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Spain: Naval rank flags

Last modified: 2018-10-21 by ivan sache
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Commander-in-Chief of the Navy

[Flag]

Flag of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy - Image by Željko Heimer, 17 November 2000

The flag of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy is a square national flag with a blue anchor pointing to the fly placed horizontally in the center of the yellow stripe.
[Album des Pavillons 1995 [pie95]]
The rank of Capitán General still exists in the Navy but has now been assumed by the King of Spain, therefore this rank flag has become because the King has his own standard. Nevertheless the rank flag has not been abolished as far as I know.

Ivan Sache & José Carlos Alegría, 12 March 2000


Chief-of-Staff of the Navy

[Flag]

Flag of the Chief-of-Staff of the Navy - Image by Željko Heimer, 12 March 2000

The flag of the Chief of Staff of the Navy is a square national flag with a blue anchor pointing to the fly placed horizontally and a blue five-pointed star in the center of the yellow stripe.
[Album des Pavillons 1995 [pie95]]

Ivan Sache, 12 March 2000

Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00] shows a faceted black-blue star; the star appears faceted in Nueva Biblioteca de Legislación [e9s78].
Album des Pavillons 1990 [pie90] and other sources show a thinner anchor.
Calvo and Grávalos [g2c83] and other sources show no changes in the width of the anchors in 1977 or otherwise. They always (even before 1931) appear to be quite "thick", like on the image above. Also, the 1977 Decree shows the star as plain blue, not faceted.

Željko Heimer, Armand Noël du Payrat & Santiago Dotor, 4 December 2002


Admiral

[Flag]

Flag of an Admiral - Image by Ivan Sache, 12 March 2000

The flag of an Admiral is a square national flag with three blue discs placed horizontally in the yellow stripe.
[Album des Pavillons 1995 [pie95]]

Ivan Sache, 12 March 2000


Vice Admiral

[Flag]

Flag of a Vice Admiral - Image by Ivan Sache, 12 March 2000

The flag of a Vice Admiral is a square national flag with two blue discs placed horizontally in the yellow stripe.
[Album des Pavillons 1995 [pie95]]

Ivan Sache, 12 March 2000


Rear Admiral

[Flag]

Flag of a Rear Admiral - Image by Ivan Sache, 12 March 2000

The flag of a Rear Admiral is a square national flag with one blue disc placed in the yellow stripe.
[Album des Pavillons 1995 [pie95]]

Ivan Sache, 12 March 2000


Subordinate admirals

[Flag]         [Flag]         [Flag]

Flags of subordinate admirals, from left to right, Admiral, Vice Admiral, Rear Admiral - Images by Ivan Sache, 12 March 2000

The flag of a subordinate admiral has red instead of blue disks.
[Album des Pavillons 1995 [pie95]]

Royal Decree of 14 December 1927 (Colección Legislativa de la Armada, No. 400) mentions that no Navy makes a distinction between commanding and subordinate admirals, and thus abolishes this set of rank flags, stating that subordinate admirals shall use the same rank flags as those in command (with blue discs).
Decree of 26 January 1932 (Colección Legislativa de la Armada, No. 26) modified the frist one so that subordinate admirals would only fly their particular flag (with red discs) if the commanding admiral is present.

Ivan Sache & Luis Miguel Arias, 30 July 2002


Captain commanding a group

[Flag]

Flag of a Captain commanding a group - Image by Željko Heimer, 12 March 2000

The flag of a Captain commanding a group is a forked broad pennant in the national colors with a blue disc shifted to the hoist.
[Album des Pavillons 1995 [pie95]]

According to the 1977 Decree this flag should have the following dimensions:
- Distance from hoist to centre of the disc: 1/2 hoist;
- Diameter of the disc: 1/4 hoist;
- Slant length of the swallow-tailed edges: 1/2 hoist.
As indicated, the last dimension is measured along the slant edge of the swallow-tailed cut, indeed forming an equilateral triangle. The horizontal distance from the innermost point of the swallow-tailed cut to the fly end of the flag is thus (0.5 H × sin 60 degrees) or approximately 0.433 x H where H is the hoist.

Ivan Sache & Santiago Dotor, 4 September 2001


Commander or Lieutenant Commander commanding a group

[Flag]

Flag of a Commander or Lieutenant Commander commanding a group - Image by Ivan Sache, 12 March 2000

The flag of a Commander or Lieutenant Commander commanding a group is a forked broad pennant in the national colors.
[Album des Pavillons 1995 [pie95]]

According to the 1977 Decree the slant length of the swallow-tailed edges should measure 1/2 hoist, thus "cutting" an equilateral triangle. The horizontal distance from the innermost point of the swallow-tailed cut to the fly end of the flag is thus (0.5 H × sin 60 degrees) or approximately 0.433 x H where H is the hoist.

Ivan Sache & Santiago Dotor, 4 September 2001


Senior Officer

[Flag]

Seniority pennant - Image by Ivan Sache, 12 March 2000

The senior officer flies a triangular pennant in the national colours, with the red stripes converging with the yellow stripe.
[Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00]]

Ivan Sache, 12 March 2000


Commander of a Naval District

[Flag]

Flag of the Commander of a Naval District - Image by Željko Heimer, 6 August 2001

The flag of the Commander of a Naval District is a national triband with an horizontal anchor. A similar flag was previously used for the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, but this title is now taken by the King, so the flag is reassigned for this new function now. The anchor is of a different design though, as in the flag for the CChief-of-Staff of the Navy.
[Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00], information provoded in 1989 by the Spanish Naval Attaché in Paris]

Željko Heimer & Armand Noël du Payrat, 4 December 2002

No other source shows this flag as that of a Commander of Naval District. I find it weird that the former flag of the highest-ranking commander in the Navy, a position currently occupied by the King, was "reused" as that of a regional commander.

Santiago Dotor, 4 September 2001