Last modified: 2009-10-30 by dov gutterman
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As far as the usage of the Navy flag versus the private use at
sea is concerned, the lion holding a sword (St. Mark's Lion) have
a book as well, but in this case the book is closed. The reason
for is that in the open book you can read the Latin sentence
"PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEUS" (Peace to you Mark,
my Gospel writer), so in war time the Republic of Venice was not
allowing to read "peace" as the first word. Actually,
the two versions of the Naval Jack are embedding the two
different Venetian flags so maintaining their origin usage.
Fabio Pasello, 15 Septemnber 1999
The present italian coat of arms is never shown either on the
merchant or on naval ensign. The shield you see there is the
italian naval shield (with crown - navy, without crown- merchant
ships). The prsent coat of arms of the Italian republic is the
one described in this page. The one on the
naval flags is made up by joining the 4 shields of the ancient
"repubbliche marinare": Pisa
(whitem "Pisan" cross on red field), Amalfi (white "Amalfi" cross
on blue field), Genoa (red cross on a
white field) and Venice (St.marks
lion with a sword for the navy and a book for the merchant ships,
gold on a blue field).
Antonio De Girolamo, 14 June 2000
image by Gerard van der Vaart and António
Martins-Tuválkin, 5 July 2009
For private use at sea there is an ensign similar to the
national flag, but carrying a shield on the white strip with the
four symbols of the so-called "Sea Republics" (Repubbliche
Marinare) of Italian tradition: first quarter Venice (St.
Mark's winged lion holding a book), second Genoa (a red-on-white
cross), third Amalfi (Maltese white cross on dark blue) and
fourth quarter Pisa (peculiar-shaped white cross on red).
Navy carries the same flag, but the lion holds a sword instead of
a book and the whole shield is crowned. These flags are official
since 9th November 1947.
Alessio Bragadini
Until the end of WW II, the Italian flag always had the Savoy
coat of arms in the center (without the crown: Merchant, with the
crown: naval ensign) {so there was no confusion at sea}. After
the war, the plain tricolor was adopted as the national flag, but
in order to avoid confusion with the Mexican merchant flag, the
new Italian coat of arms was placed in the center of the Italian
merchant flag (again with no crown.)
Nick Artimovich, 16 March 1998
According to Italian navy site those flags are used:
a) "Bandiera distintiva per Autoritŕ Civili" -
Civil Authorities Ensign (see here)
b) "Bandiera distintiva del Ministro della Difesa" -
Minister of Defence Flag (see here)
c) ) "Bandiera distintiva del Sottosegretario alla
Difesa" - Undersecretary of Defense (see here)
Dov Gutterman and Pier Paolo Lugli, 5 September
2000
In a page from an italian dictionary (Il Nuovissimo Melzi,
1952), sent by Alex Belfi, which displays the flags of
all european countries, there is also:
- Minister of Aeronautics flag
- probably not in use today as there is no more such a position.
- Minister of Marine
(Admirality) - probably not in use today as there is no more such
a position.
Dov Gutterman, 4 October 2000
image by Željko Heimer, Gerard van der Vaart and
Antonio Martins, 12 July 2009
image by Željko Heimer, Gerard van der Vaart and
Antonio Martins, 12 July 2009
It's the EU "civil ensign"; it is customary, I'm
told, for Europeans to display the EU flag on private boats with
their own ensign in the canton, here Italy.
Al Kirsch , 20 July 1999
That's an Italian European Ensign, as used unofficially on
internal European waterways. There are variants for most other EU
countries, such as Britain, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and
France.
Graham Bartram, 20 July 1999
Now this is strange, in the first place: Why ships operating
in internal European waterways don't use their own national
ensigns and/or courtesy flags, even if only officially?
On the other hand, if this is a way to expess european
"loyalty" why not a plain EU flag? Why deface it with
the national ensign?...
Antonio Martins, 23 July 1999
In August, our local newspaper had a report on its 'national
news' page about a Venetian who had taken a gondola across the
English Channel. The article was accompanied by a photograph which showed the
gondola flying three flags. One was the banner of St Mark for
Venice; one was the Union Jack, flown considerately but
incorrectly as a courtesy flag; and one was the Italian version of the European Civil
Ensign. The one shown above, has the national flag in the
canton smaller than the one shown on the gondola. My observations
in the past of European Civil Ensigns have been more like that on
the gondola, with the twelve stars clearly in the fly rather than
central.
André Coutanche, 20 September 2001
Anything is valid, as such ensigns/flags are absolutely
unofficial. They are like any "fun flag". It´s up to
the flagmaker and the user to find a design they like. The usage
of this flags is so unofficial and anarchical, that any
"standard" is tough to define. The boat actually flyes
no ensign. He is not showing any flag to indicate nationality,
and could be fined. Not to mention legal problems in case of
accident. European Civil Ensigns are fun flags.
Jose C. Alegria, 20 September 2001
See also: European Union: Unofficial civil ensigns, European Union
(2:3)
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 5 July 2009
(4:7)
image by António Martins-Tuválkin and Gerard van
der Vaart, 5 July 2009
"Guidone Italia Postale" , which is manufactured in
2:3 ratio,according to Adria Bandiera catalogue
Dov Gutterman, 6 August 2000
I noticed that the Post Penant is not shown in the Album [pay00]
Željko Heimer, 15 January 2001
It is on purpose, I never saw these post pennants at sea any
more (Postal ships have been replaced by planes!)
Armand Noel du Payrat, 16 January 2001
This flag was reopted as 2:3 at Adria Bandiera
catalogue and in a much longer ratio, about 4:7 in a. photo of a
real flag. Above are both versions.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 5 July 2009
image from <governolo.interfree.it>
The page <governolo.interfree.it>
(in Italian) shows – among other navigation signals –
two flags used on the River Po: "Two signals [are used in
the] riverbed, represented by surface buoy (where the bottom is
high) or red or white flags: the red flags or the red surface
buoys are put at about 20 m. right from the course for those who
sail downstream; the white flags or the white surface buoys are
put at about 20 m. left from the route for those who sail
downstream; vice versa for those who sail upstream.". There
is also a sketch in the end of page.
Another table showing the flags are at the end of <www.deltadelpo.it>.
Present-day signals on the River Po also at <www.arni.it>:
red flags or panels (ill.) pp. 14 and 16 of the file No white
flag around if I am not mistaken.
Jan Mertens, 22 March 2008
image by Chris Kretowicz, 12 May 2001
Italy operates 2 summer-only stations in Antarctica: TERRA
NOVA BAY and DOME C (with France). Authorizing authority:
Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide - PNRA
Chris Kretowicz, 12 May 2001
