Long flags at the top of tall ships - name?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Jesse

Other than the Commissioning Pendant I've never seen one in use. However there are photo's of the dramatically long Pendants used in the competition for the fastest Atlantic passage between luxury liners. They were called ribBONs with emphasis on the last three letters. The vessel holding the fastest passage flew the Blue Ribbon and was accorded bragging rights to advertise it.

Blue Riband!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Riband

[Mike Banks]

The really long ones are ribbons or streamers--the shorter ones are pennants.

The long ones are wind direction indicators. The shorter ones also identifiers.

[admiralslater]

Originally Posted by StuM

Blue Riband!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Riband

Thanks for the link ,20 knots in 1900 is astounding. Tribal class destroyers circa 1936,35 knots modern frigate , 30 knots.
Back to the pennants in Master and Commander (second only to Hornblower imo) they talk about being commodore of the yellow and such . I thought that was part of the pennant thing as well

[admiralslater]

Quick run to Wikipedia proves me wrong

[deblen]

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/di...english/riband

Horizontal boards or sticks can be ribands: eg.-fence rails

Rub rails on N.S. built boats are ribands.

I am willing to bet the saying "ribbons of steel" was originally ribands.

Nothing like the English language!!

/Len

[Sea7King]

The second pic shows two of the three replicas Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.
I can't be sure which two.

The third pic is NOT USS Constitution, aka Old Ironsides.
Don't think Spain ever captured her!

[KP44]

It is called a waif.

[puffcard]

Need to get a Gin Pennant. I worked on a schooner years ago, the owner/captain would fly a very long mast top pennant. That thing would get so tangled up. Hated it, but it did look very cool.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by deblen

While we are at it:

moorings have pendants.

pendant-something that hangs-from the French "pendre"

Len

Hope you're not being a pedant?

[KP44]

It was called a waif, and was the only flag flown above the national ensign.
I see etiquette now places a private burgee or pendant where the church waif used to be.

I still use a waif to alert or call crew back to the ship.

[Alan Mighty]

From the Oxford English Dictionary entry for pennon:

3.3 The long pointed streamer of a ship; also called pendant and pennant.

1627 Drayton Agincourt lxvii, A ship most neatly that was lim'd, In all her Sailes with flags and Pennons trim'd. [In Chalmers's Poets, pennants, whence in Richardson.] ***

1632 Sherwood, A Penon (or Pendant) in a ship. ***

1658 Phillips, Penon,‥also a streamer in a ship. ***

1807 J. Barlow Columb. ii. 354 O hapless day!‥That saw my wandering pennon mount the tide. ***

1852 Longfellow Warden of Cinque Ports ii, Flowing flag and rippling pennon. ***
1884 Mrs. C. Praed Zéro xiv, Yachts with pennons flying lay at anchor in the harbour.

[deblen]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

Hope you're not being a pedant?

Oh,obsessively!

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by anacapaisland42

AND...are quite often the source of artistic mistakes where a warship is shown/painted sailing with her sails full (stern wind) and the pennant/pendant streaming aft ......into the wind :-)

Bill

Like the classic Old Spice logo that shows the pendant and the flag both streaming straight aft as the ship's sails look trimmed to sail dead downwind.

[DeborahLee]

There is also the Homeward bound pennant.

The Homeward Bound Pennant is flown by ships that are on a continuous overseas duty for nine months and returning to a U.S. port. The length of the pennant is one foot for each Sailor on the ship who has served on board while overseas in excess of nine months. It is divided vertically into two sections. Closest to the hoist is a blue field with one white star indicating nine months of service away from the U.S. An additional star is for each additional six months away. The remaining pennant is divided horizontally into halves, the upper being white and the lower being red.

[blueazimuth]

A very long pennant, traditionally flown from the top of the highest mast, signals "We are Coming Home"