First Navy Jack
The First Navy Jack was the naval jack of the United States from 1975 to 1976 and again from 2002 to 2019. It was authorized by the U.S. Navy and was flown from the jackstaff of commissioned vessels of the U.S. Navy while moored pierside or at anchor. Since then, it is used only as a naval jack by the oldest active warship in the U.S. Navy. The design is traditionally regarded as that of the first U.S. naval jack, flown soon after independence, but this is not supported by the historical record.
The "First Navy Jack", currently flown only by the oldest warship in the U.S. Navy. | |
| The First Navy Jack | |
| Proportion | 2:1 |
|---|---|
| Adopted | October 13, 1975 (as U.S. naval jack) August 18, 1980 (for oldest U.S. warships) September 11, 2002 (as U.S. naval jack) |
| Relinquished | December 31, 1976 (as U.S. naval jack) June 4, 2019 (as U.S. naval jack) |
| Design | 13 horizontal stripes of alternating red and white, charged with a rattlesnake and inscribed on the lowest white stripe: "DONT [sic] TREAD ON ME". |
The First Navy Jack was replaced as the U.S. naval jack by the U.S. Union Jack (consisting of white stars on a blue field, not to be confused with the flag of the United Kingdom, also commonly called "the Union Jack") on June 4, 2019, by order of the Chief of Naval Operations.