There are times during the year that the ensign is flown at half-mast, or half-staff ashore. This is the internationally recognized symbol of mourning. Normally, the flag is half-masted on receiving information of the death of one of the officials or officers listed in  U.S. Navy Regulations. Notification may be through the news media or by official message. The United States honors its war dead on Memorial Day by flying the flag at half-mast from 0800 until the last gun of a 21-minute gun salute that begins at noon (or until 1220 if no gun salute is rendered). If  the  ensign  is  flown  from  the  flagstaff  and  is half-masted,  the  union  jack  is  also  half-masted.  In half-masting the national ensign, it will, if not already hoisted, first be hoisted to the peak and then lowered to the  half-mast  position.  Before  lowering  from  the half-mast  position,  the  ensign  is  hoisted  to  the  peak, then lowered ceremoniously. Distinctive marks, such as commission or command pennants, are not half-masted except when the ship’s commanding officer or the unit commander dies. U.S. Navy Regulations stipulates that when any ship under United States registry or the registry of a nation formally recognized by the United States salutes a U.S. Navy ship by dipping its flag (hauled halfway down and then raised), the courtesy is to be returned dip for dip. A U.S. Navy ship never dips to a foreign ship (flag) first. U.S.  naval  ships  (USNS)  of  the  Military  Sealift Command do not dip the national ensign to Navy ships since they are public ships of the United States. Formal  recognition  of  a  foreign  country  does  not mean that diplomatic relations must exist. The fact that diplomatic relations have been severed does not mean that the United States no longer recognizes the existence of the state or the government concerned. However, the United States does not return the dip to countries such as Albania, North Korea, Vietnam, and South Yemen. If in doubt, ask the duty Signalman. UNION JACK The union jack is the rectangular blue part of the United States flag containing the stars. It is shown in figure 4-18. It symbolizes the union of the states of the United States. Each star represents a state. When a naval ship is in port or at anchor, the union jack is flown from the jackstaff from 0800 to sunset. In addition to flying from the jackstaff, the union jack is hoisted  at  the  yardarm  to  indicate  that  a  general court-martial or a court of inquiry is in session. The union jack is flown in boats as follows: 1.   When a diplomatic official of the United States, at  or  above  the  rank  of  charge  d’affaires,  is embarked  in  a  boat  of  the  U.S.  Navy  and  is within  the  waters  of  the  country  which  that person represents 2.   When  a  governor  general,  or  a  governor commissioned  as  such  by  the  President,  is embarked in a boat in an official capacity and the boat is within the governor’s area of jurisdiction (for  example,  the  Governor  of  the  Virgin Islands) When displayed from the jackstaff, the union jack is half-masted if the national ensign is half-masted. It is raised and lowered in the same manner as the national ensign. The union jack is not dipped when the national ensign is dipped. The union jack is issued in several sizes; but, when flown at the jack staff, it must be the same size as the union of the ensign flown at the flagstaff. To make sure it is not flown upside down, always have the single point of the stars pointing toward the sky. 4-22 UNION JACK BMRF0418 Figure 4-18.—Union jack. Student Notes: