ARGENTINA NAVAL FLAGS CIRCA 1916

ARGENTINE REPUBLIC

NAVAL ENSIGNS & FLAGS • CIRCA 1916

By the time of the Great War the Argentine Navy had revised its rank structure and adopted a new range of appointment, rank and command flags and pennants. These were simpler in design than those in use at the turn of the century and similar to those used today. The naval ensign, jack and commissioning pennant were unchanged, but the Minister of Marine's flag now included an anchor and the rank flags for admirals were now blue or blue and white with one to three white stars. For commanding admirals the field was solid blue; for admirals with subordinate command the flag was vertically divided, blue and white, with the stars in the blue half. An admiral afloat but with no command flew the jack as his rank flag. Flag officers in command of naval bases and other shore stations flew flags with stars according to rank and an anchor. Captains with independent command flew a plain blue swallowtailed pennant; for captains with subordinate command the pennant was vertically divided, blue and white. Captains in command of shore stations had a blue pennant with a white anchor. Commanding officers of divisions and half-divisions flew triangular white pennants with a blue cross and a vertical blue stripe respectively. The triangular senior officer's pennant was plain blue.

For officers commanding flotilla craft (torpedo boats and destroyers) there was a separate range of pennants. A captain appointed as commodore of flotillas flew a white flag with a blue cross. A captain commanding a flotilla flew a swallowtailed pennant, white with a blue cross; an officer of lower rank commanding a flotilla flew a swallowtailed pennant, white with a vertical blue stripe.

Note on the Illustrations: My drawings are based on the flags and pennants illustrated in in a handbook of naval flags of the world published under the authority of the British Admiralty in 1916. These show 1:2 proportions for the naval ensign and all flags with a somewhat darker shade of blue than used nowadays and I have so depicted them here.