Italy - Naval Flags

Last modified: 2005-04-16 by dov gutterman
Keywords: italy | naval jack | jack | pisa | amalfi | genoa | venice |
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• Overview
• Naval Ensign
• Naval Jack
• Carbineers Pennant
• Customs Pennant
• Naval Signals Service Fleet Pennant
• Military Naval Pennant
• Other Flags

See:

• Standard of the Navy
• Lagunari and San Marco Regiment

See also:

• Italy
• Italy - Naval Rank Flags
• Italy - Maritime Flags
• Italy - Houseflags (three parts)
• Italy - Yacht Club

Overview

The flag is for national, government and military use in land and for government use at sea.
For private use at sea there is an ensign similar to the national flag, but carrying a shield on the white strip with the four symbols of the so-called "Sea Republics" (Repubbliche Marinare) of Italian tradition: first quarter Venice (St. Mark's winged lion holding a book), second Genoa (a red-on-white cross), third Amalfi (Maltese white cross on dark blue) and fourth quarter Pisa (peculiar-shaped white cross on red).
Navy carries the same flag, but the lion holds a sword instead of a book and the whole shield is crowned. These flags are official since 9th November 1947.
Alessio Bragadini

Until the end of WW II, the Italian flag always had the Savoy coat of arms in the center (without the crown: Merchant, with the crown: naval ensign) {so there was no confusion at sea}. After the war, the plain tricolor was adopted as the national flag, but in order to avoid confusion with the Mexican merchant flag, the new Italian coat of arms was placed in the center of the Italian merchant flag (again with no crown.)
Nick Artimovich, 16 March 1998

As far as the usage of the Navy flag versus the private use at sea is concerned, the lion holding a sword (St. Mark's Lion) have a book as well, but in this case the book is closed. The reason for is that in the open book you can read the Latin sentence "PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEUS" (Peace to you Mark, my Gospel writer), so in war time the Republic of Venice was not allowing to read "peace" as the first word. Actually, the two versions of the Naval Jack are embedding the two different Venetian flags so maintaining their origin usage.
Fabio Pasello , 15 Septemnber 1999

The present italian coat of arms is never shown either on the merchant or on naval ensign. The shield you see there is the italian naval shield (with crown - navy, without crown- merchant ships). The prsent coat of arms of the Italian republic is the one described in the main page. The one on the naval flags is made up by joining the 4 shields of the ancient "repubbliche marinare": Pisa (whitem "Pisan" cross on red field), Amalfi (white "Amalfi" cross on blue field),