Customs and traditions of the Royal Navy
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There are many customs and traditions associated with the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. These include formal customs including separate crests associated with ships, ensigns and fleet reviews. There are also several less formal customs and traditions including Naval slang commonly referred to as Jack Speak and the traditional game of Uckers.
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[edit] Heraldry
[edit] Ensigns
Commissioned ships and submarines wear the White Ensign at the stern whilst alongside during daylight hours and at the main-mast whilst under way. When alongside, the Union Jack (which, subject to debates regarding the correct use of terminology, may or may not be distinct from the Union Flag) is flown from the jackstaff at the bow, and can only be flown under way either to signal a court-martial is in progress or to indicate the presence of an Admiral of the Fleet on-board (including the Lord High Admiral, the Monarch).[1]
[edit] Ships badges
- See also: Naval heraldry#Royal Navy
The Royal Navy assigns badges to every ship, submarine, squadron and shore establishment. Prior to the age of steam ships, ships were identified by their figurehead. With the removal of the figurehead, ships badges and mottoes were created to graphically represent the ships. The official process for creating the badge was initiated by Charles ffoulkes after World War I who was appointed as the Admiralty Advisor on Heraldry. Soon after his appointment The Ships Badges Committee was established. This was amalgamated in 1983 with the Ships Names Committee (founded in 1913) to create the Ships Names and Badges Committee. The Naval Crown adorns the top of all the badges. The frame is gold rope. Originally, different classes of ships had different shapes, but currently all ships and submarines have a circular design. Shore establishments have an offset square design.
[edit] Fleet reviews
The Fleet Review is an irregular tradition of assembling the fleet before the monarch. For example, at the most recent Review on 28 June 2005 to mark the bi-centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar, 167 ships of the RN, and 30 other nations, were present. The fleet review in 2005 showed the marked contrast between the size of the Navy in 2005 compared to the last review in 1977. In total the Royal Navy had 67 ships on display, with the largest ship present being the French carrier Charles De Gaulle at over 200 feet longer than HMS Invincible.[2]
[edit] Service nicknames
Nicknames for the service include "The Andrew" (of uncertain origin, possibly after a zealous press ganger[3][4]) and "The Senior Service".[5][6] It has also been referred to as the "Grey Funnel Line" in joking comparison with the commercial Blue Funnel Line.
[edit] Naval salute
Originally subordinates would uncover (remove their headgear) to a superior. In a book called New Art of War, printed in 1740, it is stated that;
- When the King or Captain General is being saluted each Officer is to time his salute so as to pull off his hat when the person he salutes is almost opposite him.
Queen Victoria instituted the hand salute in the Navy to replace uncovering when she sent for certain officers and men to Osborne House to thank them for rendering help to a distressed German ship, and did not like to see men in uniform standing uncovered.[citation needed]
The personal salute with the hand is borrowed from the military salute of the Army, and there are various theories concerning its origin. There is the traditional theory that it has been the custom from time immemorial for a junior to uncover to a superior, and even today men on Captain's Defaulters remove their hats. In this theory, the naval salute is merely the first motion of removing one's head dress. It was officially introduced into the Navy in 1890, but during the First World War a large number of old retired officers were in the habit of doffing their head gear instead of saluting, this, of course, being the method to which they were accustomed.
Another theory holds that in the age of sail, hemp ropes were preserved in tar, causing the sailor's hands to become stained. It would have been a discourtesy to show the dirty palm to one's superior, therefore the naval salute differs from the military salute in that it has the palm turned down, rather than outwards.[7] The Royal Marines, with their military origin, use the military rather than the naval salute.
[edit] Affiliation
Ships will engage in a number of affiliations with cities, e.g. HMS Newcastle with Newcastle upon Tyne, elements of the other forces, e.g. HMS Illustrious with 30 Signal Regiment, schools, cadet units and charities. Every sea cadet unit in the UK has an affiliated ship, with the exception of Yeovil unit which, due to their location on RNAS Yeovilton, are affiliated with 848 Helicopter Squadron.
[edit] Naval slang
- See also: Covey Crump
The RN has evolved a rich volume of slang, known as "Jack-speak". Nowadays the British sailor is usually "Jack" (or "Jenny") rather than the more historical "Jack Tar", which is an allusion to either the former requirement to tar long hair or the tar-stained hands of sailors. Nicknames for a British sailor, applied by others, include "Matelot" (pronounced matlow), derived from French or "Limey". Royal Marines are fondly known as "Bootnecks" or often just as "Royals".[5]
[edit] Uckers and Ucker
Uckers is a four player board game similar to Ludo that is traditionally played in the Royal Navy. It is fiercely competitive and rules differ between ships and stations (and between other services). Ucker, pronounced you-ker, is a card game also played on board ships and in naval establishments. It is similar to Trumps, and is highly competitive and extremely difficult to learn.
[edit] Songs and marches
There are several songs that are commonly associated with the Royal Navy including Heart of Oak and Rule, Britannia!.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Use of the Union Jack at Sea. Flags of the World. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ French top gun at Fleet Review. The Times (2005-06-26). Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ (1964) Admiralty Manual of Seamanship. HMSO.
- ^ FAQs;Royal Navy's nickname. National Maritime Museum. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ a b Jolly, Rick. Jackspeak. Maritime Books Dec 2000. ISBN 0-9514305-2-1.
- ^ Naval Slang. Royal Navy. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ FAQs; Salutes. Royal Air Force. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
