The morning times., 1896-06-28
"DRESSING-UP' OF
AlBIG MAN-OF-WAR
As Fashion Is Supreme in WOmen'S Dress, Custom
Dictates That of a Ship.
downright. 1896,

wear-everybody knows; but that custom,
equally inexorable, prescribes how a ship
shall dress" herself under all circuni-
stances few are aware. Woman rigs
herself out in silks, satins, velvets, and
all the giy concOctiODs of the loom; but
the dressing or United States man
Of-war is confined TO the colors in "Oid
Glory for Uncle Sam decks out his
ships with bunting only, the red, white,
ana the blue. lndred, dressing one OF
the modern battlcsIIips or cruisers is not
n-ariy so effective now as In the days
OF the nne-or-battie ships, frigates cor
vettes, etc, with their tail, rakirg spars.
Military masts do not yield the same
opportunities. -, ,..
All these Dits or bunting have a practical
use Nothing Is ever kept on board u
man-of-war without there being d special
reason for il. The number OF peDnants,
flags, ens gus, etc, that an American naval
vessel carries runs into the hundreds. She
must be. provided for domestic and inter
national signaling, with flags OF every
nation in the world, with all the bunting
needed not only for everyday duty, bd
for every emergency that is likely" to
occur The sigaai quarternaster Is the
custodian OF all the flags and banners on
board IA man-or-war, and it is to him that
his commanding officer looks for the
good condition or his ships bunting.
The largest flag used by the American
navy is SO feet long by 8 feet hoist This
latter very expressive word meaning the
width of the flag. In i flag OF these di-
mensions the union" is IA feet by 1912
feet This flag flies only in fine weather
and is the banner Which holds the place
of honor over all other national flags
in her outfit. Especially is 1t flown upon
Muster Sunday, when 1.-THE weather is fine,
the ship is expected to he in her best trim.
When it rains, or SHOWS. or blows "half
a gale" u Smaller nagis flown. Ensign, No.
9, is % 8 feet by IA 80 feet. and the union
is 10 SS by 7.73 Numbers 3, 4. and . are
Still smaller, the latter being the storm flag
| II measures only 90 feet by 5.4 feet. and
the union is 3 . feet by 2.76 1t flies in
wind and rain or sleet, and endures all the
rough weather that the ship IL floats over
chances to encounter.
: Number 6. which is the Smallest ensign
in Common use, is the boat Nag; this meas
ures . 3 feet by 30 feet, and its union is
22 feet by I.2 feet. When there is
| man-of-war in the harbor this is the flag
| seen floating over the gig, or steam cutter,
| taking the Officers ashore, or carrying boat
| loads of fair visitors to tie polished deck
| OF the New York Philadelphia, San Fran
cisco, Baltimore, or Charleston, as the case
| may be.
The United states Navy docs not manu-
facture its own bunting, but buys the
cloth and makes it up into ensigns. pen
Dants. and flags at what landsnen call
the Brooklyn Navy Yard-the sailor knows
1t only by the New York Navy Yard.
The bunting is thoroughly tested for oolcr
by well-established methods. and the ten
sile strength tried by special machinery,
but as all bunting varies unavodably in
quality. some ensigns wear much better
than Others although exposed to no harder
usage. One carlinal rule of navy discipline
| is never to let Jack be idle; and whenever
| rent or tear is discovered in the ships dress,
Jack "squats'' on deck and dams away
at his sweetheart's finery as deftly as any
housewife works at hers
As the ensign declares the nationality
of the ship il floats over, IL is displayed
in the barbor. but never at sea. except
ing, of course. upon the approach Of a
man-of-war of our own or a foreign navy.
1t flies either from the peak, or the gaff
on the aftcrmast. or from a Flagstaff
| astern and is hoisted every morning ut
| O'Clock with hentting ceremonies If
the vessel it a flag ship the band plays.
| the marines music of bugle and drum
| is sounded and everybody faces aft and
uncovers in honor of the Stars and
Stripes This is undoubtedly the pret-
| test ceremony on hoard man -of-war
| The music at the toisting OF the ensign
| is the "Star Spangled Banner at the
| it is "Haii Columbia" When at anchor
, and in first-class trim. no dirty work going
J on. a ship carries on n flagstaff at the
! bow what is commonly known as the Union
| Jack. which is nothing more than the
/ starry blue field. hut a ship never carries
| this when under way.
The pennant is the personal flag of the
ships commanding officer, indicating his
rank. The pennant of an officer below
| the rank OF commodore is known in the
/ navy as the coach whip" 1t is long
narrow. triangular hammer. made mp or
a solid blue field with thirteen White
, stars ending in two triangular stripes.
one red and the other blue. The nome
bound pennant With which United states
; ships sometimes come into this harbor. is
i from eco to 900 feet long. flying out over
| the masts AMI riding the water on blad-
der so rs not to trail in the sea The
! etiquette of the pennant is as rigid as
apy right of precedence at court; when-
ever an officer superior in rank 10 the
! commanding officer boards a map-of-war
| down comes the captains pennant and up
goes the VISITORS in its place: and there
! it remains until the ranking officer takes
7 his leave.
! If there are several officers OF the same
rank in port with their ships, the rank
ing officer flies a blue pennant. the next
d in rank red and the Junior white. ihe
COnm0dOre'S DenUdnt ds
: ..swallow tail'' "a nickname which de-
! scribes its sbapel. and has one white star
| 1t is in common use as the house flag Of
/ yachts and clubs.
/ The rear admiraIs pennant is of the same
shane but with two stars. The Secretary
| of the Navy's flag has blue field with
! two white crossed anchors, and the AS
| sistant Secretary of the Navy's is the same
! with the colors reversed. These pennants
I nj dlv weltlPrS-tne
| night penn ant which goes up ut sunset.
! being the same as the one used during the
F., day. except that it is somewhat smaller.
/ There used to he pennants for the rank OF
| admi raj and vice admiral. but asthese grades
no longer exist in our navy the flags are
| out of use All these banners give way
before the Presidents flag, the Stars and
Stripes afloat tthe main.
when a man of wal is on q foreign sta
| ton and special honor is intended to the
| power whose guest the vessel is. the ship
| is dressed in what the sailor calls the
"rainbow." which is a continu uous line
| or flags GOING over al the masfs ard 10
| scending to the waters edge at bow and
| stern. The Stars and Stripes float from
| each masthead. except the main. where the
i ship displays the flag OF the country to
which it is intended to show respect
When n new commanding officer takes
charge OF q shin. If the vessel has been
out OF commission. the commaudant of
the navy yard hands over the vessel TO
4 It's future commander. The entire crew
is mustered on deck. there is music, the
executive officer Of the ship gives the
| order, "Hoist the ensign, break the pen
naut,, the Stars and Stripes float aloft
and the peunant rises. the latter never to
come down until the commanding officer
ceases to command the ship. II he dies