Who flies a Blue Ensign?
QI’ve only ever flown a red ensign on my boat but I’ve seen plenty of blue ones. I know a white ensign means the Royal Navy and Royal Yacht Squadron members. What entitles someone to fly a blue ensign?
AMike Shrives, Royal Naval Sailing Association general secretary, replies: Particular clubs are permitted by warrant to wear the white, blue, defaced blue, defaced red and defaced light blue ensigns. 2011 was the last time the Royal Navy printed this list as the ‘scheme’ was outsourced from Navy Legal to the RYA. Currently, only yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron can fly the white ensign, while 31 clubs may fly an undefaced blue ensign, 61 clubs fly a deface blue ensign, and 14 clubs may use defaced red ensigns. Only the RAF Sailing Association can fly a defaced light blue ensign.
Having done a little research, the correct source of information on this is the Admiralty Manual of Seamanship 1979, which was rarely opened during my career. It explains that:
‘Up to and including the Tudor period the national colour for English ships was the St George's Cross. The red ensign as the national colour for British ships other than warships appears to have been introduced about 1700, and thereafter was commonly worn by them. From early in the 17th Century the fleets of the Royal Navy were divided into Red, White and Blue Squadrons, and by the middle of that century the ships of each of these squadrons were distinguished by wearing, respectively, the red, white and blue ensigns. In 1864, this system was discontinued and, by Acts of Parliament of 1864 and 1865, the white ensign was authorised to be worn by all ships of the Royal Navy, the red ensign by merchant ships, and the blue ensign by ships belonging to public offices and by ships of the colonial navies.
The national flags of Australia and New Zealand are blue ensigns embodying their emblems. Vessels of certain approved yacht clubs are allowed by Admiralty warrant to wear a blue ensign defaced by the badge of their club.’
It is also worth noting that the club burgee of a warranted club must be flown along with the ensign, and that both the ensign and the burgee should be struck at night between sunset or 2100, whichever is earlier, and 0800 the following morning.