Passenger liners or other merchant vessels manned by a prescribed percentage of officers and men of the Royal Naval reserve are entitled to fly the blue ensign.

Merchant ship ensign. The flag of this country is always flown above all the other flags. Israels Merchant ship Ensign Indian Coast Guards Blue Ensign defaced with Coast Guards emblem. The merchant ship then returns its own ensign to the peak or truck.

When a warship receives a salute while it is not flying its ensign such as in port before 800 am. Ensign is lowered halfway down the gaff halyard or halfway down the flagstaff when the two ships come abeam of each other. It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag.

A civil ensign is an ensign used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. Khaki shirts only with khaki work uniforms. In some countries the yacht ensign used on recreational boats or ships instead of merchant vessels differs from the civil ensign.

Vexillologists distinguish three varieties of a national flag when used as an ensign. Certain other vessels not of the Royal Navy but owned by the British government also use the blue ensign. Blue or white cap covers depending on uniform of day can be worn with blue dress uniform.

In most countries but not all Ensign discharges a dual function. Merchant ensignmerchant flagcivil Flag of convenience FOC is a business practice whereby a ships owners register a merchant ship in a ship register of a country other than that of the ships owners and the ship flies the civil ensign of that country called the flag. When passing a warship of any country recognized by the United States including Coast Guard cutters the merchant ships US.

The use of ensigns dates back to the 1600s and there have been many incarnations throughout the years from the very colourful ensigns of the Tudor Stuart navies to the famous red white and blue ensigns we see on the water today and which will be the subject of this post. When a merchant ship passes close to a warship either at sea or in harbour she dips her ensign as an act of courtesy and recognition and the warship acknowledges it also by dipping her ensign. It shows the Nationality and the function of the ship for example a warship a merchant ship or a ship in government service namely Coast Guard CoastalRiver Police Customs Private Yachts and so forth.