French Navy ensigns and pennants
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The French Navy has a specific flag, slightly different from the regular French flag, a number of pennants and jacks, and traditions related to them.
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[edit] History
[edit] Ancien régime
During the ancien régime, the flag of the French ships was the one of the King. Originally red, it became white with fleur de lys, and the arms of the Order of the Holy Spirit. Smaller units flew the fleur de lys flag, while ships of the line typically flew a uniform white flag. The number of fleurs de lys on the flag was not fixed, but rather pre-printed fabric was issued and the appropriate size for the flag was cut.
[edit] French republic
The Navy was the first to try the tricolour flag, which was at first unpopular among the crew. It was originally a white field with a tricolour in the canton, like the British flag.
 French Royal Navy Ensign |
 Ensign of the French Navy during the Revolution |
[edit] National ensign and cocarde
The ensign of the Marine nationale differs from the national flag by its slighty darker blue, and by the dimensions of the stripes: while the stripes of the national flag has 1:1:1 proportions, the naval ensign has 30:33:37. These differences were set in the 19 Century for optical reasons.
The naval ensign is flown
- when docked: at the stern and at the bowsprit (if not replaced by the FNFL or the jack of a military award, see below)
- at sea : on the mast.
The dimensions of the ensign depend of the size of the ship, the circumstances (ceremony or regular service) and the position (aft, bowsprit or mast).
The cocarde of aircraft of the Aviation Navale differs from the regular cocarde by bearing a black anchor.
[edit] Bowsprit jacks and pennants
[edit] FNFL ensign
The FNFL ensign is flown by the ships which have fought with the Forces Navales Françaises Libres, or by ships named after such ships.
Two ships of the FNFL are still in service, the schoolship schooners Étoile and Belle Poule.
A number of modern ships bear the names of ships which have fought with the FNFL, wither because the names are traditional in the French Navy (Ouragan for instance), or specifically after a particularly significant ship (Aconit for instance). Such ships include
- the nuclear submarine Casabianca
- the stealth frigate Aconit and Surcouf
- the TCD Ouragan ;
Additionally, the aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle also flies the flag, in honour of General De Gaulle, who founded the FNFL.
[edit] Military award jacks
Military award jacks are flown by ships which have received the award as a unit, or by ships named after such ships. The awards which give a jack are
- the Croix de guerre
- the médaille militaire
- the Légion d'honneur
Crew members wear the corresponding fourragère
[edit] Masthead pennant
The masthead pennant, called flamme de guerre ("war pennnant") indicates a Navy ship with a commissioned commanding officer. If applicable, this pennant is replaced with the jack of a high ranking officer or a minister aboard,
There is a tradition that when a ship is on mission off France for more than 5 months, she lengthens her masthead pennant by one metre for each month spent away from the homeland. A notable occurrence is the cruiser Georges Leygues which sailed for Dakar on the 9th September 1940 and fought with the FNFL, away from German-occupied France, until the Liberation; when she entered Toulon harbour on the 13 September 1944, she is said to have flown a 60-metre long masthead pennant.
[edit] Honour and command jacks
The following jacks are flown on the masthead if a minister, general officier or division commanding officer are aboard
 Jack of the Prime Minister |
 Jack of the Minister of Defence |
 Jacks of the Minister of Overseas France |
 Jack of the chief of staff of the Armies |
 Jack of the chief of staff of the Navy |
 Jack of an admiral |
 Jack of a Vice-amiral d'escadre |
 Jack of a vice-amiral |
 Jack of a contre-amiral |
 Jack of a capitaine de vaisseau commanding a division |
 Jack of a capitaine de vaisseau commanding a unit |
 harbour commanding officer (in NATO operations, the "Starboard" is used) |
 senior merchant navy officer (if no French warship is present) |
