Vexillolinguistics of the First Navy Jack

“Alternating ‘Old Glory Red’ (#B22234) and white (#FFFFFF) stripes, starting and ending in red. Central rattlesnake in a moving position. ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ on lowest white stripe. Aspect ratio 2:3.”

Why Not Exactly 13 Stripes?

The truth is, a Navy Jack will look good in 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, … potentially dozens or even hundreds of stripes.

Secondly, the influx of the Engish into the “13 colonies” wasn’t exactly peaceful or good for North America or its indigenous people. Thus, the “13 colonies” may not necessarily be something to be proud of overall. Some renegade (pirate) merchant seamen abandoned their duties with the British East India Company when they found out there is new land areas they could take for themselves. They even stole the company flag as well.

Most importantly, allowing any number of stripes starting and ending with red opens up the opportunity to reuse a damaged or retired Flag of the United States. For example, the typical Chinese 3×5 US Flag can be split up into four useful, but smaller, flags including a US Canton, which stands on its own, and three other flags of red and white stripes. Vertical red and white stripes become an option as well.

First Navy Jack Design Issues

Per the “JOINT COMMISSION ON VEXILLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLES” of The Flag Institute and North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), there are at least a few major issues in the design of the First Navy Jack.

“Devices that are placed in the fly of a flag are often obscured when the flag is hanging limply, so this is best avoided.”

The rattlesnake, when centered diagonally, risks being lost in a fold when there is little wind.

“Contrast is important – use light colours on dark, and vice-versa. So a white cross on red is good contrast, but a blue cross on red would be a poor contrast.”

The First Navy Jack, with red and white stripes, is perfectly contrasting and constitutes good design. The rattlesnake in the original design is yellow, but that doesn’t contrast enough from the white, and the red in the snake doesn’t contrast with the red stripes at all. This obscures the creature.

I do appreciate that the rattlesnake looks to be trying to get away; a peaceful choice. Any defensive posture, however, should be acceptable. With modern printing and embroidery techniques, flag makers should feel free to use a photorealistic or heavily stylized rattlesnake.

“Use of writing on a flag defeats its purpose – one might simply inscribe the name of a country or location on a white sheet and wave it around.”

In the case of the First Navy Jack, having a text inscription breaks this rule quite thoroughly. In fact, translations to other languages should be encouraged and would show assimilative support.

What is a “Naval Jack”?

A “naval jack” is a flag flown from the jackstaff at the bow (front) of naval vessels while they are moored or anchored.

The jack is one of the national maritime flags used by a country’s navy, often featuring unique designs that differ from the country’s national flag. It’s used to signify the ship’s nationality and is typically flown only when ships are in harbor; it is taken down when the ship is underway.