Do you ever “Dip Your Ensign “

[Spot]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Since my ensign is rather fixedly mounted to the staff it is not easy to dip and the lowering would be of very small dimension and thus not easy to observe.

So, I prefer to provide a gun salute. The loud noise is also likely to be noticed more than a smaller vessel's lowering of their ensign is to be observed. A well-placed shot across their bow, can lead to a reciprocal and thus mutual salute in return. Also tends to result in a further closing of the courses of the larger (senior) vessel towards the smaller (junior) vessel.

Ahoy! I was just going to fix the horn...

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Uricanejack

I pass RCN more frequently, They used to be better and generally returned my salute. But I find now more they don’t.
Particularly the Animal Crakers. I pass them frequently at close quarter in the SGI

Not sure if the new generation is just plain rude.
Or as I presume more likely just don’t bother to keep a look out.

The destroyers don’t pass by very often but some of them still keep a look out.

Even though the odds are they probably aren’t looking, I still follow the old tradition of paying respect by salute to the Navy and appreciate when it’s noticed.

Animal Crackers? Is that what you call the Orcas?
I think it's more a generational thing - these days there's not a lot of focus on tradition. In my day, you kept a watch out for such things, 'cause if you missed one, it would be some prickly bastard that would call up the Admiral and floggings ensued.

Sometimes they can't actually return a salute as the flag deck is frequently out of bounds, if certain things are radiating. I encourage it - I used to get a kick out of it and liked giving a nod to a fellow mariner.

[oleman]

When I was a sailor on a USN ship. We were forbidden from dipping to a vessel that carried a Flag from a nation we did not recognize. THree Countries at the time were CUBA, North Vietnam and North Korea. Military vessels, we would only dip to if they initiated the dip. If not busy, and the dip was not forbidden by protocol it was up to the OOD to respond or not to a dip. BUT generally speaking private looking vessels were not acknowledged. Personally when I was an OOD, and they were not special I would ignore, as watch too busy.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by more

you are bored, find some hobby

Sailing is their avocation, observing flag etiquette is their hobby.

[MikeDofFreo]

Originally Posted by Pandor

I'm fairly certain that it isn't proper to dip the U.S. ensign for any foreign ensign (man-o-war or not) unless in return to such a compliment first rendered by the other vessel. The USN custom is described in United States Navy Regulations Chapter 12, Section 1263.

Your yacht is not a navy ship and therefore, the prohibition does not apply to you. You should be more courteous or you may be interpreted as being arrogant.

In passing I have worked with US navy ships in non US waters and have seen that they were always courteous enough to dip their ensigns to foreign warships that had a commander with senior rank to the US ship.

[Pandor]

What? I know I don’t sail a Navy ship. But the protocol here in the US doesn’t have anything to do with the ship. It has to do with the flag. It is the same reason the US does not dip our flag at the Olympics. And yes, it is perhaps one reason that non-Americans may sometimes find Americans arrogant.

Edit: I think it has something to do with past perception of how we were treated by you monarch back in the day and has been a tradition carried forward.

[MikeDofFreo]

@Pandor, You didn't specify US waters and the regulation 2 quoted by you, appears to be the prohibition against dipping that you are talking about . It expressly only applies to a "navy ship".

Our monarchy? That's interesting. What are you blaming us Aussies for?

[Pandor]

The regulation I posted applies to only Navy ships because we don’t have written flag regulations for civilian vessels. I posted it because I thought it was interesting the Navy bothered to write the procedure down.

For the US flag in general, our tradition is described by this unattributed quote: “This flag dips to no Earthly king."

That was originally stated in reference to the King of England.

As for Oz… I personally have enjoyed many trips there. But I think you’ve kept the Queen on as head of state, yes? So I understand why you might not have the same reluctance to dip.

But this is all in fun. I have never dipped the ensign for any vessel, US or otherwise. If I was given the courtesy, however, I’d certainly return the favor.

Edit: Wierd… apparently we do have regulations that apply to civilians. Someone wrote it down in the US Code:
4 USC §8. Respect for flag
No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America; the flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. Regimental colors, State flags, and organization or institutional flags are to be dipped as a mark of honor.
(a) The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
(b) The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.
(c) The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always

[boatpoker]

I spotted these two signs regarding "dipping" in a Dairy Queen in Arkansas.
The first on the counter and the second on the wall in the mens room above a urinal.
I don't think the navy had anything to do with it.

Perhaps I don't speak Arkansian as well as I thought .

[Scorpius]

We had an interesting experience.

We were approaching the entrance to the Panama Canal, Pacific side, when we chanced to pass the Mexican naval sail training ship Cuauhtémoc which was at anchor in the roadstead. Just for the fun of it I, in my filthy and torn t-shirt and shorts, barefoot, dipped our rather large Canadian flag (which flies from well up the backstay and so is easy to dip).

All heck broke out on Cuauhtémoc. Bosun pipes were atwittering, officers, crew, and cadets came running on deck, still straightening hats and neckerchiefs. Finally when all were assembled along the rail and on the quarterdeck (there must have been a hundred of them) a petty officer (I suppose) lowered their immense Mexican flag to half mast and returned it to full staff as the crew held a salute. Once the flag was back at full mast, the crew broke the salute and ranks and headed back to whatever they were doing before.

As we slowly passed down the length of the ship the captain, resplendent in his white uniform with oodles of gold braid, stepped from the wheelhouse to the bridge wing and, grinning ear to ear, slowly threw us a final salute. I was most impressed by the entire performance

[kapnd]

When I pass the yachties, I never fail to give a hearty wave, but if ignored, I always give them a dip—-of my trousers!

[MikeDofFreo]

@Pandor, I guess that is a difference between the US and the rest of the world.

The US appears to be paranoid about not being given offence whilst most of the rest of the world tends to be paranoid about not giving offence.

Would you really not dip to a Canadian warship, if in Canadian waters?

Yes, our head of state is her Majesty the Queen of Australia. We understand she also has other jobs but thats none of our concern. We only answer for what is done by , or in the name of that role.

It does remind me of an incident that I was witness to in a bay in the south of France. A group of warships had just finished exercises in the Med and some of them came into the bay. First came a little British minesweeper; then a British fleet supply tanker. Last to arrive was a huge US aircraft carrier. She proudly steamed into the bay with bands playing and flying her motto in international code flags. Her motto was "second to none". Later there appeared to be a flurry of communications including launches sent by the carrier to the little minesweeper. It was only then that some of us noticed that the minesweeper was flying the flag signal "none". Unfortunately, I never learnt who was the lieutenant in command of the minesweeper, but I bet he either became a street sweeper or an admiral. My guess would be the latter.

[AlanR]

You should salute the flag officers of your own yacht club(s). It is a courtesy.

I fly the Guernsey Ensign, and a small version of it should be flown as a courtesy flag by visitors to Guernsey. Never, never the Union Flag as a courtesy flag. Nor, similarly, the Guernsey National Flag (white with a yellow cross overlaid on ared cross.)

If visiting the UK, the Red Ensign is the correct courtesy flag. Never the Union Flag (often incorrectly called the Union Jack.)

[goboatingnow]

In 30 years I’ve never seen an ensign dipped. Must be just me.

Archaic stuff. My maritime ensign is a warranted club ensign worn in conjunction with the appropriate burgee

It’s not lowered for darkness,man , monarch or navy.

[Chris Cringle]

I have only "dipped" once. On one of our transits through the
Panama Canal, we passed a U.S. Navy destroyer anchored in Lake Gatun. On a lark, I dipped our ensign as we passed. A few seconds later we were gratified to see a seaman sprinting toward the destroyer's fantail to dip her ensign. Maybe the fact that my boat was a Class B tall ship made a difference.