![]() ![]() There were three classes of admirals and differentiated by using coloured flags. The Navy Royal inaugurated squadron colours during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) to subdivide the English fleet into three squadrons. ![]() By 1588, only the royal arms, the national flags, and the squadron ensigns (by this time plain red, blue and white flags, for the first, second and third squadrons respectively) were used. The royal standards were used to identify which senior naval commander was on board. When English fleets became larger, flags started to become used as signals of a squadron to which a particular ship belonged this was initially done by flying a flag on either the foremast, or the mizzen mast or the top mast. All captains of ships in his squadron fly a single cross of Saint George at the top of the rear masthead.įrom 1545, the Council of the Marine debated that it was necessary to identify which ship carried an admiral, and this achieved by flying the St. The Admiral of the Wyng or (Rear-Admiral) of the rear squadron to display two flags of Saint George one at the top of the main masthead center and the other at the top of the mizzenmast or rear mast head. All captains of ships in his squadron fly a single cross of Saint George at the top of the fore masthead. The Admiral of the Van or (Vice-Admiral) of the front squadron flew two flags of Saint George one at the top of the main masthead center and the other at the top of the front masthead. The Lord Admiral shall fly the royal standard at the top of the main masthead and the flag of the cross of Saint George at the top of fore (front) masthead displaying two flags every ship in his squadron the captains were to fly a single Saint Georges flag at the top of the main masthead. Between 15 Lord Lisle under instructions from the King altered Audley's instructions this time to denote three squadron commanders as follows. Audley produced the book of instructions called the Book of Orders for the War by Sea and by Land. In 1530 Henry VIII instructed Sir Thomas Audley to create a set of instructions that made clear which command flags were to be flown on board ships and by whom (at this time a single command flag was to be used at the top of the masthead). In 1495 Henry VII authorized the use of his standard during the expeditions of John Cabot. This positioning of the only command flag used during that battle was later reserved for use by the monarch or his deputy commander the Lord Admiral. In June 1340 Edward III commanded the English fleet at the Battle of Sluys where the king's standard was flown at top of the main masthead. In 1411 Henry IV altered the French element of the standard to include just three fleur-de-lis. In January 1340 Edward III proclaimed himself King of France and adopted the arms of France then displaying (multiple fleur-de-lis or azure semi-of-fleur-de-lis) in the upper left and the lower right cantons with the arms of England in the upper right and lower left cantons to create a new Royal Standard. In 1198 it was changed to include three red lions against a red background which are still part of the royal coat arms of England till today. The earliest known usage of a command flag being used to denote the Commander-in-Chief of the English Fleet was during the reign of Richard I in 1189 that depicted a single gold lion on a red background.
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