The Commissioning Pennant
The ship's Commissioning Pennant, a replica of which appears above, symbolized the order to active service. As such, it is flown continuously by each Navy ship from the moment she is commissioned until that final moment, years later, when she is retired from active service. Traditionally the commissioning pennant is replaced with a new one at each change of commanding officer. The outgoing Commanding Officer is then presented with the pennant flown during his command of the ship.
At the moment the commissioning pennant is broken, a ship becomes the responsibility of the Commanding Officer, who together with his ship's officers and men, has the duty of making her ready for any service required by our nation.
The commissioning pennant has for centuries been the symbol of a man-of-war. It is believed to date from the 17th century, when the Dutch were at war with the English. Dutch Admiral Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp hoisted a broom at his masthead to symbolize his intention to sweep the English from the sea. British Admiral William Blake answered this gesture by hoisting a horsewhip, indicating his intention to chastise the Dutch. The victorious British thus set the precedent for a long narrow commissioning pennant, symbolizing the original horsewhip as the distinctive symbol of a ship of war.
The modern U.S. Navy commissioning pennant is blue at the hoist with a union of seven white stars, and a horizontal red and white strip at the fly. In lieu of a commissioning pennant, flagships fly Admiral's personal flags, hence the name flagship.
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