starry field Of the national flag. The jack
varies in size with that of the ensign dis
flies when vessel is under way.
If all this seems complicated 80 lands
man it Is simple and easy beside the science
of pennan MS. The pennant is in effect, the
personal flag of the commanding officer. and
it may be made to tell different story
under different conditions. The pennant of
a ship whose commander is below the rank of
commodorei is known in the navy as the coach
whip 1t is long. narrow, triangular ban
ner made up of solid blue field with thirteen
stars and ending in two triangular stripes.
one red and one blue. The homeward- bound
peBnant, with which United States ships oc-
casionally come into this harbor, is some
times 200 to 300 feet long. 1t flies over the
masts and tar astern, riding the water on a
bladder, so that the bunting shall net trail
In the sea. The homeward-bound pennant
is 10 ship what train is 10 a richly
dressed woman, and the ship manages this
troublesome appendage with as much skill
as the cleverast woman displays in the
man agement Of her yoluminous dTapery.
The coach whip flies from the main mast
head in all weathers, and at all hours, so
long as the ship is in commission and no Of
1lcer outranking her commander is no board.
The night pennant, which flies after sunset,
is somewhat smaller than the day pennant,
but the two are otherwise identical.
The etiquette of the pennant Is as rigid
and formal as the rules OF precedence on
the way from drawing-room to dining-room
in the house Of fashionable Briton.
Whenever an officer of rank superior to
that of the commander comes aboard an
American man-of-war down comes the CON-
mander's pennant and up goes that of his
superior. The captains coaeh-wbip makes
way for the commodere's broad pennant or
"swallowtail," commonly the house Tag of
yacht clubs. The broad pennant bears a
single star. And just here is little kink
for which a landsman would not be looking
When several commodores are lying in the
same barbor or cruising In company the
senior displays a blue swallowtail, the next
in rank red one, and the junior commo-
dore white swallowIail.
The commodore's broad pennant must
give way before the rear-admiTafs flag
with two stars, and the seniority OF rea-.
admrals, as OF commodores is Indicated by
the color OF the flag There used to be a
admiraps flag and flag for the admiral
of the navy, but there is neither admiral
nor yice-admiral now. so these flags are
never seen.
The rear-admiraps flag. whether blue, red
hi .tat. tt..A