What is the name of the navy flag? Marine flags. Russian naval ensign

St. Andrew's Flag Day

On December 11, Russia celebrates St. Andrew's Flag Day. In the Voenpro review - the history of the naval St. Andrew's flag. There is also the opportunity to buy the St. Andrew's flag and other goods with the symbols of the Russian naval flag.

The history of the creation of St. Andrew's flag

A mandatory state attribute is the flag, which is created based on a combination of different colors and symbols. But other administrative-territorial units, international organizations, government agencies and military formations also have their own banners.

For the army, the flag does not just play a symbolic role, but is one of the main elements of the existence of a combat unit. In the old days, the loss of a battle flag could lead to the dissolution of the entire unit that could not keep track of its flag.

The history of the creation of the Russian navy is connected with Peter the Great, who, after his trip to European countries, decided on the need to form a strong army at sea.

The new military formation required its own flag, so the emperor personally took up its development. A total of 8 options were drawn, from which the most successful was chosen. The actual history of the St. Andrew's flag in Rus' dates back to December 11, 1699.

At first, the St. Andrew's Cross was simply added to the banner, and the complete transition to the flag in its usual form took place in 1712, after which it was used on all ships of the Russian squadron.

It is worth noting that St. Andrew's Cross has roots in the distant past associated with religious events. The fact is that one of the apostles - Andrew the First-Called - was executed by crucifixion on an oblique cross, after which he began to be called St. Andrew's.

This symbol is very popular in heraldry and is often used on flags in various variations. It can be seen on the canvases of Jamaica, Great Britain, Scotland, Australia, British Territories, various regional associations and organizations.

Having finally approved the Russian St. Andrew's flag, the emperor said the following phrase: “The flag is white, through which the blue cross of St. Andrew is for the sake of the fact that from this apostle Rus' received holy baptism.”

It was under this banner that the imperial fleet won a large number of glorious victories and performed a lot of heroic deeds. In the entire history of battles, of which there are several dozen, St. Andrew's flag was lowered by the team only twice.

For the first time, the frigate "Raphael" voluntarily capitulated, surrendering to the mercy of the Turkish squadron in May 1829, and for the second time, 5 ships surrendered at once during the Tsushima battle of the Russo-Japanese War.

The importance of the banner for the fleet is evidenced by the fact that in his parting words before the battle, the ship’s commander said at the end the phrase: “God and St. Andrew’s flag are with us!” It was necessary to defend the banner to the last, and, as a last resort, to destroy it, but not give it into the hands of the enemy.

St. Andrew's flag in the USSR

The St. Andrew's Navy flag lost its official status in 1917 after the revolution. But until 1924, it was used by ships of the rebel White Guards who fought to restore the monarchy. In Soviet times, all symbols of Imperial Russia were banned.

During the Second World War, the collaborationist army of General Vlasov fought under the St. Andrew’s flag. Because of this, part of the population perceives a white banner crossed out with a blue cross negatively. But here it is worth noting that simply not everyone knows the true origin and meaning of this symbol.

St. Andrew's Flag Day of Russia

After the collapse of the USSR, the naval St. Andrew's flag was returned to the Russian fleet on January 17, 1992. It is noteworthy that the day before this, a meeting of the heads of the CIS powers took place, at which a joint decision was made to return historical banners to the ships.

On July 21, 1992, the corresponding decree of the President of the Russian Federation was signed on the use of the St. Andrew's flag by all combat units of the Navy.

It was decided to celebrate the holiday of St. Andrew's flag on December 11th in order to pay tribute to its creator. For the population as a whole, this day passes almost unnoticed, but in the navy the date is one of the most important of the year.

All sailors congratulate each other on the holiday, and gala dinners are served on the ships. The command also conducts lectures on the history of the Russian fleet to raise the morale of the personnel and show that they can be proud of their ancestors.

The sea St. Andrew's flag flies not only on the ships of the fleet, but also over the Kronstadt lighthouse. It is this port city that is the cradle of the Russian fleet, so here, contrary to established tradition, not regional symbols are used, but a military banner.

Although there are no symbols associated with the St. Andrew's Cross on the city flag itself, none of the townspeople object to such symbolism.

Where to buy symbols with the St. Andrew's flag?

You can buy gifts with the St. Andrew's flag at the Voentpro military store. The online store offers a rich collection of accessories with prints of the Russian navy.

Here you can find themed T-shirts, sweatshirts, shirts, hats and a lot of other clothing items. All images are applied using modern technologies, so they can withstand numerous washing cycles and not lose their original appearance under the influence of external factors.

Delivery is carried out to any city in the world, and the client can choose a payment method from numerous options.

There are other souvenirs with St. Andrew's flag on sale. For example, you can purchase a flask, keychain, lighter and many, many other useful products that will have practical use.

Any sailor will gladly accept such a thing as a gift, which will always remind him of his belonging to the sea element. Even on the shore, he will always remember the endless blue expanses.

The flag itself is also sold at Voenpro, and you can choose sizes from a small flag on the glass of a car to a huge banner that you can put in the yard of your house.

The USSR was formed in 1922. All symbols of power of the Russian Empire had been abolished for five years by that time. The new state needed to approve its symbols, including the flag of the USSR Navy. This took time, since the fighting did not stop for a long time.

During the history of the Soviet state, three sketches of the Navy were approved. Each of them had its own characteristics. The latter option lasted forty-two years.

Purpose

In the Ship's Regulations, the flag of the USSR Navy was designated as the Battle Banner. It was a symbol of military honor, glory, and valor. His task was to remind the crew members of their duty, which was to defend the Soviet Motherland. The flag also served as a reminder of heroic traditions.

Description of the 1923 flag

The flag of the USSR Navy first appeared in 1923. Its sketch was developed by captain of the first rank Ordynsky N.I. He took the banner of the Japanese Navy as a basis.

Description:

• rectangular shape in a ratio of three to two;
• red canvas;
• in the center of the canvas there is a white circle equal to half the width of the canvas, it symbolized the sun;
• eight white stripes radiate from the circle to the middle of the four sides and four corners;
• in the center of the circle there is a five-pointed star, its color is red, one of its ends is facing upward, its diameter is equal to five-sixths of the diameter of the circle;
• the star contains a white hammer and sickle.

In the same year, the flag was raised on military ships in honor of the fifth anniversary of the October Revolution. It was approved only in 1924.

Archival photographs have been preserved showing the destroyers Kalinin and Voikov with flags raised on board, designed by N.I. Ordynsky.

Description of the 1935 flag

The 1923 banner existed for twelve years. Thoughts about replacing him began to arise among the country's leadership back in 1932. At this time, the Naval Forces of the Far East were created. Three years later, the Pacific Fleet was created from them.

The existing Naval Ensign strongly resembled the symbol of an island state, which could cause problems. Therefore, in 1935, a new flag of the USSR Navy was approved, which lasted fifteen years.

Description:

• white canvas;
• a blue stripe located along the bottom of the panel;
• the five-pointed star is painted red, it is placed in the middle of the left half of the canvas, one end is directed upward, the diameter of the figure is equal to two-thirds of the width of the entire banner;
• a red hammer and sickle are crossed with each other, placed in the center of the right half of the canvas, the largest diameter of the symbol is equal to two-thirds of the width of the white part of the cloth.

The ratio of white to blue is five to one. The dimensions of the canvas are three to two.

Description of the 1950 flag

By 1950, the flag of the USSR Navy (photo below) was slightly modified. The resolution on this was not recorded in the Code of Laws of the Union. The appearance was approved only in 1964.

Description:

• white canvas with a blue stripe, which is located along the bottom;
• in the left half of the white canvas there is a red five-pointed star, one of its ends is directed upward;
• on the right side of the white canvas there is a hammer and sickle of a red hue, they are crossed with each other, and the lower extreme points of their handles and the lower extreme corners of the star are at the same level.

The dimensions of the flag of the USSR Navy for 1950 differ significantly from the previous version. The ratio of width to length became one to one and a half. The size of the five-pointed star has changed; it is visually equal to the crossed hammer and sickle. The width of the blue part became equal to one sixth of the entire width of the flag.

This is exactly how the banner remained until 1992, when it was replaced by the modern symbol of the Russian Navy.

Description of the Guards version

Explanation of symbols:

• star - sign of the Red Army;
• the crossed hammer and sickle - one of the main emblems of the Soviet state, meant an alliance between peasants and workers;
• the blue stripe is a symbol of the sea.

Recently, original flags have become popular among the population. Demand creates supply, which is why online stores have appeared that manufacture and sell flags, as well as other paraphernalia of the USSR.

White and blue symbol of honor of Russian sailors
On December 11, Russia celebrates the Day of the St. Andrew’s Flag, given to the fleet by the first Russian Emperor Peter the Great / Cycle “Our Victories”

Ask any Russian naval sailor what the two most important colors are associated with the navy, and you will hear the answer: blue and white. And it’s completely natural. These are the colors of one of the most famous naval flags in the world - the Russian St. Andrew's flag. Also in

___

On December 11*, a holiday is celebrated in Russia in his honor: on this day in 1699, Peter the Great approved the famous oblique blue cross on a white background as a symbol of the Russian navy. The ships of the Russian Imperial Navy sailed under the St. Andrew's flag for more than two centuries: from 1699 to 1924. This banner overshadowed the most famous naval battles that made the glory of Russian sailors: Gogland and Gangut, Sinop and Chesme, Chios and Tsushima. Under this flag, the battleship "Azov" and the brig "Mercury", the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets", the sailing ship "Eagle" and the destroyer "Steregushchiy" went into battle, without caring about the number of enemy ships. A blue oblique cross on a white background overshadowed the shores of Antarctica, brought there by the sloops Vostok and Mirny, and traveled around the globe on the frigate Pallada and the corvette Vityaz. And it has always remained a symbol of the selfless service of Russian sailors to the Motherland.

___

The cross that overshadowed the Russian fleet

There is a beautiful legend about how exactly the first Russian Emperor Peter Alekseevich came up with the design of St. Andrew's flag. Allegedly, after staying up late working on sketches of a naval flag for the nascent Russian fleet, the tsar dozed off right at the table. And when he woke up in the morning, he suddenly saw an oblique blue cross falling on a white sheet in front of his face. This is how the sunlight that passed through the colored stained glass window on the window of the royal office was refracted in a whimsical way and fell onto the paper...

Alas, in reality all this could hardly have happened exactly like this. The first sketch, on which the oblique St. Andrew's cross appeared, was drawn in 1692 at the same time as another - the classic white-blue-red one. Against the background of the same tricolor, the sovereign also depicted an oblique blue cross for the first time, which could hardly have been the result of a successful play of light and shadow.

___

The St. Andrew's flag finally established itself as the main naval flag of Russia in 1712, when Peter I signed the highest decree on its widespread use: “the flag is white, through which the blue cross of St. Andrei for the sake of this, that Russia received holy baptism from this apostle.”

There is another reason why Peter the Great chose the St. Andrew's Cross as a symbol of the Russian navy. In 1703, the Russians occupied the island of Kotlin, and thus the cherished dream of the first Russian emperor came true - access to the Baltic Sea. It became the fourth sea for Russia, on which the empire established its rule: together with the Caspian, Azov and White. And thus, the four-pointed St. Andrew's Cross received a completely new meaning for Russia.

Die at the flag post

“All Russian military ships must not lower their flags, pennants and topsails to anyone, under the penalty of deprivation of life,” says the “Naval Charter on everything related to good governance when the fleet is at sea,” written by Peter I in his own hand. This requirement is was strictly observed in the Russian fleet, and there was no dishonor worse for Russian sailors than lowering the flag in the face of the enemy.

So that no one could decide on such madness alone, the stern St. Andrew's flag - and it was and is considered the main one on the ships of the Russian fleet - was always guarded by an armed sentry. Suffice it to say that the same strict security was provided on sailing ships only in the cruise chamber, that is, the ship's storage of gunpowder and cannonballs.

The book by Russian naval historian Nikolai Manvelov, “Customs and Traditions of the Russian Imperial Navy,” provides several amazing facts about how the sailors guarding the flag did not leave their posts until the arrival of a new sentry, even after severe wounds. For example, the author writes, “during the battle near Port Arthur on January 27, 1904, Nikifor Pecheritsa, a sentry at the stern flag of the armored cruiser Bayan, received shrapnel wounds in both legs, but did not leave his post. They replaced him only after the battle - the officers noticed that the non-commissioned officer was standing in an extremely unnatural position. One of the last to leave his ship in the Korean port of Chemulpo (modern Icheon) was the sentry at the banner of the cruiser "Varyag". The boatswain, Pyotr Olenin, was not relieved throughout the entire battle and miraculously did not die - shrapnel cut his Dutchman and trousers, broke the butt of his rifle and tore his boot. At the same time, the non-commissioned officer himself received only a slight wound in the leg. The sentry at the flag on the mainmast of the armored cruiser "Russia" in the battle with Japanese ships in the Korea Strait on August 1, 1904, temporarily left his post only at the request of the cruiser's senior officer. By that time, he had been repeatedly wounded and was bleeding. It’s not hard to guess that he returned to his place immediately after the dressing.”

___

And it must be admitted that what kept the Russian sailors from the idea of ​​lowering the flag in front of the enemy was not the “fine of deprivation of the belly,” but the firm conviction that this act could not be justified. It is not without reason that in the entire history of the Russian fleet, only two cases are known when ships nevertheless decided to lower the flag - but, surprisingly, none of the officers and sailors were punished with death for this. Probably because living with the stigma of an oathbreaker and a coward was a much greater punishment than losing one’s life.

“So that in the future there will be no more cowards for the Russian fleet”

The first incident occurred in May 1829, when the commander of the frigate "Raphael", captain II rank Semyon Stroynikov, in order to save his crew from imminent death, lowered the St. Andrew's flag in front of the outnumbered Turkish squadron. The captured ship became part of the Turkish fleet and 24 years later, during the Battle of Sinop, was burned by a Russian squadron - as required by the royal decree, which forever deleted the name “Raphael” from the list of ships of the Russian fleet. And the dishonored crew was captured and after the end of the war returned to their homeland, where they were almost in full strength - from the captain to the last bilge officer, with the exception of one midshipman who objected to the commander! - was demoted to sailor. In addition, Emperor Nicholas I, by his personal decree, forbade the former commander of the frigate to marry, “so as not to produce cowards for the Russian fleet in the future.” True, this measure was late: by that time Stroynikov already had two sons - Nikolai and Alexander, and their father’s shame did not prevent them from becoming naval officers and rising to the rank of rear admirals.

___

Two saints on one flag

On June 5 (17), 1819, by imperial decree of Alexander I, the St. Andrew's flag was approved, where a red heraldic shield with the canonical image of St. George the Victorious was depicted on top of the St. Andrew's cross. This is how the symbols of two saints, especially revered in Russia, appeared on one flag: St. George and St. Apostle Andrew.

The second case of lowering the St. Andrew's flag was recorded already during the reign of the last autocrat of the All-Russian Nicholas II. On the second day of the Battle of Tsushima, five ships of the Russian fleet decided to commit dishonor in order to save the lives of 2,280 Russian sailors. As the author of the book “Customs and Traditions of the Russian Imperial Navy” writes, then “two squadron battleships, two coastal defense battleships and a destroyer surrendered to the Japanese fleet under the command of Admiral Heihachiro Togo, on board which was the seriously wounded commander of the 2nd squadron of the Pacific Fleet, Vice Admiral Zinovy ​​Rozhdestvensky. To the surprise of contemporaries, the admirals of the surrendered warships were treated very leniently. The commander of the 3rd combat detachment of the squadron, Rear Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov, was first deprived of ranks and awards, and then, in 1906, sentenced to death, which was immediately replaced by 10 years of imprisonment in a fortress. However, he served only 3 years and was released early. The fleet, however, did not forgive him for lowering the flag - Nebogatov’s son, who was studying in the Naval Cadet Corps, was so obstructed that he had to leave the corps and abandon all hopes of becoming a naval officer.” The same replacement of the death penalty with a ten-year imprisonment in the fortress awaited the commanders of the ships that surrendered with Nebogatov.

Return of a Legend

The fact that in the entire two-century-plus history of the Russian navy, the St. Andrew’s flag was lowered in the face of the enemy only twice, and there are examples when our sailors raised the signal “I’m dying, but I’m not surrendering!” and stood until the end, there was much more, it says a lot. First of all, about the pride with which Russian sailors bore their rank and their blue-and-white symbol. And they carried it to the last: after Russia became Soviet, the St. Andrew’s flag continued to flutter over Russian ships, which their crews managed to take from Sevastopol to distant Bizerte. Only there and only after France recognized Soviet Russia in 1924 and refused to recognize the flags of the Russian Empire, did the sailors lower the legendary flags with tears in their eyes.

But Andreev’s colors have not gone away! On the first flag of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet, only St. Andrew's Cross was present - albeit on a red background and adjacent to a red star. But when a new naval flag was approved in 1935, its main colors were returned: a white cloth with a wide blue stripe. Having abandoned all the symbols of the “rotten autocracy,” the Bolsheviks still did not dare to encroach on the symbol of the Russian fleet.

And the fleet responded to this decision with dignity. Under the Soviet naval flag, Russian sailors gained no less glory than under Andreevsky, honorably continuing the work of their predecessors and without disgracing their honor. When the country ceased to be Soviet, one of the first decisions of the All-Army Officers' Meeting on January 17, 1992 was a petition to replace the naval flag of the USSR with the naval flag of Russia - St. Andrew's. On the same day, the Russian government adopted a resolution to return the status of the St. Andrew's flag. The presidential decree on the approval of new flags of the country, including the naval one, was signed on July 21, 1992.

* The decree was signed by Peter on December 1, 1699 according to the old style. Due to discrepancies in dates in some sources, December 10 is considered St. Andrew's Flag Day.

Established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of July 21, 1992 No. 798 “On naval flags and pennants of the Russian Federation.”
(as amended by Federal Law No. 162 dated December 29, 2000)

DESCRIPTION AND DRAWINGS OF NAVAL FLAGS AND PENNANTS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

1. Naval flag.

It is a white cloth with two diagonal blue stripes.
Dimensions of the flag: the ratio of the width of the flag to its length is one to one and a half; The width of the blue stripe is 1/10 the length of the flag.

3. Order of the naval flag.

It is a naval flag on which the image of the order is placed in the roof.
The size of the cover is 1/4 of the flag

5. Guys and the fortress flag.

It is a red cloth with a white vertical cross, on which is superimposed a blue diagonal cross edged with a white stripe.
The ratio of the width of the flag to the length is one to one and a half, the width of the blue stripe to the length of the flag is 1/10.
The ratio of the width of the white stripe of the vertical cross to the width of the panel is 1/20, the white border of the diagonal cross is 1/40.

7. Flag of ships (boats) of the Auxiliary Fleet of the Navy.

The size of the naval flag placed in the roof is 1/4 of the entire flag.

9. Flag of search and rescue vessels (boats) of the Navy.

It is a blue cloth with an image of a naval flag in the roof.
In the center of the right half of the flag, in a white circle bordered by a black border, there is an image of a black diving helmet.
The ratio of the flag's width to length is one to one and a half.
The diameter of the circle together with the edging is equal to 1/2 the width of the flag.
The size of the naval flag in the roof is 1/4 of the entire flag.

11. Flag of the Chief of the Main Staff of the Navy.

It is a naval flag, in the center of which there are two intersecting red Admiralty anchors, framed by a golden laurel wreath.
At the bottom of the wreath there is a golden-colored ribbon with fluttering ends.
The largest diameter of the laurel wreath is 6/7 of the width of the flag.
The height of the anchor is 3/5 of the width of the anchor.
The width of the wreath is 1/14 of the width of the flag; The width of the ribbon is 1/28 of the width of the flag.

12. Flag of the fleet commander.

It is a red cloth with an image of a naval flag in the roof. Three white stars are placed on the red field of the flag: two are placed on the red vertical half of the flag, and one is located under the roof.
The ratio of the flag's width to length is one to one and a half.

The diameter of the white stars is 1/4 the width of the flag.
The stars are located at the same distance from each other, while the stars located in the right half of the flag are located in the centers of the quarters of the flag, and the star under the roof is at the same level as the lower star.

14. Flag of the commander of a formation of ships.

It is a red cloth with a naval flag in the roof. One white star is placed in the center of the right half of the flag.
The ratio of the flag's width to length is one to one and a half.
The size of the naval flag in the roof is equal to 1/4 of the entire flag.
The diameter of the white star is 1/4 the width of the flag.

16. Braid pennant of the commander of a division of ships (vessels).

It is a reduced size naval flag with a conical panel and blue braids.
The ratio of the length of the braid pennant to the width of the flag is 5:1.
The length of the braid cutout is equal to the length of the flag.
The spread of the braids is equal to 1/2 the width of the flag.

The history of the naval flag begins with the reign of Tsar Peter I. It is he who is considered the progenitor of the entire Russian navy. Under him, the first combat ships began to be built and the first naval victories of Russia were won. Peter I paid a lot of attention to the development of flag projects. In 1692 he personally drew two designs. One of them had three parallel stripes with the inscription "white", "blue", "red", the second had the same colors with a St. Andrew's cross on top of them. In 1693 and 1695, the second design was included in some international atlases as the flag of "Muscovy".

But Peter I did not stop there, and in the period from 1692 to 1712, Peter I drew eight more flag projects, which were successively adopted by the Navy. The last (eighth) and final version was described by Peter I as follows: “The flag is white, across it there is a blue St. Andrew’s cross, with which he christened Russia.”

In this form, the St. Andrew's flag existed in the Russian Navy until November 1917.

St. Andrew's flag is a white cloth with two diagonal blue stripes forming an inclined cross, called St. Andrew's. The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is one to one and a half; The width of the blue stripe is 1/10 the length of the flag.

If you dig deep into history, during the times of early Christianity, I think this will be interesting to you, you can find out that the Apostle Andrew was the brother of the Apostle Peter. Both brothers fished in the Sea of ​​Galilee, which led to their patronage of maritime trade. Andrew was the first whom Christ called to be his disciple, therefore he was called the First Called. According to medieval legend, Apostle Andrew also visited the territory of future Rus', in connection with which he is considered the patron saint of Russia. In Kyiv, he left a pectoral cross after he visited Novgorod and nearby Volkhov. The Apostle Andrew became famous after tirelessly preaching Christianity on his journey and accepting martyrdom on an oblique cross in the Greek city of Patras. Now I think everyone understands where such symbolism came from.

It’s simply impossible to count how many victories the Russian fleet won under this flag, but there were also defeats. But the heroic glory of St. Andrew's flag is difficult to overestimate.

The next milestone in the history of the naval flag was the October Revolution of 1917. As you remember, all the symbols of the tsarist army were abolished by them.

By the way, otherwise my story will not be complete, on ships of the navy they use not only the stern flag, which was discussed at the beginning of my story, but also the bow flag, which is called Guys. Guys was also the name given to the serf flags of the navy. Both of these flags are raised on ships only when they are parked, at anchor or at the pier, or as sailors say at the wall. But Huys, together with the stern flag, is raised on ships of ranks 1 and 2 only. When the ship goes to sea, both of these flags are lowered and one stern one is raised, but on the highest mast, as before, or on the topmast, as now on modern ships; on the main topmast, in addition, during the battle, the Russian state flag is raised .

So, until 1923, all ships of the RSFSR Navy sailed under a simple red revolutionary flag. And only in August 1923, captain of the first rank N.I. Ordynsky designed the first flag of revolutionary Russia, the development of which was based on the Japanese naval flag.

And so the communists, having assembled the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, on August 24, 1923, after a meeting, established this stern flag of the USSR Navy. The resolution stated:

The naval flag is red, rectangular, in the middle of the flag there is a white circle with 8 diverging white rays to the corners and middle sides.

In the circle there is a red five-pointed star, inside of which there is a sickle and a hammer, one end facing up.

Dimensions: the ratio of the length of the flag to its width is 3 × 2; the circle has a size of half the width of the flag; the star has a diameter of 5/6 of the diameter of the circle; the width of the rays in the circle is 1/24, in the corners and middles of the sides of the flag - 1/10 of the width of the flag.

This flag existed in the fleet until the beginning of 1935. The change or impetus for changing this flag was the transformation of the Naval Forces of the Far East, created on April 21, 1932, into the Pacific Fleet Order of January 11, 1935. That’s when the question arose about replacing the naval flag, since it was very similar to the naval flag of Japan, which could lead to possible problems for Japan, which was not so friendly towards us.

And so on May 27, 1935, by resolution of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, a new Naval flag of the USSR was established.

The new naval flag of the USSR was a white cloth with a blue stripe running along the lower edge of the flag. On a white cloth there are: in the center of the left half a red five-pointed star, one cone facing upward; in the center of the right half of the panel there is a crossed red sickle and hammer.

The diameter of the star is equal to 2/3 of the width of the entire flag, and the largest diameter of the crossed hammer and sickle is 2/3 of the width of the white flag. The ratio of the width of the white panel to the blue stripe is 5:1. The ratio of flag length to width is 3:2.

All victories in the Second World War were won under this flag, but it was destined to live only until 1950.

Since the flag was unpublished and not included in the Code of Laws of the USSR, on November 16, 1950, by a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the flag was introduced into this Code and, in addition, changes were made to the Naval flag, in particular, the proportions and locations of the star and sickle were changed and a hammer. It is not easy to notice this outwardly, but it was not in vain that the people held the meeting. And now the flag looked like this and existed right up until July 26, 1992.

In all likelihood, the Council of Ministers of the USSR liked this activity of changing the flag of the USSR Navy that on April 21, 1964 they approved descriptions and drawings of the naval flags and pennants of the USSR of warships, ships of the border troops, auxiliary vessels and officials of the Ministry of Defense and the State Security Committee THE USSR.

For example, this is what the flag of the Marine Units of the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR looked like.

Well, as they say, no matter how the rope twists, everything returns to normal. And so on June 26, 1992, our old, but again new St. Andrew’s flag returned to its old place. White cloth with a blue cross diagonally.

That seemed to be all, but he already had to make room. Namely, Federal Law No. 162-FZ of December 29, 2000 “On the banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the banner of the Navy, the banners of other branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the banners of other troops.” The historical blue color of the diagonal cross was returned to the Naval flag of the Russian Federation, which served to automatically replace all flags with the image of the Naval flag of the Russian Federation.

Yes, this is the story of the flag. In general, the Navy has many different types of flags. These are the Guards flags, where the Guards ribbon is added to the flag. And order flags, and flags of auxiliary ships of the Navy, and flags of colors, as well as Breid pennants, pennants, flags of officials of the Navy and the State. The flags of the maritime units of the border troops have also changed, and the flags of the ships of the Internal Troops have also appeared. But that is another story.

I had the opportunity to serve in the 80s under the hammer and sickle flag. And sail the expanses of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Barents Seas under it as a handsome man. For me, he is more precious and more beautiful than anyone else in the world, what can I do, this is my story, the history of my service...