Ensign of the Russian Navy

An ensign is a distinguishing flag of a ship or a military unit; or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office. The Russian Navy or VMF ( Russian: Военно-Морской Флот (ВМФ России- Voyenno-Morskoy Flot Rossii (VMF or literally Military Maritime A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification The word has also given rise to the military rank of "ensign", a rank of junior officer once responsible for bearing the ensign of his unit. Ensign (ˈɛnsən is a junior rank of commissioned officer in the militaries of some countries normally in the infantry or navy

The word is derived from the French enseigne from the Latin plural insignia and is more particularly used for a military or naval standard or banner. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. An armorial ensign applies specifically to heraldic symbols of an army.

Maritime ensigns

In nautical use, an ensign in the form of a flag is usually flown at the stern of a ship or boat to indicate its nationality. The stern is the rear or aft part of a Ship or Boat, technically defined as the area built up over the Sternpost, extending upwards from the Counter Ensigns may also be flown from the gaff of a ship, and may be shifted to a yardarm when the ship is underway, where it is known as a steaming ensign. Gaff rig is a Sailing rig (configuration of sails in which the Sail is four-cornered Fore-and-aft rigged controlled at its peak and usually A yard is a Spar on a mast from which Sails are set It may be constructed of timber steel or from more modern materials like Aluminum or Vexillologists distinguish three varieties of a national flag when used as an ensign:

The Red Ensign, as currently used for British civilian vessels

• A civil ensign (usage symbol ) is worn by merchant and pleasure vessels. Vexillology is the scholarly study of Flags The word is a synthesis of the Latin word Vexillum and the suffix –''ology'', meaning "study A national flag is a Flag that symbolises a country The flag is flown by the government but usually can be flown by Citizens of that country as well The civil Ensign (also known as merchant flag or merchant ensign) is the National flag flown by civil ships (merchant ships and others to denote
• A state ensign or government ensign (usage symbol () is worn by non-military government vessels, such as coast guard ships. A coast guard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea
• A naval ensign (usage symbol () is used by a country's navy.

Many countries don't distinguish between these uses, and employ their standard national flag in all three contexts; such a multiuse flag is termed a national ensign. Others (like the United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Japan) use a variant of the national flag as the naval ensign. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. (Such flags are often strictly regulated as usable only on warships; civilian ships, with very few exceptions, would not fly naval ensigns. A warship is a Ship that is built and primarily intended for Combat. ) Distinct civil ensigns are also common. In rare cases a distinct design is used for the state ensign, such as the blue ensign of the United Kingdom. The Blue Ensign is a Flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated with the United Kingdom.

If a warship goes into battle, large versions of naval ensigns (called battle ensigns) are raised on the ship's mainmast. A battle ensign is the name given to a large War flag which is flown on a Warship 's mast just before going into battle The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical or near vertical Spar, or arrangement of Spars which supports the Sails Large ships have several masts

Heraldric ensigns

In heraldry, an ensign is the ornament or sign, such as the crown, coronet, or mitre, borne above the charge or arms. Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. In Heraldry and Vexillology, a charge is an image occupying the field on an escutcheon (or shield A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people

Military standards

In many modern militaries, a "standard" refers to a type of ensign placed on a vehicle to indicate the rank of the occupant. This may be in the form of a decal on a windshield (such as the blue decals used to mark officers' cars in the United States armed forces), a license plate depicting an officer's rank insigne, or a small flag mounted on the hood or fender. These are the "standards" referred to in the 10th General Order for Sentries used by the United States Navy, which require subordinates to salute when the flags or placards are displayed "not cased. General Orders for Sentries is the official title of a set of rules governing Guard duty in the United States military. "

See also

• Battle ensign
• British ensigns: Blue Ensign, Red Ensign, White Ensign, commons:Flags based on British ensigns
• Civil ensign
• Civil air ensign
• Green Ensign
• Insignia
• Maritime flags and Gallery of maritime flags
• Pearson Ensign or Ensign Spar New Ensign Classic, a One-Design racing keelboat