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Certain boats display the ensign and the
personal flag or pennant of an officer on a staff
fitted at the peak with certain devices. A boat
assigned for the personal use of a flag or general
officer, unit commander, chief of staff, or
commanding officer, or on which a civil official
is embarked carries a staff fitted with the
following devices:
A spread eagle for an official or officer
whose official salute is 19 or more guns
A halberd
—for a flag or general officer whose
official salute is less than 19 guns or
—for a civil official whose official salute
is 11 or more guns but less than 19 guns
A ball
—for an officer of the grade, or relative
grade, of captain in the Navy or
—for a career minister, a counselor or first
secretary of embassy or legation, or a
consul
A star for an officer of the grade, or
relative grade, of commander in the Navy
A flat truck
—for an officer below the grade, or
relative grade, of commander in the Navy
or
—for a civil official not listed above and
for whom honors are prescribed for an
official visit
DRESS AND FULL-DRESS SHIP
Flying the largest national ensign assigned to
the ship from the flagstaff with a national ensign
displayed at each masthead is known as dress ship.
A personal flag or command pennant will not be
substituted with a national ensign. The national
ensigns displayed at the masthead are of uniform
size. When a substantial difference in heights of
the mastheads exists, using different sizes of
national ensigns is appropriate.
In addition to dressing of the mastheads,
displaying a rainbow of signal flags reaching from
the foot of the jackstaff to the mastheads and
from those points to the foot of the flagstaff is
known as full-dress ship. Dress ship and full-dress
ship requirements are prescribed in the Navy
Department publication Flags, Pennants, and
Customs (NTP-13A). Peculiarly roasted or
mastless ships make a display as little modified
from the rainbow effect as possible.
During dress or full-dress ship in honor of a
foreign nation, the national ensign of that nation
replaces the United States national ensign at the
main, or at the masthead in the case of a single-
masted ship. During dress or full-dress ship in
honor of more than one nation, the ensign of each
nation is displayed at the main, or at the masthead
in a single-roasted ship.
Should half-masting of the national ensign be re-
quired on occasions of dress or full-dress ship, only
the national ensign at the flagstaff is half-roasted.
When full-dress ship is prescribed, the senior
officer present may direct that dress ship be
substituted if, in that officer’s opinion, the state
of the weather makes such action advisable. The
senior officer present may also, under such circum-
stances, direct that the ensigns be hauled down
from the mastheads after they have been hoisted.
Dress ship or full-dress ship is prescribed for
ships not underway from 0800 until sunset.
Neither dress ship nor full-dress ship is prescribed
for ships underway.
SENIOR OFFICER PRESENT
AFLOAT PENNANT
Ships use the “starboard” pennant as the
senior officer present afloat (SOPA) pennant.
If two or more Navy ships are docked together
in port, the ship in which the senior officer
present afloat (SOPA) is embarked displays the
SOPA pennant, except when the SOPA’s personal
flag clearly indicates that officer’s seniority. It is
displayed from the inboard halyard of the
starboard main yardarm.
SPECIAL CEREMONIES,
ANNIVERSARIES, AND
SOLEMNITIES
Navy ships, stations, and activities perform
special ceremonies in honor of certain memorials,
solemnities, and events, such as funerals, the
commissioning of ships, and holidays. Although
they perform special ceremonies for several
holidays, they observe all national holidays.
NATIONAL HOLIDAYS
Naval ships, stations, and activities observe
the following national holidays and such other
days as may be designated by the President:
New Year’s Day, the 1st of January
Martin Luther King Day, the third Monday in
January
8-10
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