World War II United States Naval Jack

This is a rare surviving 48 star World War II United States Naval (union) Jack. It is made of wool bunting that has been bound with machine stitching and the stars are stitched on and made of cotton. There is a heavy canvas binding along the hoist with two brass grommets. The flag survives in original condition with only a few stains on one side and some discoloration to the flag hoist from years of storage. This Jack is from the WWII era and has never been flown, surviving in like new condition. We believe the flag was surplus from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard here in Portsmouth, Virginia. Measures 28 X 47 inches.

This came to us as part of a group of US navy and international code flags from World War II with some as early as an "F" flag from the Navy Yard, New York dated June 1917!

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HISTORY

A jack is a flag that looks like the union or canton of a national flag. For ships of the United States Navy, it is a blue flag containing a star for each state. On warships, the jack is flown from a flag pole (jack-staff) located on the vessel's bow when at anchor or in port. American fighting ships would display this jack in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.