.svg) The "First Navy Jack", currently flown only by the oldest activewarship in the U.S. Navy. | |
| The First Navy Jack | |
| Proportion | 2:1 |
|---|---|
| Adopted | October 13, 1975 (as U.S. naval jack) August 18, 1980 (for oldest U.S. warships) September 11, 2002 (as U.S. naval jack) |
| Relinquished | December 31, 1976 (as U.S. naval jack) June 4, 2019 (as U.S. naval jack) |
| Design | 13 horizontal stripes of alternating red and white, charged with a rattlesnake and inscribed on the lowest white stripe: "DONT [sic] TREAD ON ME". |
TheFirst Navy Jack was thenaval jack of the United States from 1975 to 1976 and again from 2002 to 2019. It was authorized by theU.S. Navy and was flown from thejackstaff of commissioned vessels of the U.S. Navy while moored pierside or at anchor. Since then, it is used only as a naval jack by the oldest active warship in the U.S. Navy.[a] The design is purported to be that of the first U.S. navaljack, flown soon after independence.
The First Navy Jack was replaced as the U.S. naval jack by the U.S.Union Jack (consisting of white stars on a blue field, not to be confused with theflag of the United Kingdom, also commonly called "the Union Jack") on June 4, 2019, by order of theChief of Naval Operations.[1][2][3]
In late 1775, as the first ships of theContinental Navy readied in theDelaware River, CommodoreEsek Hopkins issued an instruction directing his vessels to fly a "striped" jack andensign. The exact design of these flags is unknown. But, since about 1880, this jack has traditionally been depicted as consisting of thirteen red and white stripes charged with an uncoiledrattlesnake and the motto "Dont Tread on Me" [sic]; this design appeared in a color plate in AdmiralGeorge Henry Preble's influentialHistory of the Flag of the United States.
In 1778,John Adams andBenjamin Franklin wrote a letter to the Ambassador of theKingdom of Sicily, thanking him for allowing entry of revolutionary ships into Sicilian ports. The letter describes the new flag of the colonies according to the1777 Flag Resolution, but also describes a flag of "South Carolina, a rattlesnake, in the middle of the thirteen stripes."[4]
The rattlesnake had long been a symbol in the colonies of resistance and defiance tothe Crown. The phrase"Don't Tread on Me" may have been coined during theAmerican Revolutionary War, a variant perhaps of an earlier image. A snake severed in segments and labelled with the names of the colonies and the legend "Join, or Die", had first been published inBenjamin Franklin'sPennsylvania Gazette in 1754, as apolitical cartoon reflecting on theAlbany Congress.
The rattlesnake (specifically, theTimber Rattlesnake) is especially significant and symbolic to theAmerican Revolution. The rattle has thirteen layers, signifying the originalThirteen Colonies. Additionally, the snake does not strike until provoked, a characteristic expressed by the phrase "Don't tread on me" (seeGadsden flag).
Typically the flag's rattlesnake is depicted with red scales on its back,[5] but some have depicted the snake as all-gold.[6][7][8]
Modern use of the flag is usually traced to 1976, when the United States celebrated itsBicentennial. All commissioned naval vessels were directed to fly the First Navy Jack for thatcalendar year while moored or anchored, and their commanding officers were authorized to retain and fly it thereafter.
The flag that had been used before, and afterward was the standard, was the fifty-starUnion Jack. In 1980,Secretary of the NavyEdward Hidalgo directed that the warship or fleet auxiliary (e.g. a vessel designated as a "United States Ship" or "USS") with the longest active status shall display the First Navy Jack until decommissioned or transferred to inactive service.[9]
The status of the flag was changed on May 31, 2002. Navy SecretaryGordon England issuedSECNAV Instruction 10520.6, directing all warships and auxiliaries of the U.S. Navy to fly the First Naval Jack as a "temporary substitution" for theJack of the United States "during theGlobal War on Terrorism".[9] The idea was based on apost-9/11 suggestion from retired Captain Brayton Harris, who in 1975 and 1976 had been Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy for the bicentennial. Most vessels made the symbolic switch on September 11, 2002 during the first anniversary of theterrorist attacks. Not all US vessels flew the flag while moored or at anchor. Those that did not included commissioned vessels of theU.S. Coast Guard designated as "United States Coast Guard Cutter" ("USCGC"), USCG patrol boats, vessels of theNational Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and predominantly civilian-crewed vessels of the U.S. Navy'sMilitary Sealift Command.
On February 21, 2019, theChief of Naval Operations, AdmiralJohn Richardson, announced the blue Union Jack would be returned to nearly all commissioned warships of the U.S. Navy. He restored the 1980 practice of reserving the First Navy Jack to the longest active status warship. This order disregards theUSS Constitution, which technically is the oldest in the Navy but is used only for ceremonial purposes, and theUSS Pueblo, which was captured byNorth Korea in 1968 and is currently a museum ship though is still commissioned in the U.S. Navy.[10] The honor of "oldest ship" in the Fleet[b] was conferred on the following U.S. Navy vessels:
| Ship name | Type | Commission date | Decommission date | Years as oldest | Age[c] | Homeport | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USS Dixie (AD-14) | Destroyer tender | April 25, 1940 | June 15, 1982 | 1981–1982 | 42 | Subic Bay,Philippines | Scrapped |
| USS Prairie (AD-15) | Destroyer tender | August 5, 1940 | March 26, 1993 | 1982–1993 | 52 | N/a | Scrapped |
| USS Orion (AS-18) | Submarine tender | September 30, 1943 | September 3, 1993 | 1993 | 50 | Newport, Rhode Island | Scrapped |
| USS Sierra (AD-18) | Destroyer tender | March 20, 1944 | October 15, 1993 | 1993 | 49 | Charleston, South Carolina | Scrapped |
| USS Jason (AR-8) | Repair ship | June 19, 1944 | June 24, 1995[d] | 1993-1995 | 51 | Pearl Harbor, Hawaii San Diego, California | Scrapped |
| USS Mauna Kea (AE-22) | Ammunition ship | March 30, 1957 | June 30, 1995 | 1995 | 38 | Concord, California | Sunk as target |
| USS Independence (CV-62) | Aircraft carrier | January 10, 1959 | September 30, 1998 | 1995–1998 | 39 | Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia San Diego, California Yokosuka,Japan | Scrapped |
| USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) | Aircraft carrier | April 29, 1961 | May 12, 2009 | 1998–2009 | 48 | Bremerton, Washington | Undergoing scrapping |
| USS Enterprise (CVN-65) | Aircraft carrier | November 25, 1961 | December 1, 2012 | 2009–2012 | 51 | Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia | Awaiting scrapping |
| USS Denver (LPD-9) | Amphibious transport dock | October 26, 1968 | August 14, 2014 | 2012–2014 | 45 | Sasebo, Japan | Sunk as target |
| USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) | Amphibious command ship | November 14, 1970 | N/a | 2014–present | 53 | Yokosuka, Japan | Active |
Since September 11, 2002, U.S. Navy installations and facilities ashore have been allowed but not required to fly the First Navy Jack from multi-halyard gaff-rigged flagpoles when theUnited States ensign is also flown.
The First Navy Jack has also been authorized for wear as a patch by sailors and naval officers on flight suits and certain versions of theNavy Working Uniform (NWU), including sailors and naval officers wearing theArmy Combat Uniform (ACU) whileassigned to and serving with Army units, at the discretion of the local Army commander.[11][12] For the NWU and ACU, the patch is typically worn on the opposite sleeve as the U.S. flag.
This First Navy Jack, along with theSerapis flag, is also featured on the crest of theArleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyerUSS John Paul Jones.[13]
During theWar in Afghanistan, U.S. Navy sailors and officers assigned to theInternational Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were authorized to wear the First Navy Jack on theirMultiCam-patternedArmy Combat Uniform (ACU) on the right sleeve, below the U.S. flag.[14]
Like othersnake flags, the First Navy Jack has been used by non-Navy people in protest or commemoration. For example, opponents to asmoking ban inFranklin, Indiana, flew Navy Jacks outside their homes and businesses.[15] A First Navy Jack flag was also placed at a makeshift memorial onBoylston Street after theBoston Marathon bombing.[16][17]
