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Commissioning Pennant (Thailand)

'Crocodile's Tail Flag'

Last modified: 2023-06-03 by zachary harden
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[Commissioning Pennant (Thailand)] 1:30
image by Zachary Harden, 6 September 2018



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Description

From the Singha Beer source:

The Crocodile's Tail Flag
or (B.E.2440)
[1897 AD]
The Naval Officer's Flag

The flag is divided into two parts. The top [rather "hoist"?] part is red and seven inches [17.78 cm] wide, while the remaining section is dark blue, 3 wah* long, and gradually tapers off to a point at the very end. [Please note ]

King Rama V ordered this flag to be designed in B.E.2440 [1897 AD]. It was to be flown to denote the ranks of various officers in His Majesty's Navy. It was known as the Crocodile's Tail Flag until B.E.2453 [1910 AD] in the region of King Rama VI, when it underwent a change of name, In B.E.2479 [1936 AD] it was known as the Commander's Flag.

*A wah is a Thai measurement of length. One was [sic] equals two metres.

So this pennant is 17.78 cm wide by 6 metres long, giving an approximately 3:100 ratio. The length of the red portion near to the hoist is not defined, but from the image it appears to be one third of the total fly. In Flaggenbuch 1939 this appears as Kommandowimpel or commissioning pennant, and it is shown as having a 1:30 ratio, with the hoist no larger than 20 cm, and the red part occupying one third of the length. By the way, note there is another "naval officer's flag" in the Singha Beer source.

Santiago Dotor, 12 Nov 1999

The 1979 Flag Act confirms the ratio that was specified in Flaggenbuch 1939. From the 1979 Flag Act:

Section 30. The Royal Thai Navy Command Flags are: (7) Commanding Officer Flag which is isosceles triangle shape with the base of the triangle being on the side of the flag pole; the width is no more than 20 centimetres, with the length of the flag being 30 times of the base side; the 1 part out of 3 parts of the hoist part.
Zachary Harden, 6 September 2018