|
UNITED STATES OF MEXICO
NAVAL ENSIGNS & FLAGS
The 1820 and 1923 national flags
of the USM also served as the naval ensign, and other naval flags
displayed the national colors: green, white and red. The first naval
jack to be adopted was simply the canton of the ensign; only in 1923
was a red/white border added. Until the late nineteenth century the
jack was also employed as the flag of rank for admirals. Fleet
admirals flew it at the main, vice admirals at the fore and rear
admirals at the mizzen. Captains commanding, who had the courtesy
title of Commodore (Comodoro),
and senior officers flew
a plain green triangular pennant at the mizzen. When the President and certain
other senior government officials were aboard, the ensign was flown
from the main, displacing any flag of rank.
The advent of
steam propulsion and the demise of sail rendered this system
obsolete and in 1901 the rank flags shown here were adopted. When
distinctive flags of office for the President and other senior
government officials were introduced in 1923, they were used afloat
instead of the ensign, displacing any flag of rank as before. Both
the English and Spanish rank titles for naval officials and officers
were officially recognized and could be used interchangeably as
required. The presidential flag, those of senior officials, those
of naval flag officers and those of Marine general officers were made in two versions: for use afloat and with green, white and red fringe
for indoor display and ceremonial occasions. Ceremonial colors and
positional flags were always displayed and carried with a fringed
national flag.
The Navy
(Armada) and
the Marines (Infantería
de Marina) along with several auxiliary organizations constituted
the Naval Service
(Servicio Naval). Naval auxiliary vessels flew the ensign and jack
together with a distinctive commissioning pennant. The naval
auxiliary pennant could also be flown by merchant vessels whose
masters held commissioned rank in the Naval Reserve.
The highest
rank of the Marines was Major General; it was held by the
Commandant-General and the Commander of the Fleet Marine Division
only. The ceremonial
color of the U.S.M. Marines represented the corps as a whole; with a
unit designation added it was also the unit color for battalions
(Roman numerals) and brigades (Arabic numerals). Shown below are the
colors of the III Battalion; the wreath over the branch insignia
denotes an award of the Presidential Citation for Valor. The Marines also had a range of
command flags and pennants. That for company commanders displayed
the branch insignia (Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry, Engineers or
Service) in the upper quadrant and the company numbers in
the lower quadrant. For companies of battalions a battalion/company
number was displayed; independent companies had a company number
only.
|
