Army - Vessel Flags (U.S.)

Last modified: 2002-11-16 by rick wyatt
Keywords: united states | vessel flags |
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• Corps of Engineers
• Division Engineer Pennant
• District Engineer Pennant
• Transportation Corps
• Quartermaster Corps
• Quartermaster Corps Pennant
• Army Post Commander Pennant (circa 1910-1923)
• Mine Planters
• Ordnance Corps
• Coastal Defense Commander

See also:

• U.S. Army flags
• Army Organizational, Rank, and Positional Flags List
• United States of America

by Tom Gregg, 10 July 1998

Vessel Flag, Corps of Engineers. This flag is also authorized to be flown on land by Corps of Engineers facilities that are not located on Army installations.
Tom Gregg, 10 July 1998

It dates from the early part of this century. Originally intended for vessels it is now used by divisions, districts, laboratories, offices and facilities of that corps. See AR 840-10 Chapter 7-7 for full details.
James J. Ferrigan III, 14 July 1998

by Joe McMillan, 28 May 2000

Engineer Regulation 840-1-1 provides that a division or district engineer may authorize the flying of a pennant to denote his or her presence aboard a vessel. Only one such pennant may be flown at a time; if the division and district engineers are both aboard the same vessel, only the division engineer's pennant is displayed. The pennants are 29 x 45 inches. If a general officer of the Army is aboard, his flag is flown instead of the division or district engineer's pennant.

Division Engineer pennant: vertical stripes of red (9 inches wide), white (15 inches wide), and blue, with a red Engineer castle measuring 7.37 x 12 inches centered on the white.

The colors are specified as Old Glory red (Cable #70180 on the Standard Color Card of America) and National Flag blue (Cable #70077).

Joe McMillan, 28 May 2000

by Joe McMillan, 28 May 2000

District Engineer pennant: white with the Engineer castle in red, its centerline located 14.5 inches from the hoist.
Joe McMillan, 28 May 2000

by Joe McMillan, 27 May 2000

Vessel Flag, Transportation Corps, U.S. Army. Army-operated ships and watercraft fly branch-specific vessel flags in addition to the National Ensign. For some reason, they not only come in several sizes but in two different proportions: 4:5 and 2:3; I have illustrated the latter. Vessel flags are in branch colors, in this case brick red and golden yellow for the Transportation Corps. The insignia is the branch badge as worn on the lapels of the Class "A" uniform jacket by commissioned officers. Most Army vessels are operated by either the Transportation Corps or the Corps of Engineers, though AR 840-10 also illustrates a vessel flag for the Signal Corps.
Tom Gregg, 23 June 1998

by Joe McMillan, 16 January 2001

by Tom Gregg, 9 March 2000

U.S. Army: Quartermaster Corps Pennant (1923) Per the 1923 edition of AR 260-10, vessels operated by the Quartermaster Corps, other than ships of the Army Transport Service, flew a triangular red, white and blue pennant with the branch insignia of the Quartermaster Corps centered in the white diamond-shaped portion. This pennant was made of bunting in two sizes: 4-foot hoist by 6-foot fly and 2-foot hoist by 3-foot fly. This pennant is not described in the 1931 edition of the regulation, so it was apparently abolished at some prior time.
Tom Gregg, 9 March 2000

by Joe McMillan, 10 December 2000

Army Post Commander, circa 1910-circa 1923 - The commander of an army post below general officer rank was authorized to display a pennant in the bow of a boat in which he was embarked. This pennant was 1:3, the hoist (one-third the length of the fly) blue with thirteen white stars in rows of 4, 5, and 4, the remainder scarlet. This pennant was prescribed in the 1910 and 1913 Army Regulations and appears in [gmc17] but is not provided for in the 1923 AR 260-10.
Joe McMillan, 10 December 2000

by Joe McMillan, 14 January 2001

U.S. Army Mine Planters - Scarlet flag, 4 x 6 feet, with a blue mine case superimposed on two crossed white cannons. This flag was in use by at least 1917 (National Geographic flag issue) and continued in use until at least 1938 (US Navy Flags of the US and Other Countries). The flag was flown at the fore truck.
Joe McMillan, 14 January 2001

by Joe McMillan, 14 January 2001

U.S. Army Ordnance Corps vessels - Dark red flag with yellow Ordnance Corps "bomb." 6 x 8 feet or 4 x 6 feet. In use by 1917 and as late as 1938.
Joe McMillan, 14 January 2001

by Joe McMillan, 14 January 2001

U.S. Army Coastal (later Harbor) Defense Commander - Scarlet with the Coast Artillery badge in yellow. In use by 1917 and through 1938. 27 x 36 inches or 18 x 26 inches.
Joe McMillan, 14 January 2001