White Ensign

White Ensign
Use	Naval ensign
Proportion	1:2
Adopted	Royal Navy
Design	White field defaced with the Saint George's Cross and the Union placed in the canton.

Last updated October 31, 2023

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.

In addition to the United Kingdom, several other nations have variants of the White Ensign with their own national flags in the canton, with the St George's Cross sometimes being replaced by a naval badge omitting the cross altogether. Yachts of the Royal Irish Yacht Club wear a white ensign with an Irish tricolour in the first quadrant and defaced by the crowned harp from the Heraldic Badge of Ireland. The Flag of the British Antarctic Territory and the Commissioners' flag of the Northern Lighthouse Board place the Union emblem in the first quarter of a white field, omitting the overall red St George's Cross, but they are not ensigns for use at sea.

History

English naval ensigns were first used during the 16th century, and were often striped in green and white (the Tudor colours), but other colours were also used to indicate different squadrons, including blue, red and tawny brown. (These striped ensigns can be seen in use on both English and Spanish warships in contemporary paintings of the 1588 Spanish Armada battles). Later, there was usually a St George's Cross in the upper canton, or sewn across the field as on the modern White Ensign. These striped ensigns continued in use under the Stuart kings: the Naval ensign of 1623 is described as having "15 horizontal stripes alternately blue, white and yellow with a Cross of St George in the canton". This design fell out of use after 1630, with the introduction of the Red, White and Blue ensigns. The use of stripes continued in the red and white of both the flag of the Honourable East India Company, adopted in 1600, and of the 1775 Grand Union Flag that formed the basis for the modern flag of the United States, and the red, white and blue striped ensign that is the flag of Hawaii.

The first recognisable White Ensign appears to have been in use during the 16th century, consisting of a white field with a broad St George's Cross and a second St. George's Cross in the canton. By 1630 the white ensign consisted of simply a white field, with a small St George's Cross in the canton, which was consistent with the red and blue ensigns of the time. In 1707, the St. George's Cross was reintroduced to the flag as a whole, though not as broad as before, and the Union Flag was placed in the canton. There was also a version of this flag without the overall St George's Cross, which appears to have been for use in home waters only, though this flag appears to have fallen out of use by 1720. In 1801, after the Act of Union 1800, the flag was updated to include the new Union Flag in the canton, and so took on the form as used today. The blue field of the Union Flag was darkened at this time at the request of the Admiralty, in the hope that the new flags would not require replacing as often as the previous design, due to fading of the blue. Throughout this period, the proportions of the flags changed. In 1687, the then Secretary of the Admiralty, Samuel Pepys, instructed that flags be of the ratio 11:18 (18 inches long for each breadth, 11 inches at the time). In the early 18th century, the breadth of cloth had been reduced to 10 inches, so the flags became 5:9. In 1837, the breadth was reduced for the final time to 9 inches, giving the current ratio of 1:2.

Throughout this period in the history of the Royal Navy, the White Ensign was one of three ensigns in use, with each one being assigned to one of the three squadrons of the navy, according to its colour (red, white and blue, with red being the most senior and blue the least). Ships flew the colour of ensign corresponding to the squadron to which they were attached, which was in turn determined by the seniority of the admiral under whose command the ship sailed (a rear admiral of the red was senior to a rear admiral of the white).

In 1864 the Admiralty decided to end the ambiguity caused by the Red Ensign being both a civil ensign and a naval ensign, and the White Ensign was reserved to the Royal Navy; the relevant Order in Council retained the option to use Red or Blue Ensigns in HM Ships if desired.

Tudor Ensign
1485–1603
Stuart Royal Navy Squadron Ensign
1620
English White Ensign
1630–1702

White Squadron Ensign
1702–1707
British White Ensign
1707–1800

Current use

United Kingdom (including British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies)

Royal Navy ships and submarines wear the White Ensign at all times when underway on the surface. The White Ensign may also be worn on a gaff, and may be shifted to the starboard yardarm when at sea. When alongside, the White Ensign is worn at the stern, with the Union Jack flag flown as a jack at the bow, during daylight hours. The logo of Royal Navy features a waving White Ensign at the top.^[1]

The White Ensign is worn at the mastheads when Royal Navy ships are dressed on special occasions such as the King's birthday, and may be similarly be worn by foreign warships when in British waters when dressed in honour of a British holiday or when firing a salute to British authorities. The White Ensign may also be worn by the boats of commissioned ships. Yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Trinity House vessels when escorting the British Monarch (King or Queen of the United Kingdom) are also permitted to wear the White Ensign.^[2]

On land, the White Ensign is flown at all naval shore establishments (which are commissioned warships^[3]), including all Royal Marines establishments. Permission has been granted to some other buildings with naval connections to fly the White Ensign. This includes the St Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church in Trafalgar Square, London, which is the parish church of the Admiralty. The Ensign is also displayed on the Cenotaph alongside the Union Jack flag (for the British Army) and the Royal Air Force Ensign, in memory of the dead in the World Wars. Special permission was granted to any individual or body to fly the White Ensign to mark Trafalgar Day and the victory in the naval Battle of Trafalgar on its 201st anniversary in 2006.

The U.S. Navy destroyer Winston S. Churchill is the only U.S. warship to fly the White Ensign along with the Stars and Stripes to honour her British namesake, the former prime minister ^{[ citation needed ]}. Isambard Kingdom Brunel's SS Great Britain, although a merchant ship, appears to have worn (and still bears and flies, preserved in dry dock as a historical exhibit / museum ship) the White Ensign, apparently because its first master (an ex-Royal Navy man) brought it with him.

Commonwealth of Nations

Canadian seamen display the White Ensign during World War II. The other flag is a Nazi German Reichskriegsflagge. Atlanticflagsub.jpg — Canadian seamen display the White Ensign during World War II. The other flag is a Nazi German *Reichskriegsflagge* .

The White Ensign was historically used, in its unaltered form, by the naval forces of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, with the Blue Ensign of each of these Dominions (as they were then known) as a jack. In 1965, with the adoption of the Maple Leaf Canadian flag, Canada stopped using the White Ensign on its naval vessels in favour of the new flag. Following a reorganisation of the Canadian armed forces in 1968, a new "white ensign" was adopted, incorporating the Canadian flag in the canton and a badge in the fly. This flag, however, was until 2013 not used as the ensign, but as the jack, and also as the basis of the sovereign's colours of the Royal Canadian Navy. In May 2013 the Canadian "white ensign" became the ensign and the national flag the jack. Many Canadian veterans' organisations still use the original White and Blue Ensigns unofficially as symbols of history and heritage.

During Australia's involvement in Vietnam, the RAN modified the White Ensign (1967) to create a uniquely Australian ensign which would avoid any confusion with UK vessels; Britain was not involved in the conflict. New Zealand followed suit in 1968. The modified RAN and RNZN White Ensigns incorporate the Union Flag in the first quarter, but with the Southern Cross designs from each national flag (blue stars for the RAN and red stars for the RNZN) replacing St. George's Cross.

Several other Commonwealth navies also use naval ensigns with a visual connection to the White Ensign. For example, the South African Navy have retained a cross on a white field, with their own national flag in the canton, in place of the Union Flag. The Royal Indian Marine (Royal Indian Navy from 1934) used the unaltered White Ensign as its ensign from 1928 until 26 January 1950, when India became a republic within the Commonwealth. After that date, the Royal Indian Navy became the Indian Navy and the Union Jack in the canton was replaced with the Indian tricolour.^[4]

Name	Country	Use
Australian White Ensign	Australia	Royal Australian Navy
Bahamas Naval Ensign	The Bahamas	Royal Bahamas Defence Force
Naval Ensign of Bangladesh	Bangladesh	Bangladesh Navy
Barbados Naval Ensign	Barbados	Barbados Coast Guard
Naval Ensign of Brunei	Brunei	Royal Brunei Navy
Canadian Naval Ensign	Canada	Canadian Forces
Fijian Naval Ensign	Fiji	Republic of Fiji Navy
Gambian Naval Ensign	Gambia	Gambia Navy
Naval Ensign of Ghana	Ghana	Ghana Navy
Naval Ensign of Grenada	Grenada	Coast Guard of Grenada
Indian Naval Ensign	India	Indian Navy
Jamaican Naval Ensign	Jamaica	Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard
Naval Ensign of Kenya	Kenya	Kenyan Navy
Malaysian Naval Ensign	Malaysia	Royal Malaysian Navy
Namibian Naval Ensign	Namibia	Namibian Navy
Royal New Zealand Navy Ensign	New Zealand	Royal New Zealand Navy
Nigerian Naval Ensign	Nigeria	Nigerian Navy
Papua New Guinea Naval Ensign	Papua New Guinea	Papua New Guinea Defence Force
Naval Ensign of Saint Kitts and Nevis	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Saint Kitts and Nevis Defence Force
Sierra Leone Naval Ensign	Sierra Leone	Sierra Leone Navy
Singapore Naval Ensign	Singapore	Republic of Singapore Navy
Naval Ensign of the Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands Navy
South African Naval Ensign	South Africa	South African Navy
Sri Lanka Naval Ensign	Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka Navy
Tonga Naval Ensign	Tonga	Tongan Maritime Force
Naval Ensign of Trinidad and Tobago	Trinidad and Tobago	Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard
Vanuatu Naval Ensign	Vanuatu	Vanuatu Mobile Forces

Other former British colonies

Name	Country	Use
Naval Ensign of Jordan	Jordan	Royal Jordanian Navy
Naval Ensign of Myanmar	Myanmar	Myanmar Navy
Naval Ensign of Sudan	Sudan	Sudanese Navy

United States

Aside from being flown by the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, the British Naval Ensign is authorised to be used at the HMS Seraph memorial on the campus of The Citadel.^[5] The White Ensign also flies over the British Cemetery on Ocracoke, North Carolina, which contains the remains of several seamen from HMT Bedfordshire, as well as a memorial to the lost naval trawler, which was sunk off the coast of Ocracoke Island in May 1942.

Non military usage

The Flag of the British Antarctic Territory

The Flag of the British Antarctic Territory is a white ensign defaced with the territory's coat of arms. This is the only white ensign in use by a British Overseas Territory.

A White Ensign, without Saint Patrick's Saltire, defaced with a blue lighthouse in the fly, is the Commissioners' flag of the Northern Lighthouse Board. This flag is unique as it uses a pre-1801 Union Flag in the canton.

The burgee of the Royal Naval Tot Club of Antigua and Barbuda is sometimes misidentified as a White Ensign; the burgee is a white swallowtail pennant (similar to a Royal Navy Commodore's) with the Union Flag is use until 1801 in the upper hoist canton.

In the 19th and early 20th century, steamers of the Furness Railway on Lake Windemere flew the white ensign "as the admiralty only exercised jurisdiction over the high seas" and "repeated requests from the admiralty to desist were met with polite refusals"^[7]

An unofficial white ensign design featuring the royal symbols of the dominions and India was created in the early 20th century to demonstrate the British Empire evolving into a community of nations. It was flown throughout the interwar period for events such as Empire Day and the British Empire Exhibition. The Dangarsleigh War Memorial still flies it on some occasions.^[8]

The Government Ensign of the Bahamas

The Bahamas uses a variant of its white ensign, with a blue cross instead of the red Cross of St George found on the naval ensign, as a government and 'non combatant' ensign, serving a similar purpose to the UK's Blue Ensign.

The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club of Bermuda uses a white ensign defaced with the red abbreviation R.H.A.D.C. and surmounted by St. Edward's Crown.

The New South Wales Ambulance service uses a white ensign defaced with the badge of the service.

The Sydney Ferries house flag is a variant of the white ensign.

Related Research Articles

The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the de facto national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. The Union Flag was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. The flag continues to have official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag.

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

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 flag of New Zealand, also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensign – a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton or upper hoist corner – augmented or defaced with four red stars centred within four white stars, representing the Southern Cross constellation.

The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated or formerly associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain or defaced with a badge or other emblem.

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".

In vexillography, the canton is a rectangular emblem placed at the top left of a flag, usually occupying up to a quarter of a flag's area. The canton of a flag may be a flag in its own right. For instance, British ensigns have the Union Jack as their canton, as do their derivatives such as the national flags of Australia and New Zealand.

The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted to wear the White Ensign of the Royal Navy rather than the merchant Red Ensign worn by the majority of other UK registered vessels. The club's patron was Queen Elizabeth II.

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.

The current state flag of New South Wales was officially adopted in 1876. The flag is based on the defaced British Blue Ensign with the state badge located in the fly. The badge, based on the coat of arms, is a white disc with the cross of St George, a golden lion passant guardant in the centre of the cross and an eight-pointed gold star on each arm of the cross.

The Australian White Ensign is a naval ensign used by ships of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1967 onwards. From the formation of the RAN until 1967, Australian warships used the British White Ensign as their ensign. However, this led to situations where Australian vessels were mistaken for British ships, and when Australia became involved in the Vietnam War, the RAN was effectively fighting under the flag of another, uninvolved nation. Proposals were made in 1965 for a unique Australian ensign, which was approved in 1966, and entered use in 1967.

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.

A civil ensign is an ensign used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign. It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag. Some countries have special civil ensigns for yachts, and even for specific yacht clubs, known as yacht ensigns.

The Star of India refers to a group of flags used during the period of the British Raj in the Indian subcontinent. India had a range of flags for different purposes during its existence. The Princely states had their own flags which were to be flown alongside the British flag as a symbol of suzerainty. The official state flag for use on land was the Union Flag of the United Kingdom and it was this flag that was lowered on Independence Day in 1947. The flag of the governor-general of India was defaced with the Star of India. The civil ensign and naval ensign were the Red Ensign or Blue Ensign, respectively, defaced with the Star of India emblem.

New England has no official flag. However, there have been many historical or modern banners used to represent the region in its history. While there are some variations, common designs include a plain colored field with a pine tree in the canton. The eastern white pine is the most common and prominent symbol of New England and is featured on many of the region's flags.

The Canadian Naval Ensign is the flag worn at the stern or at the gaff of His Majesty's Canadian Ships. The ensign is also the flag of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and is used on land in this capacity.

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.

References

↑ "Royal Navy" (PDF). The Royal Navy Social Branding Guidelines.
↑ Farrow, Malcolm. "The Colours of the Fleet" (PDF). The Flag Institute. p. 19. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
↑ This is a historical relic of the Royal Navy where its personnel can only be required to serve 'afloat'. Personnel deployed to non-naval establishments are allocated to the crew of HMS Victory.^{[ citation needed ]}
↑ "Indian Navy to finally include Satyameva Jayata below national emblem on its flag and crest". IndiaToday. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
↑ "Virtual Tour - Monuments: The Seraph Monument". Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
↑ Kelly, Ralph (8 August 2017). "A flag for the Empire" (PDF). The Flag Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
↑ Peascod, Herbert & Quayle (2009) "The lake windemere Cruise" Railway Bylines 15/2 Jan 2010, pp54-61
↑ Ingall, Jennifer (4 June 2021). "Why the Dangarsleigh war memorial flies the Empire flag and what it means to the community". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
↑ "Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club Flags & Burgees". Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club. Retrieved 5 September 2021.

External links

United Kingdom: the White Ensign at Flags of the World

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.

[1] "Royal Navy" (PDF). The Royal Navy Social Branding Guidelines.

[2] Farrow, Malcolm. "The Colours of the Fleet" (PDF). The Flag Institute. p. 19. Retrieved 5 June 2013.

[3] This is a historical relic of the Royal Navy where its personnel can only be required to serve 'afloat'. Personnel deployed to non-naval establishments are allocated to the crew of HMS Victory.^{[ citation needed ]}

[4] "Indian Navy to finally include Satyameva Jayata below national emblem on its flag and crest". IndiaToday. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.

[5] "Virtual Tour - Monuments: The Seraph Monument". Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.

[6] Kelly, Ralph (8 August 2017). "A flag for the Empire" (PDF). The Flag Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.

[7] Peascod, Herbert & Quayle (2009) "The lake windemere Cruise" Railway Bylines 15/2 Jan 2010, pp54-61

[8] Ingall, Jennifer (4 June 2021). "Why the Dangarsleigh war memorial flies the Empire flag and what it means to the community". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.

[9] "Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club Flags & Burgees". Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club. Retrieved 5 September 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[7]

[8]

v t e Flags of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom	United Kingdom (1801–present)
Countries of the United Kingdom	England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland
Banners	Royal Standard of the United Kingdom (1801–present) Royal Standard of the United Kingdom in Scotland (1801–present) Royal Banner of Scotland (1222–present)
Historic	Royal Banner of England (1198–1707) Royal standards of England (1327–1547) Flags of the English Interregnum (1649–1660) Flag of Great Britain (1707–1801) Royal Standard of Great Britain (1707–1801) Royal Standard of Ireland (1541–1800) Ireland within the UK (1801–1922) Northern Ireland (1924–1973)
Ensigns	Blue Ensign Red Ensign White Ensign Green Ensign Royal Air Force Ensign Civil Air Ensign Diplomatic Ensign