The United States national ensign

Commonly Used International Signals

UNION JACK - 12018_143

Basic Military Requirements (BMR) - Requirement for military advancement
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morning colors, followed by the national anthems of any other foreign nations represented. 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. 4-25 Student Notes: Figure 4-16.—The United States national ensign. PREPARATIVE Figure 4-17.—Preparative pennant.

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