Blue Ensign

Prior to the reorganisation of the Royal Navy in 1864, the plain blue ensign had been the ensign of one of three squadrons of the Royal Navy, the Blue Squadron. This changed in 1864, when an order in council provided that the Red Ensign was allocated to merchantmen, the Blue Ensign was to be the flag of ships in public service or commanded by an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve, and the White Ensign was allocated to the Navy.

Thus, since 1864, the plain blue ensign (without any defacement or modification) is permitted to be worn, instead of the Red Ensign, by three categories of civilian vessel:{{cite web |url=http://www.luxe-motor-kei.co.uk/documents/NavalFlagsandEnsigns.pdf |title=Naval Flags and Ensigns |author=Naval Staff Directorate |access-date=1 January 2013 |page=12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606231515/http://www.luxe-motor-kei.co.uk/documents/NavalFlagsandEnsigns.pdf |archive-date=6 June 2014 |url-status=dead }}

1. British merchant vessels whose officers and crew include a certain number of retired Royal Navy personnel or Royal Naval Reservists, or are commanded by an officer of the Royal Naval Reserve in possession of a Government warrant. The number and rank of such crew members required has varied over the years, as have the additional conditions required, since the system was first introduced in 1864.
2. Royal Research Ships by warrant{{efn|An individual warrant is issued by the Secretary of State for Defence for each ship}} whether crewed by former Royal Navy personnel or Merchant Navy personnel.
3. British-registered yachts belonging to members of the following yacht clubs:{{cite web |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/documents/useful-resources/navy_directory.pdf |title=The Navy Directory 2019 |author=UK Ministry of Defence |access-date=15 April 2021 |page=30 }}

{{div col}}

• Hornet Services Sailing Club
• Royal Naval Club and Royal Albert Yacht Club
• Royal Brighton Yacht Club, Victoria
• Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club
• Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club
• Royal Cruising Club
• Royal Dorset Yacht Club
• Royal Engineer Yacht Club
• Royal Geelong Yacht Club, Victoria
• Royal Gourock Yacht Club
• Royal Highland Yacht Club
• Royal Marines Sailing Club
• Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, Victoria
• Royal Motor Yacht Club
• Royal Naval Sailing Association
• Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Yacht Club
• Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
• Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron
• Royal Perth Yacht Club, Western Australia
• Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club
• Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club, New Zealand
• Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
• Royal Scottish Motor Yacht Club
• Royal Solent Yacht Club
• Royal South Australia Yacht Squadron
• Royal Southern Yacht Club
• Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, New South Wales
• Royal Temple Yacht Club
• Royal Thames Yacht Club
• Royal Victorian Motor Yacht Club
• Royal Welsh Yacht Club
• Royal Western Yacht Club of England
• Royal Western Yacht Club of Scotland
• Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania
• Royal Yacht Club of Victoria
• Sussex Motor Yacht Club
• The Cruising Association

{{div col end}}

Permission for yachts to wear the blue ensign (and other special yachting ensigns) was suspended during both World War I and World War II.

In addition, prior to WWI, a number of ships (in particular, the {{RMS|Lusitania}} and {{RMS|Mauretania|1906|6}}) were listed as Royal Navy Reserve Merchant Vessels, receiving an annual subsidy from the navy and were permitted to fly the blue ensign.{{cite book|title=The Navy List for July 1908 |author=British Admiralty |date=July 1908|page=417|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vNdGAQAAMAAJ&dq=lusitania&pg=PA416}}

Since 1864, the Blue Ensign is defaced with a badge or emblem, to form the ensign of United Kingdom government departments or public bodies. Current defaced Blue Ensigns (besides yacht clubs listed below) are:

Royal Air Force marine vessels (such as seaplane tenders) flew a defaced blue ensign with an eagle and anchor.{{Cite web|title=RAF Marine Vessel Ensign|url=https://www.flyingcolours.org/raf-marine-vessel-ensign/|access-date=2022-01-09|website=Flying Colours Flagmakers}}

Yachting Blue Ensigns defaced by the badge of the club were recorded in the Navy List until 1985, and now they are administered by the Royal Yachting Association for the Ministry of Defence. Current defaced Blue Ensigns are:{{cite web |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/royal-navy-responsive/documents/useful-resources/navy_directory.pdf |title=The Navy Directory 2019 |author=UK Ministry of Defence |access-date=15 April 2021 |page=31 }}

• {{flagicon image|Government Ensign of Alderney.svg}} Government Ensign of Alderney
• {{flagicon image|Government Ensign of Guernsey.svg}} Government Ensign of Guernsey
• {{flagicon image|Government Ensign of Jersey.svg}} Government Ensign of Jersey

Current flags:

• {{flagicon|Anguilla}} Flag of Anguilla
• File:Government Ensign of Bermuda.svg Government Ensign of Bermuda (the flag commonly used on land is Bermuda's Red Ensign)
• {{flagicon|British Virgin Islands}} Flag of the British Virgin Islands
• {{flagicon|Cayman Islands}} Flag of the Cayman Islands
• {{flagicon|Falkland Islands}} Flag of the Falkland Islands
• File:Government Ensign of Gibraltar.svg Government Ensign of Gibraltar (there is another flag, not based on an ensign, that is commonly used on land)
• {{flagicon|Montserrat}} Flag of Montserrat
• {{flagicon|Pitcairn Islands}} Flag of the Pitcairn Islands
• {{flagicon|Saint Helena}} Flag of Saint Helena
• {{flagicon|Turks and Caicos Islands}} Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Former flags:

The defaced blue ensign was formerly used as:{{unordered list

| Flag of Bengal Presidency

File:Flag of British Bengal.svg|{{FIAV|historical|n}}Bengal Presidency flag, 1612–1947

| The flag of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony from 1937 to 1976, then the flag of the Gilbert Islands (1976–1979)

| The jack of the Royal Canadian Navy from its inception until the adoption of the Maple Leaf flag in 1965{{cite web|title=Flags of the Royal Canadian Navy 1910–1965|url=http://tmg110.tripod.com/canada2.htm}} The blue ensign was approved by the British Admiralty in 1868 for use by ships owned by the Canadian government.

File:Canadian Blue Ensign (1868–1921).svg|23px Blue Ensign worn as a jack by the Royal Canadian Navy 1911–1921 (with four provincial arms in the shield)

File:Canadian Blue Ensign 1921-1957.svg|23px Blue Ensign worn as a jack by the Royal Canadian Navy 1921–1957 (with green maple leaves in the shield)

File:Canadian Blue Ensign.svg|23px Blue Ensign worn as a jack by the Royal Canadian Navy 1957–1965 (with red maple leaves in the shield)

|The ensign (1879–1928) and the jack (1928–1947) of the Royal Indian Navy (HM Indian Marine: 1879–1892, Royal Indian Marine: 1892–1934, Royal Indian Navy: 1934–1950):

File:Flag of Imperial India.svg|{{FIAV|historical|}}Blue Ensign worn as an ensign (1879–1928) and a jack (1928–1947) of the Royal Indian Navy[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/in-colon.html Flags of the World: British India]

|File:Flag of the United States of the Ionian Islands.svg Flag of the United States of the Ionian Islands (a British amical protectorate, 1815–1864)

|File:Flag of Hong Kong (1959-1997).svg Flag of Hong Kong (1871–1997)

|File:British Weihaiwei flag.svg Flag of Weihaiwei (1903–1930)

|Newfoundland

File:Dominion of Newfoundland Blue Ensign, 1870–1904.svg|{{FIAV|historical|n}}Newfoundland Blue Ensign, 1870–1904

File:Government Ensign of the Dominion of Newfoundland.svg|{{FIAV|historical|n}}Newfoundland Blue Ensign, 1904–1931

The badge in the flag consists of Mercury, the god of Commerce and Merchandise, presenting to Britannia, a fisherman who, in a kneeling attitude, is offering the harvest of all the sea. Above the device in a scroll are the words Terra Nova, and below the motto Hæc Tibi Dona Fero or "These gifts I bring thee." The seal was redesigned by Adelaine Lane, niece of Governor Sir Cavendish Boyle in 1903.

|The ensign (1910–1928) of the Union of South Africa:

File:Blue Ensign of South Africa (1910–1928).svg|{{FIAV|historical|}} Blue Ensign flown over the Union's offices abroad, 1910–1928

}}

{{Clear}}

These include:

• {{flagicon|Australia}} Flag of Australia
• {{flagicon|New South Wales}} Flag of New South Wales
• {{flagicon|Queensland}} Flag of Queensland
• {{flagicon|South Australia}} Flag of South Australia
• {{flagicon|Tasmania}} Flag of Tasmania
• {{flagicon|Victoria}} Flag of Victoria
• {{flagicon|Western Australia}} Flag of Western Australia
• {{flagicon|Fiji}} Flag of Fiji (light blue)
• {{flagicon|New Zealand}} Flag of New Zealand
• {{flagicon|Cook Islands}} Flag of the Cook Islands
• {{flagicon|Tuvalu}} Flag of Tuvalu (light blue)

• File:Flag of Ceylon (1875–1948).svg Flag of Ceylon
• Ensign of The Royal Hospital School
• File:New York Union Flag (1775).svg George Rex Flag
• File:Government Ensign of Tanganyika (1923–1961).svg Tanganyika Territory blue ensign
• File:Government Ensign of Fiji.svg Fijian government ensign
• File:Customs Ensign of Fiji.svg Fijian customs ensign
• File:Flag of Australasian team for Olympic games.svg Flag of Australasia team at the Olympic games
• Flag of the Blood 148 Kainai Nation of Alberta, Canada
• Flag of Britain First Party

{{Portal|British Empire|Heraldry|United Kingdom}}

• Australian flag debate
• Ensign
• Green Ensign
• Historical flags of the British Empire and the overseas territories
• New Zealand flag debate
• Red Ensign
• White Ensign

;Notes

{{notelist}}

;Footnotes

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Blue ensigns}}

• [http://flagspot.net/flags/gb-blenr.html Blue Ensign page on the "Flags of the World" website]
• [http://www.flags.net/country.php?country=UNKG UK], [http://www.flags.net/country.php?country=UNKG§ion=CURR&category=NAVY Naval], [http://www.flags.net/country.php?country=UNKG§ion=CURR&category=GOVN Government], [http://www.flags.net/UNKG14.htm Yacht clubs] on flags.net

{{UKFlags}}

Category:Flags of the United Kingdom

Category:British Empire

Category:Flags that incorporate the Union Jack

Category:Flags with blue, red and white