CURRENT SPANISH NAVAL ENSIGNS & FLAGS

KINGDOM OF SPAIN

CURRENT NAVAL ENSIGNS, FLAGS & PENNANTS

The red-yellow-red Spanish national flag was first adopted in 1785 as the naval ensign, and soon after as the national flag. It has remained unchanged in general design since then except between 1931 and 1939, when the Spanish Republic replaced it with a horizontal tricolor of equal red, yellow and purple stripes. The red-yellow-red flag was restored by Franco after his victory in the Spanish Civil War.

The Spanish flag has usually included the royal or state arms, offset toward the hoist, though in the past a plain flag without the arms was authorized for civil purposes. The current royal arms are similar to those used previously. They quarter the arms of Castile, Leon, Argon and Navarre, with the arms of Granada at the point and an escutcheon of the arms of the royal House of Bourbon. The arms are ensigned by a royal crown and flanked by crowned pillars representing the Pillars of Hercules. The motto on the scroll is Plus Ultra ("More Beyond"). This version of the national flag, which also serves as Spain's naval ensign, was adopted in 1981. The current naval jack, adopted at the same time, is a banner of the Spanish royal arms without Granada at the point or the Bourbon escutcheon.

Current Spanish naval rank flags are of the pattern adopted in 1914. For flag officers there are two flags for each rank. Blue disks denote an admiral in command; when two or more admirals of the same rank are present, those subordinate hoist flags with red disks. Commodores and senior officers commanding divisions fly tapered, swallowtailed pennants with or without a single blue disk, and the seniority pennant is triangular. The flag for commanders of naval districts was formerly used by the Captain-Admiral of the Navy. Since this office is now held by the King, who has a royal standard, the flag has been reallocated for commanders of naval districts.

Flag Proportions: The current Spanish naval ensign is made in 2:3 proportions. The jack and the appointment/rank flags (except command pennants) are made square.

Credit: My drawings of the Spanish naval rank flags are based on images posted to the FOTW Mailing List by Ivan Sache.

Image Added September 2005

Commissioning Pennant