United Kingdom: Royal Navy

Last modified: 2005-07-16 by rob raeside
Keywords: royal navy | united kingdom | white ensign | colours | pennant | paying off pennant | dunkirk little ships | shifting the colours | showing the flag | isandhlwana |
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by Vincent Morley

• History of the White Ensign
• Use of the White Ensign
  • Use as a distinguishing mark of a commanding officer with the royal commission
  • Use as a courtesy ensign
  • Dunkirk Little Ships
  • Naval flags on English Churches
• Royal Navy colour
  • Origin of Royal Navy colours
• Royal Navy Supply & Transport Service
• Royal Naval Reserve
• Royal Naval Auxiliary Service Senior Officer (Obsolete)
• Dominion Navy colours
• Corps of the Royal Marines
• Merchant Navy proposals
• Pennants
• Commissioning pendant
• Paying Off Pennants
• Shifting the Colours
• King's Regulations 1808

See also:

• United Kingdom
• Red, White and Blue Ensigns
• Lord High Admiral
• United Kingdom: Ministry of Defence and Army
• Royal Navy web site
• British Privateers
• Royal Air Force
• Naval Rank Flags
• Training Ship ensigns
• Church Pennant
• Sea Scouts
• Royal Naval Sailing Association
• Decorative flags on Navy ships
• "England expects every man to do his duty" (Nelson's flag symbol at the Battle of Trafalgar)
• Sledge flags

In origin there were three naval squadrons, of the Red, White and Blue, and they took these colours from those of the Union Jack. The division was made in the 1680s, if I remember correctly. Because the Red Ensigns of England and Scotland had already been established as merchant flags a Red Ensign with the Union in the canton became the merchant flag of Great Britain upon Union in 1707. This led to potential confusion - was that ship a merchantman or a member of the red squadron?

In 1864 it was decided to end this anomaly. Henceforth the White Ensign was reserved to the Royal Navy; the Blue Ensign undefaced to the Royal Naval Reserve and defaced with the appropriate departmenta