Flags of RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic

By Art Braunschweiger

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Copyright 2005 Titanic Research & Modeling Association

 Index
.
1 Introduction

2 Blue and Red Ensigns

3 Courtesy Ensigns

4 White Star House Flag

5 Royal Mail pennant and US Mail flag

6 Pilot Jack

7 Blue Peter

8 International Code Flags (signal flags)

9 Pilot Flag

10 Historical Note: 2nd Class Pilot Flag

11 Display of flags at sea

13 Flag Terminology

14 References

For further information on modeling these flags, including scale sizes of all flags
and a chronological listing of flags flown by Titanic on various dates, see David
Cotgreave’s Rivet Counter flag modeling reference accessed through the link on
the main TRMA flags page.

Copyright 2005 Titanic Research & Modeling Association

 1

Introduction
.

There is a great deal of misinformation in print and on internet sources regarding the flags and flag
protocols of Titanic. Flag protocols are often misunderstood, quoted from the incorrect time period,
or assumed to have been followed when they were not. The Pilot Flag is a good example of this:
countless writers state that the Pilot Flag was hoisted above the bridge when Titanic cast off her
hawsers at Southampton, and yet this flag does not appear in a single photograph. In other cases,
period illustrations that were never intended to be exact representations of these flags have been
held as accurate renditions; this is especially true of the White Star house flag. .

Much of the misinformation is perpetuated by many of the countless Titanic websites in existence.
While a few are run by serious historians knowledgeable in this field, many contain nothing more
than erroneous information copied from elsewhere or written by someone with little more than
superficial knowledge of the ship and no knowledge at all of flags and flag protocols. .

This is a comprehensive reference and is intended to present accurate and definitive information
on the flags flown by Titanic and Olympic. This includes the physical flags themselves and the
regulations and/or protocols that dictated their use. Much of this information has been provided
to David Cotgreave in the Flags section of his Rivet Counter Titanic Scale Modeling Tutorial;
consequently the accuracy of all flag information in David’s work rests solely with this author. All
information presented here is the result of research through photographs, period documents and
publications, and archival sources. Any information not known for certain has been indicated as such.

Where changing protocols over time affected the flags flown by Olympic later in her career it has
been indicated in the text . It should also be noted that none of the flag protocols herein should be
considered applicable to Olympic’s service during the war years, as wartime protocols differed
from those of peacetime. .
- Art Braunschweiger

The graphic illustrations of the flags on each page appear in the same scale relative to each other in
order to give the reader a visual perspective on the relative sizes of the various flags. To give the
reader a further perspective on each flag’s size, the figure of a White Star officer (above) has been
placed next to the flags on each page. This figure has been sized to a height of 5’ - 10” plus an
additional three inches for his uniform hat. .

Thanks to Bruce Beveridge for his assistance in providing many of the flag specifications listed herein.

Copyright 2005 Titanic Research & Modeling Association

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Blue and Red Ensigns (Ensign of the UK)
Flown from ensign staff at stern and at the foremast for dressed ship

Titanic, sea trials (ensign staff)

Size 9’ - 0” x 4’ - 6” Size 9’ - 0” x 4’ - 6”
Quantity 1 Quantity 2
Size 6’ - 0” x 3’ - 0” Size 6’ - 0” x 3’ - 0”
Quantity 1 Quantity 2

Size 21’ - 0” x 10’ - 6”

Quantity 1

NOTE: all sizes and quantities per 1914 specs. Size 15’ - 0” x 7’ - 6”
9- and 15 -ft sizes verified for Olympic and Quantity 4
Titanic, and 21-ft size verified for Olympic
through photographic measurements..

This flag was flown from the ensign staff at the stern during daylight hours* to identify the ship’s nationality. The
Blue Ensign could only be used upon issue of an Admiralty warrant which denoted that the captain and at least
10 ratings or officers were members of the Royal Naval Reserve. Titanic flew the Blue Ensign, and Olympic
normally did as well. Photographs from 1911 and 1912 show that the 15-ft size was always flown from the
ensign staff at the stern. The 21-foot size, not in use until after 1914, would have by tradition been known as
the “Sunday ensign” or “holiday ensign.” It was not used frequently, as it appears in very few photographs.

The Blue or Red Ensign was also flown from the foremast when the ship was dressed in British waters - as with
Titanic on April 4th. The 9-ft size was the flag normally used here. .

* see Page 8: “Display Of Flags At Sea” .

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American and French ensigns
Flown at foremast

Olympic, 1934 Olympic, 1920-1924

Size 9’ - 0” x 4’ - 8” Estimated size

Quantity 2 7’ - 0” x 4’ - 8”
Quantity 2 Estimated size
Size 6’ - 0” x 3’ - 2”
Quantity 2 4’ - 0” x 2’ - 8”
Quantity 2
The design of the U.S. Flag varied in the
The French ensign, when flown at sea as either
number of stars, depending on the date flown:
a civil or military ensign, has the proportions
of its vertical stripes as 30:33:37 to give a
Titanic, and Olympic up to July 4, 1912: 46 stars
better appearance when seen from a distance.
Olympic, after July 4, 1912: 48 stars
(Number of states increased to 48 in Jan and Feb of This flag is also called the Tricolor.
1912, but flag was not changed until July 4, 1912.)
Sizes estimated through photographs.
This flag is also called the Stars and Stripes. Quantities estimated as matching U.S. Ensigns.

Quantities and sizes per 1914 specs. Larger

size verified through photographs.

The foremast flag is frequently but incorrectly referred to as the "destination flag". While the flag at this location
did at times reflect the ship's destination - prior to leaving Southampton, for example - the flying of a "courtesy flag"
at this location always took precedence. A courtesy flag, or courtesy ensign, is the ensign of another country flown
when entering that country's port and during the ship's entire time in port. This was done as means of honoring
that country. Conversely, failing to do so was considered highly disrespectful, especially for naval vessels. .

The American and French ensigns were flown on Titanic and Olympic as follows: The American ensign was flown
at Southampton, and continued to fly for the duration of the ship's passage down Southampton water. The French
ensign was flown entering Cherbourg, and for the entire time in port until sunset. (In Titanic's case, she arrived
approximately 15 minutes before sunset; so all flags were still flying when the vessel anchored.) Cherbourg was
normally departed after dark, with no flags flown. The next morning, the American ensign was flown entering
Queenstown and for the duration of her time in harbor. This reflected her final destination, Ireland not being a
sovereign country at the time and therefore not requiring the display of a courtesy ensign. Entering New York, the
American ensign would be raised a third time and flown daily from 8am to sunset during her entire time in port.

*See page 8, “Display Of Flags At Sea,” for additional information. The larger of each ensign was the size normally flown.

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White Star house flag

Flown at mainmast
The following size and proportions have been taken from extensive study and
measurements of available photographs and archival information of surviving flags.

Olympic, date unknown

9’ - 0” x 4’ -6” (estimated)
Quantity 6: 3 medium and 3 storm weight (1914 specifications)

This was not the only size used in the White Star fleet, and other sizes were seen on occasion on Olympic in later
years (1922 and after). This flag is a tapered swallowtail, with the swallowtail points flaring slightly outward.

Note: the term “burgee” is often used to describe this flag, but not all vexillologists are in agreement as to the proper
use of that term as its meaning has changed over time. For that reason it has not been termed as such here.

The White Star house flag flew from one of the flag halyards at the top of the mainmast from 8am to sunset.
See Page 8 - “Display of Flags at Sea” for additional information.

White Star advertising logos - these and similar flags

Commodore’s flag - use of this flag was granted only to a
appeared on china, stationery, shipboard items and
captain holding the rank of Commodore of the White Star
White Star paperwork. These were stylized versions of
Line Fleet. This flag never flew on Titanic. The White Star
the flag which do not accurately represent the
line had discontinued the rank of Commodore in 1889 and
proportions of the actual flags. Illustrations such as
did not reinstate it until it was conferred on Captain Sir
these have given rise to the erroneous belief that the
Bertram Hayes in 1922 upon his assuming command of
White Star house flag was tapered much more radically
Majestic. (This graphic patterned after flag at top for
toward a pennant shape. .
illustration only; actual flag proportions may have differed.)

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Royal Mail pennant and U.S. Mail flag

Flown at mainmast (early years) & foremast (early 1920s onward for Olympic)
Sizes estimated from photographic measurement.

Olympic, early 1920s Olympic, 1913

USM

Estimated size 8’ - 0” x 3’ - 6” Estimated size 8’ - 0” x 4’ - 9”

Color of letters unknown - either black

or, given the colors of the national
The Royal Mail pennant flew leaving ensign, may have been dark blue.
Southampton and arriving Cherbourg,
Queenstown and New York.
The US Mail pennant flew leaving New York
and arriving Plymouth, Cherbourg and
Southampton.

These flags reflected the ship’s status as a carrier of the mails, under contract to the governments of Great
Britain and the United States. They did not confer priority in docking, but simply to announce the presence
of Royal or US mail on board which would need to be offloaded without delay. .

The Royal Mail pennant and U.S. Mail flag initially flew from the second halyard at the mainmast, at the
height of the backstays where they met the mast - approximately halfway between the Marconi aerial and the
top of the ratlines. Photographs from the 1920s, however, indicate that by this time the position of these
flags had been shifted to the foremast halyards, flying about halfway up. .

See Page 8 - “Display Of Flags At Sea” for additional information. .

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Pilot Jack

Flown from jackstaff at bow

Titanic at Southampton, April 3, 1912

Titanic:
Olympic: Size 7’ - 6” x 4’ - 8”
Size 9’ - 0” x 5’ - 7” Quantity 2
Quantity 2 Size per photographic measurement
Size and quantity per 1914 specs. Quantity per 1914 specs.

This flag, sometimes referred to as a Merchant Jack, was a Union Jack with a white border. It was used
to dress the bow of a ship in merchant service. As of 1894, it was also legal in British waters for use
as a pilot summoning signal (indicating that the ship needed the services of a pilot), but only when
flown from the foremast or signal halyard. However, in 1900 the International Code of Signals
committee recommended that its use as a pilot flag be discontinued in favor of the internationally-
recognized code flag “S”, which carried the same meaning. The traditional name “Pilot Jack”
remained, though (not to be confused with the term “Pilot Flag”, which meant a pilot was aboard.)

This flag consisted of the Union Jack* with a white border, the white border being 1/3 the breadth (the
vertical dimension) of the Union Jack, per regulations set forth in 1833. .

Titanic and Olympic flew this flag only on ceremonial occasions when they were dressed with flag
lines. For Titanic’s short life, this was on one day only - during daylight hours of Thursday April 4th
at Southampton, following her arrival from Belfast shortly after midnight. .

* See page 13 (”Terminology”) for more on this term. .

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Blue Peter
Flown from bridge or foremast halyards

Olympic, early 1920s

Size 7’- 0” x 4’ - 8” Size 4’- 0” x 2’ - 8”

quantity 2 quantity 2

Sizes and quantities per 1914 specifications.

This flag, the signal for the letter “P” in the International Code, carried a special
meaning when hoisted aloft by itself – it meant “Am About to Sail”. On the Olympic-
class ships, this flag could be flown from one of the signal halyards off the bridge or
from the second halyard at the foremast (the first being already in use for the courtesy
ensign). A second Blue Peter could also be flown from one of the mainmast halyards;
this was done on at least one occasion with Olympic in the 1920s, although it is
unknown whether or not this was common practice. .

Photographs showing this flag are rare, as the Blue Peter was only flown for a brief
period of time prior to departure. No photographs are known to exist to indicate
whether or not Titanic flew this flag prior to her departure from Southampton. .

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International Code flags (signal flags)

Flown from signal halyards at bridge

Olympic, 1911

From Brown’s Signalling, 1914. Note: the pennants C-G above do not accurately represent the correct proportions of the actual flags.
See graphic below right.

International Code flags were flown from the signal halyards on the bridge wings. Various messages,
including numbers, could be communicated by two-, three-, and four-letter flag groups. In addition,
certain flags as indicated carried special meanings when flown singly, as indicated above.

Size12’ - 0” x 4’ - 0”
(Estimated)
Size 8’ - 0” x 5’ - 6”

Quantity 2 sets per 1914 specifications, plus 1 set of code flags for ship’s Distinguishing Signal
(A ship’s distinguishing signal was used to identify herself to another vessel or shore station during
an exchange of signals. Titanic’s assigned signal was HVMP and Olympic’s was HSRP)

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Pilot Flag
(1st Class Pilot Flag)

Flown from signal halyard at bridge

Olympic, 1912
Estimated size 8’ - 0” x 5’ - 6”

Size is estimated to be the same size as the International Code flags, which dimensions are known.

Used only in British waters, this flag was also known as the British 1808 pilot flag. When flown at the fore
or above the bridge, it indicated that there was a licensed pilot aboard. Contrary to what is frequently written,
this flag was not hoisted on Titanic upon her departure from Southampton, nor was it flown by Olympic
during her maiden voyage. It does appear in some photographs of Olympic during her career, but not many.
Although the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894 stated that a pilot was to “exhibit a pilot flag to show that the
vessel has a qualified pilot on board”, photographs show that this regulation was not strictly followed. The
specific reasons are lost to history, but qualified opinion holds that in the case of the large Atlantic liners,
the responsible authorities were well aware of whether or not a pilot had been dispatched to a particular ship,
and therefore did not look to the display of a flag to confirm that the vessel was under pilotage. .

The flag shown above is the flag for a 1st Class Pilot. There was also a 2nd class Pilot flag (see next page
for information.). .

In this photograph of Titanic steaming down Southampton Water, there is clearly no pilot flag visible above the bridge.

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Historical Note: 2nd Class Pilot Flag

(Not known to have been flown by Olympic or Titanic)

Aquitania, 1923
.

The flag above is a 2nd Class Pilot flag. This class of pilot, which existed at least as far back as the mid-
1800s, was the first at which a pilot was licensed before later being rated as a 1st Class Pilot. Although not
known to have ever been flown on Olympic or Titanic, it appears in photographs of other liners under
pilotage in British waters, including Mauretania, Aquitania, Vaterland, Berengaria, and others. Curiously,
although this class of pilot is clearly documented, no reference appears to the 2nd Class Pilot flag in either
Brown’s Signalling or the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894. This class of Pilot still exists,*, and it is
interesting to note that today this flag is the official flag to signify that a pilot is aboard, although it is no
longer displayed frequently. .

This flag is identical in appearance o the International Code Flag H. This flag was designated as the letter
“H” flag in 1857, when the first “Commercial Code of Signals for use of all Nations” was drawn up. Prior to
that, it had been the numeral “3” flag in the older “Code of Signals for the Merchant Service” drawn up by
Captain Frederick Marryat. .

*Today there are four classes of Pilots, 1 through 4.

At left:

Hand-drawn illustration from the journal of Deal pilot

William Stanton, showing 2nd class pilot flag at lower
right. Stanton became a pilot in 1834 and retired in
1867, so the 2nd class pilot flag can be dated to this
period if not earlier.

The flag at top is Stanton’s Distinguishing flag. Pilots

at that time flew a flag with a design unique to them, for
purposes of identifying which pilot was aboard.

This illustration appears in the book Pilots, volume 2,

by Tom Cunliffe. More information about this book can
be found in the References list on page 15. ..
.

Image © Deal Maritime & Local History Museum.

Used by TRMA with permission.

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Display Of Flags At Sea

Although there are many photographs of Titanic and Olympic departing Southampton and many of Olympic
at New York, very few photographs were ever taken of Olympic at sea. However, Olympic was frequently
photographed off Cowes on the Isle of Wight, just before entering the open waters of the English Channel . Here,
the deep channel for outbound ships runs fairly close inshore, with broad promenades along the shoreline that
offered spectacular viewpoints for photographers and sightseers. The numerous passenger vessels that crossed
between Cowes and the mainland also provided opportune platforms for photographers. Some of the best pictures
were taken by marine photographer Frank Beken of Cowes, who became such a frequent sight that some captains
took to saluting him with their whistle when passing him in his 14-foot dinghy.
. After slowing and making a wide turn around the shoals known as the Bramble Bank, outbound liners
would present their starboard side to shore as they gathered speed. Photog raphs of Olympic taken here frequently
show the masthead flags (the house flag and the American ensign) in the process of being lowered, or already
absent by this point (see photo below).This practice did not appear to be followed consistently, though. Some
photographs of Olympic do show the American ensign being changed over to the French tricolour, so some captains
evidently did elect to fly the masthead flags for the while crossing the Channel instead of hauling them down and
hoisting them again to enter Cherbourg. This is what Titanic apparently did, as there is one photograph of her
passing Ryde (see map) with no sign of her flags being lowered.. .

Olympic, early 1920s

SOUTHAMPTON WATER

SPITHEAD
THE SOLENT

COWES RYDE

ISLE OF WIGHT

ENGLISH CHANNEL

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Given that Olympic normally hauled down her masthead flags prior to reaching the Channel, we can
safely conclude that Olympic and Titanic did not fly them at sea either. Photographs of other liners such as
Mauretania and Lusitania show no flags either, and this appears to have been standard practice at the time.
Even photographs of liners in coastal waters, close to land, routinely show the no flags, as in this famous image
of Lusitania off Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, in 1911. (Note that there are several grainy spots in this photo, which
should not be mistaken for flags.) .

As to whether or not the ensign at the stern was flown at sea, the same photographs off Cowes that
show no flags at the mastheads do show an ensign still in place at the stern (see photo p. 11). It is quite
possible that this ensign continued to be flown for the entire Atlantic crossing. Olympic and Titanic carried four
15-foot ensigns for use at the stern - more than any other flag carried. If the ensign here was intended to be
flown daily at sea, it would be likely that several of the required size would be carried, to allow for rotation to
prevent premature wear.
Resolving this through photographs is not as easy as it might sound. A photograph of a ship with
nothing but water in the background does not guarantee that the picture was taken in mid-Atlantic. Relying on
photographs of ships from other lines cannot re relied on, as protocols did vary between shipping lines.
Textbooks on flags, both contemporary and from the period, are not definitive on this. And protocols are not
regulations - they may outline a recommended practice, but are not absolute. The evidence supports certain
conclusions, but there are no guarantees.
.

Olympic, location and date unknown. (The ensign staff is not visible in this picture.)

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Flag Terminology

TRUCK

SHEAVES

HOIST CANTON

MASTHEAD

FLY
FIELD

HEADER

HALYARDS

DISTANCE LINE (USED TO BEND FLAG TO HALYARD)

The horizontal measurement of a flag is the LENGTH.

The vertical measurement of a flag is the BREADTH.

Ratios (as in 1:2 for the above flag) are always

Breadth to Length.

ENSIGN: the national flag of a country flown at sea. May be the same as the version flown
on land (as in the US flag) or modified (as in the British flag). The British ensign
consists of the Union flag (”Union Jack”) as the canton, on a larger field of blue
or red.

JACK: Technically, a flag flown at the bow of a ship on the jackstaff. However, the British
Union flag flown on land is widely known as the “Union Jack,” and this name is
officially accepted for common use.

DRESSED SHIP: Rigging flaglines (signal flags arrayed along wire ropes) for ceremonial display.
On the Olympic-class ships, one flagline ran from the bow to the foremast, another
between the masts, and a third from the mainmast to the stern, thereby providing a
continuous fore-and-aft flagline up and over the ship.

The study of flags is VEXILLOLOGY. An expert in the study of flags is a VEXILLOLOGIST.

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References

The following sources were principle reference sources used in researching the flag information in these pages:

Archival Sources -

British National Archives, London:

MT 9/358 Exhibition of flags at British Consulates; and carriage of flags by British merchant ships.
MT 9/360 Use of flags in the British merchant service; and display of colours by tugs and coasting vessels.
MT 9/741 Signals. "White bordered union flag", and pilot signals.

Squire Law Library, Cambridge University: Excerpt from Oppenheim’s International Law, 1908

Deal Maritime & Local History Museum, Deal, England: Journal of William Stanton, Pilot

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich: House Flags collection

National Postal Museum: information accessed online at www.postalmuseum.si.edu:

“Harbor Boat Mail Service” exhibit
“Posted Aboard the RMS Titanic” exhibit

Museum of Wellington City and Sea, Wellington, New Zealand (source of Lloyd’s Registers, 1919-1920)

Books -

Wilson, Timothy. Flags at Sea. (London: Chatham Publishing, in association with the National Maritime
Museum, Greenwich, 1999)

Perrin, W. G. British Flags. (London: Cambridge University Press, 1922)

Moore, Hubert S. Rules of the Road at Sea. (London: J. D. Potter, 1900)

Flags of All Nations (Richmond, Virginia: Allen & Ginter, 1888)

Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition, 1911 (accessed online at http://46.1911encyclopedia.org)

Signal Manuals -

Brown’s Signalling, 16th edition (Glasgow: James Brown & Sons, 1914)
British Signal Manual, Oct. 1914 (Glasgow: James Brown & Sons)

Newspapers and Magazines:

New York Times newspaper::

Article of July 5, 1920: “Hayes to be Commodore”
Article of October 12, 1905: “Mails for Shipping Trust”

The Commutator (Titanic Historical Society):

Issue No 146, 1999: “The Story of the White Star House Flag” (reprint from White Star magazine)
Issue No 161, 2003: “Titanic at Southampton: A Time of Great Expectations”, by Stanley Lehrer

Mariner’s Mirror magazine:

Volume 89, Issue 1, February, 2003: “Maritime Pilotage Acts of the Nineteenth Century” by Tri Tran

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Internet Sources -

Flags of the World: (http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/

US Flag.org: http://www.usflag.org/history/historicflags.html
Photograph archives of White Star Line ships at Shaw, Saville & Albion Lines website
(www.shawsavillships.co.uk). Thanks to Mike Foreman for providing additional photographs
for study.

Individuals -

The author gratefully acknowledges the following individuals for their assistance and information provided:

J. Kent Layton, author: Atlantic Liners (www.atlanticliners.com)

Karen Kamuda, Titanic Historical Society (www.titanichistoricalsociety.org)
Ringo Varisco, curator, RMS Queen Elizabeth Historical Society (www.rmsqueenelizabeth.com)
Bob Pryor, British Titanic Society (http://members.lycos.co.uk/pryorbob/blitz.htm)
James Ferrigan, North American Vexillogical Association (www.nava.org)

Special thanks to:

Bruce Beveridge, co-author of: Titanic: The Ship Magnificent, for providing access to numerous photographs
for study, many unpublished.

Tom Cunliffe, author, Pilots. Tom’s 2-volume hardcover series,

with outstanding illustrations, is a fascinating history of pilots
and pilot boats. Available only in the UK from Kelvin Hughes,
Southampton - www.bookharbour.com

And, with gratitude,

John Clandillon-Baker, editor of The Pilot magazine (www.pilotmag.co.uk)

for his time and patience in answering numerous questions and providing
invaluable assistance and historical information on pilots, pilot flags and
piloting (and for a couple good leads). Thanks, John.

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