R.N. White Ensign wearing?

[Laurence]

Quote from the 1951 Admiralty Manual of Seamanship;
“All H.M. ships in commission wear the White Ensign. It is worn at the ensign staff when in harbour; it is also worn at the ensign staff at sea whenever possible, but in bad weather, or when cleared for action, or during war, it is worn at the peak of the gaff on the mainmast, or on a suitable staff mounted in the after part of the ship.”

Historic photos show WW2 Vospers, Fairmile and others in action once with, once without flags set.
Therefore please allow my questions as non-historian, before applying flags to my first ships:

1) What rule existed during WW2 regarding use of UK R.N. White Ensign?

2) Why all the camouflage pattern on a ship when its flags could be recognized at the horizont easier?

• This topic was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by Laurence.

[invisible officer]

A ship without national colors is a pirate. So all surface vessels carried the Nations one. RN, Kriegsmarine etc., all did it.

The “whenever possible” covers submarines and all situations of ……. Like raids under false flag. But that had to be changed before first shot. 😉

Surfaced U-Boote set the flag at a staff at “Wintergarten” before firing. RN did the same at bridge.

At night the small one at flagstaff aft was hardly to be seen. Strangely white is a good night camo, so German S-Boote are painted in a near to white light grey for night actions.

Germans often commented on the very big battleflags carried at the tops of RN cruisers.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by invisible officer.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by invisible officer.

[Laurence]

Thanks a lot

[Author]

Posts