REPUBLIC OF CUBA

CURRENT NAVAL ENSIGNS & FLAGS

The national flag of Cuba was officially adopted on May 20, 1902, when the island’s independence was formalized four years after the end of Spanish rule. Designed by the Cuban patriot Narciso López , it flew during the 1849-51 revolt under his leadership. The three blue stripes were said to symbolize the three districts into which Cuba was divided during the colonial period, the two white stripes symbolized purity of motive, the red triangle represented the blood shed in the struggle against Spain, and the white star stood for independence. In 1869 the Republic of Cuba in Arms, as the independence movement styled itself, proclaimed that the López flag was Cuba’s national flag. Though Cuba became a revolutionary socialist state soon after Fidel Castro’s assumption of power in 1959, the López flag was retained without modification. Cuba’s naval jack is another flag of the independence movement, the so-called Flag of Yara, which was flown during the Ten Years War (1868-78). This practice of using an historical flag as a jack is followed by several other countries, including the United States. The commissioning pennant incorporates design elements of the national flag. Cuba’s current naval and military appointment and command flags have mostly been adopted since 1959, replacing those used under the previous regime. However, the flag of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces is the only one incorporating a symbol of the socialist regime: the diamond-shaped red-black insignia of the Supreme Commander. Red and black are the colors of Castro’s Movimiento 26 de Julio, which became the Communist Party of Cuba after his seizure of power. The flag for commanders of naval bases is also flown by the commandant of the Naval Academy.