Naval heraldry
Encyclopedia
Naval heraldry is a form of identification used by naval vessels from the end of the 19th century onwards, after distinguishing features such as figurehead
s and gilding
were discouraged or banned by several navies. Naval heraldry commonly takes the form of a badge, seal, crest, or coat of arms designed specifically for a ship (or a series of ships bearing the same name), which in Commonwealth
navies takes the form of a large plaque, referred to as the ship's badge, mounted on the superstructure of the ship, and in the United States Navy
is known as the ship's seal or ship's crest, and is primarily found on crew uniform patches. An item of naval heraldry is seen as the identifying logo of the vessel, and is commonly reproduced on hats, stationery, trophies, souvenirs, and gifts related to the ship.
The naval heraldric tradition follows the heraldic traditions of the country, with some distincitve variations.
Note: Although ships are commonly referred to in this article, identical or similar forms of heraldry are used for bases and facilities, organisational divisions, and land-based naval units.
Items of naval heraldry in the Royal Australian Navy
(RAN) are referred to as ships' badges, although the incorrect ships' crests is sometimes used. Initially, the badges were designed and assigned to ships by the Royal Navy
. After World War II
, an Australian body, the Badges, Names and Honours Committee, was created, and took responsibility for creating RAN ships' badges. At the first meeting, it was decided that all RAN badges would follow the Royal Navy format: a circle of rope in which the individual design would be placed, capped by a naval crown
and a scroll with the ship's name. A second, longer scroll was located below the rope circle for the ship's motto. To indicate that the badge was for an Australian ship, a boomerang
was added between the rope circle and motto scroll; a crossed nulla nulla and stone axe were intertwined with the boomerang shortly after.
Initially, there were gaps between the naval crown, name scroll, and rope circle. The name and motto scrolls were intended to be light blue with black lettering, although in practice they were painted dark blue, making the text hard to read. In 1964, the gaps between the crown, scroll, and circle were closed up, and the scrolls were changed to black with gold edging and lettering. The lettering style was also simplified. In 1970, a minor change was made to the naval crown, with one of the pennants on top of the sails altered to point left instead of right. Another minor change was made to the crown in 1974, with the curvature of the sails altered. In 1975, the weapons below the rope circle were reorganised so the nulla nulla and axe were superimposed over the boomerang. The weapons were also redrawn slightly: one of the major changes being thicker hafts on the crossed weapons.
and Oberon class submarines
into the RAN fleet in the early 1960s, a scaled-down badge design was created for all commissioned ships of less than 40 metres (131.2 ft) in length and all submarines, measuring 440 by but with no other modifications. For the patrol boats, it was decided that a full-size badge was not appropriate for such small ships. The reduced size for submarines was a practical necessity: the badge had to fit through the external hatch, as it was placed on the fin every time the submarine entered port, and removed on departure.
For non-commissioned units and establishments, an altered badge design was used. The first establishment to wear a non-commissioned badge was the RAN/RAAF Australian Joint Anti-Submarine School (AJASS) in 1967; as a joint unit it was decided that the badge design would be based on the RAAF unit badge, with a double circle of gold rope surrounding the collar on which the unit name was written, and an alteration in colouring to the black and gold system used on the scrolls of ships' badges. The royal crown was used instead of the naval crown. The badge entered use with all non-commissioned RAN units, such as the dockyards, naval police, and administrative divisions. In 1979, all of the altered badges (excluding the jointly operated AJASS) were changed from the royal crown to the naval crown.
Ships in the Royal Canadian Navy
receive badges, specifically designed for each ship. Using a circular design, they are topped with the naval crown and surrounded by a gold rope. Three maple leaves at the bottom of the rope circle distinguish Canadian badges from those of other Commonwealth navies.
During World War II
, the number of ships being built and commissioned outstriped the ability of a central authority to design and approve. Local authority to the commanding officers of the ships resulted in humorous and risque badges including some cartoon characters. These badges are not considered to be official.
Currently, all badges are reviewed by the Director of Ceremonial and recommended to the Governor General.
CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum has an extensive collection of official Canadian naval ship, naval establishments and naval air unit badges 1910-1948. Lieutenant-Commander (Ret'd) David J. Freeman heads the Badge Project, capturing photographic or digital images of all the badges worn by HMC ships before 1948, and is in the process of completing a book on this subject.
to receive an individually designed coat of arms. These coats of arms follow the Norwegian heraldic tradition
of being very simple in design. They often feature only one colour, one metal and one motive. They all have the same shield shape and are surrounded by a rope. The shield is surmounted by the heraldic Crown of Norway
atop the ship's name.
The design of the individual shield is often inspired by connections the ship name gives. HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen
is given a shield inspired by the family coat of arms of the Nansen family
. Others are given shields based on the unit's function. The Naval Schools have a shield depicting a golden anchor and two silver torches of wisdom. All naval coats of arms have to be approved by the King of Norway.
During the Age of Sail
, ships were identified by figureheads and gilded carvings. However, the extravagance of these decorations began to reach the point of flamboyance, and an Admiralty
directive in the early 18th century restricted the amount that could be spent, and eventually banned it outright.
Ships' badges first appeared in the 1850s, as identification markings on the stationery used by some Royal Navy
ships. These marks were quickly used to mark the boats assigned to a ship, to aid crew in finding their boat at a dark or crowded wharf. The creation of badges was haphazard, and eventually came into use for the ships themselves. In 1918, Charles ffoulkes
, the curator of the newly established Imperial War Museum
was asked by the commanding officer of HMS Tower
to design a badge for his ship. He quickly received requests to create badges for other Royal Navy
vessels, and on 10 December 1918, ffoulkes was appointed the Admiralty advisor on heraldry
. Shortly prior to this, a Ships' Badge Committee had been established to regulate the creation and use of ships' badges.
Testing was carried out to ensure that the badges were designed appropriately to identify ships. Cardboard mockups were created, gilded, and installed on a police launch, which was observed on patrol of the Thames by a captured German submarine moored outside Westminster Palace. It was decided to use different shapes to identify different types of vessel: circles for battleship
s, pentagons for cruiser
s, 'U'-shaped shields for destroyer
s, and diamonds for auxiliary units, including depot ships, small war vessels, and aircraft carrier
s.
In 1940, the designs for all ships were standardised to a circular design. The standardisation was primarily due to wartime shortages, although another factor was to eliminate difficulties caused when a ship was commissioned with a previously-used name, but was of a different type to the previous ship, requiring the badge to be redesigned for the new shape. At the same time, the use of scaled-down badges for a ship's boats was suspended, and as of 2000 has not been resumed. After the war, the pentagonal badge shape was assigned to Royal Fleet Auxiliary
vessels, and the diamond to commissioned shore bases
. Before World War II
, the design of badges for ships in other Commonwealth
navies was the responsibility of the Royal Navy Ships' Badge Committee, but this responsibility was assigned to the relevant nations after the war.
Ships' badges are reused along with the ship name. When the Queen approves the name of a new ship she will also approve the new ship's badge, which may have changed if the shape needs to change.
HMS Chatham
is the only ship currently serving in the Royal Navy with an original badge, since none of the previous Chathams bore a badge.
Badges were formalised after the war, the Royal Navy model being followed. At first, badges were diamond-shaped, but after a few years they were changed to circular frames. Unitie retained her shield-shaped badge, and in the 1980s, pentagonal badges were introduced for Navy Headquarters and the headquarters of the regional commands. The naval crown was replaced by the red lion crest of the national coat of arms in 1954, and this in turn was replaced by the secretary-bird crest of the new national arms in 2002.
Where ships and shore units are named after provinces and towns, their badges incorporate elements of the provincial or civic arms, for example the ox-wagon in the badge of the frigate SAS Transvaal.
Those named after historical personalities incorporate their namesakes' personal coats of arms, or elements of their arms, in their badges, for example the shield of the Van Riebeeck arms in the badge of the destroyer SAS Jan van Riebeeck.
For some categories of ships, including the Daphné-class submarines
, Minister-class strike craft, and River-class minehunters, standard badges were designed, which were then differenced to identify individual vessels. The submarines' badges depicted a trident (emblem of the submarine branch) surmounted by a lozenge displaying the arms of the lady after whom the vessel was named. The strike craft badges depict a Viking longboat in full sail, with elements of the arms of the cabinet minister after which the ship was named on the sail. The minehunters' badges depict a bridge across a river, with an additional device above the bridge alluding to the name of the river.
Badges are designed and approved by the South African National Defence Force
's heraldry section, and registered at the Bureau of Heraldry
to provide legal protection against misuse.
It is the custom in the United States Navy
(USN) for ships, bases and other commands to receive an individually designed heraldic emblem. Due to heraldic traditions in the U.S.
, these emblems usually take the form of seals or crests; the terms are used often interchangeably, although the emblems are different. These items of naval heraldry are most commonly found on uniform patches for the ship's crew; unlike ships in Commonwealth
navies, which display their symbols on plaques and battle honour
boards fixed to the superstructure of the ship, USN ships are not allowed to paint or otherwise fix the ship's heraldry to the exterior of the ship.
From World War I
to the beginning of World War II
, some USN ships had these insignia, but World War II brought them into general use. Some designs were created by the ship's personnel, while others were commissioned by professional artists. The Korean War
saw another upsurge in interest in crests and coats of arms. In the 1950s and 1960s, OPNAVINST 5030.2B encouraged ships to design their own crests, and laid out the procedure for receiving official approval.
Today, the prospective commanding officers of new ships are responsible for designing the crests and submitting them for approval. They have great leeway in determining the design, and may optionally use the services of the U.S. Army's heraldry branch.
Publishers in several countries produced special Monogram & Crest Albums. They also supplied sheets with crests. Popular series were institutions, clubs, universities, nobility, army regiments and naval ships.
Surviving Crest Albums usually have a mix of genuine crests and publisher supplied crests.
The crests for the collecting market have been printed on sheets, not on stationary. They have not been ordered by any authority for use on their stationary.
Figurehead
A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the prow of ships largely made between the 16th and 19th century.-History:Although earlier ships had often had some form of bow ornamentation A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the prow of ships largely made between the 16th and...
s and gilding
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
were discouraged or banned by several navies. Naval heraldry commonly takes the form of a badge, seal, crest, or coat of arms designed specifically for a ship (or a series of ships bearing the same name), which in Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
navies takes the form of a large plaque, referred to as the ship's badge, mounted on the superstructure of the ship, and in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
is known as the ship's seal or ship's crest, and is primarily found on crew uniform patches. An item of naval heraldry is seen as the identifying logo of the vessel, and is commonly reproduced on hats, stationery, trophies, souvenirs, and gifts related to the ship.
The naval heraldric tradition follows the heraldic traditions of the country, with some distincitve variations.
Note: Although ships are commonly referred to in this article, identical or similar forms of heraldry are used for bases and facilities, organisational divisions, and land-based naval units.
Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
(RAN) are referred to as ships' badges, although the incorrect ships' crests is sometimes used. Initially, the badges were designed and assigned to ships by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, an Australian body, the Badges, Names and Honours Committee, was created, and took responsibility for creating RAN ships' badges. At the first meeting, it was decided that all RAN badges would follow the Royal Navy format: a circle of rope in which the individual design would be placed, capped by a naval crown
Naval crown
The Naval Crown was a gold crown surmounted with the prows of ships. It was a Roman military award, given to the first man who boarded an enemy ship during a naval engagement....
and a scroll with the ship's name. A second, longer scroll was located below the rope circle for the ship's motto. To indicate that the badge was for an Australian ship, a boomerang
Boomerang
A boomerang is a flying tool with a curved shape used as a weapon or for sport.-Description:A boomerang is usually thought of as a wooden device, although historically boomerang-like devices have also been made from bones. Modern boomerangs used for sport are often made from carbon fibre-reinforced...
was added between the rope circle and motto scroll; a crossed nulla nulla and stone axe were intertwined with the boomerang shortly after.
Initially, there were gaps between the naval crown, name scroll, and rope circle. The name and motto scrolls were intended to be light blue with black lettering, although in practice they were painted dark blue, making the text hard to read. In 1964, the gaps between the crown, scroll, and circle were closed up, and the scrolls were changed to black with gold edging and lettering. The lettering style was also simplified. In 1970, a minor change was made to the naval crown, with one of the pennants on top of the sails altered to point left instead of right. Another minor change was made to the crown in 1974, with the curvature of the sails altered. In 1975, the weapons below the rope circle were reorganised so the nulla nulla and axe were superimposed over the boomerang. The weapons were also redrawn slightly: one of the major changes being thicker hafts on the crossed weapons.
Size and use
Ship's badges are used equally by the RAN for ships, shore establishments, and organisations within the RAN. The standard badge measures 755 by, with the rope circle having a diameter of 350 millimetres (13.8 in) from the outside edge and 295 millimetres (11.6 in) from the inside edge. 'Boat's badges' were created for small craft belonging to a ship: the weapons and motto are omitted. Boat's badges are either 127 millimetres (5 in) or 203 millimetres (8 in) in diameter. Following the introduction of Attack class patrol boatsAttack class patrol boat
The Attack class patrol boats were small coastal defence vessels built for the Royal Australian Navy and operated between 1967 and 1985...
and Oberon class submarines
Oberon class submarine
The Oberon class was a 27-boat class of British-built diesel-electric submarines based on the successful British Porpoise-class submarine....
into the RAN fleet in the early 1960s, a scaled-down badge design was created for all commissioned ships of less than 40 metres (131.2 ft) in length and all submarines, measuring 440 by but with no other modifications. For the patrol boats, it was decided that a full-size badge was not appropriate for such small ships. The reduced size for submarines was a practical necessity: the badge had to fit through the external hatch, as it was placed on the fin every time the submarine entered port, and removed on departure.
Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
receive badges, specifically designed for each ship. Using a circular design, they are topped with the naval crown and surrounded by a gold rope. Three maple leaves at the bottom of the rope circle distinguish Canadian badges from those of other Commonwealth navies.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the number of ships being built and commissioned outstriped the ability of a central authority to design and approve. Local authority to the commanding officers of the ships resulted in humorous and risque badges including some cartoon characters. These badges are not considered to be official.
Currently, all badges are reviewed by the Director of Ceremonial and recommended to the Governor General.
CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum has an extensive collection of official Canadian naval ship, naval establishments and naval air unit badges 1910-1948. Lieutenant-Commander (Ret'd) David J. Freeman heads the Badge Project, capturing photographic or digital images of all the badges worn by HMC ships before 1948, and is in the process of completing a book on this subject.
Royal Norwegian Navy
It is customary for each individual ship and other units in the Royal Norwegian NavyRoyal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support...
to receive an individually designed coat of arms. These coats of arms follow the Norwegian heraldic tradition
Norwegian heraldry
Norwegian heraldry has roots in early medieval times, soon after the use of coats of arms first appeared in continental Europe. Some of the medieval coats of arms are rather simple of design, while others have more naturalistic charges. The king-granted coats of arms of later times, were usually...
of being very simple in design. They often feature only one colour, one metal and one motive. They all have the same shield shape and are surrounded by a rope. The shield is surmounted by the heraldic Crown of Norway
Crown of Norway
The Crown of Norway is the crown of the King of Norway and was made in Stockholm in 1818 by goldsmith Olof Wihlborg. The crown is a corona clausa consisting of a ring carrying eight hoops made of gold and surmounted by a globe of blue enamel and an amethyst cross on top of it...
atop the ship's name.
The design of the individual shield is often inspired by connections the ship name gives. HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Nansen class frigate
The Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates are the main surface combatant units of the Royal Norwegian Navy. The ships are named after famous Norwegian explorers, with the lead ship of the class bearing the name of Fridtjof Nansen, the Norwegian scientist, explorer and humanitarian.Five ships were ordered...
is given a shield inspired by the family coat of arms of the Nansen family
Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In his youth a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a...
. Others are given shields based on the unit's function. The Naval Schools have a shield depicting a golden anchor and two silver torches of wisdom. All naval coats of arms have to be approved by the King of Norway.
Royal Navy
Age of Sail
The Age of Sail was the period in which international trade and naval warfare were dominated by sailing ships, lasting from the 16th to the mid 19th century...
, ships were identified by figureheads and gilded carvings. However, the extravagance of these decorations began to reach the point of flamboyance, and an Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
directive in the early 18th century restricted the amount that could be spent, and eventually banned it outright.
Ships' badges first appeared in the 1850s, as identification markings on the stationery used by some Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships. These marks were quickly used to mark the boats assigned to a ship, to aid crew in finding their boat at a dark or crowded wharf. The creation of badges was haphazard, and eventually came into use for the ships themselves. In 1918, Charles ffoulkes
Charles ffoulkes
Charles John ffoulkes was a British historian, and curator of the Royal Armouries at London. He wrote extensively on medieval arms and armour....
, the curator of the newly established Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
was asked by the commanding officer of HMS Tower
HMS Tower (1917)
HMS Tower was an modified R-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, named after the White Tower of the Tower of London. She was built by Swan Hunter, and launched on 5 April 1917. She is noted for having the first modern Royal Navy ship's badge. She served as part of the Grand Fleet and Harwich...
to design a badge for his ship. He quickly received requests to create badges for other Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
vessels, and on 10 December 1918, ffoulkes was appointed the Admiralty advisor on heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
. Shortly prior to this, a Ships' Badge Committee had been established to regulate the creation and use of ships' badges.
Testing was carried out to ensure that the badges were designed appropriately to identify ships. Cardboard mockups were created, gilded, and installed on a police launch, which was observed on patrol of the Thames by a captured German submarine moored outside Westminster Palace. It was decided to use different shapes to identify different types of vessel: circles for battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s, pentagons for cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s, 'U'-shaped shields for destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s, and diamonds for auxiliary units, including depot ships, small war vessels, and aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...
vessels, and the diamond to commissioned shore bases
Stone frigate
Stone frigate is a nickname for a naval establishment on land. The term has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the French...
. Before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the design of badges for ships in other Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
navies was the responsibility of the Royal Navy Ships' Badge Committee, but this responsibility was assigned to the relevant nations after the war.
Ships' badges are reused along with the ship name. When the Queen approves the name of a new ship she will also approve the new ship's badge, which may have changed if the shape needs to change.
HMS Chatham
HMS Chatham (F87)
HMS Chatham was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She has the rare honour of a motto in English; Up and at 'em, being the rallying cry of the Medway town football and rugby teams. The motto has subsequently been translated back into Latin as Surge et vince...
is the only ship currently serving in the Royal Navy with an original badge, since none of the previous Chathams bore a badge.
South African Navy
A few ships of the South African Navy adopted badges during World War II, but they appear to have been unofficial. Only one, that of the reserve base HMSAS Unitie, conformed to the Royal Navy pattern of enclosing the badge in a 'U'-shaped frame of golden cable, ensigned of a naval crown resting on a name plaque.Badges were formalised after the war, the Royal Navy model being followed. At first, badges were diamond-shaped, but after a few years they were changed to circular frames. Unitie retained her shield-shaped badge, and in the 1980s, pentagonal badges were introduced for Navy Headquarters and the headquarters of the regional commands. The naval crown was replaced by the red lion crest of the national coat of arms in 1954, and this in turn was replaced by the secretary-bird crest of the new national arms in 2002.
Where ships and shore units are named after provinces and towns, their badges incorporate elements of the provincial or civic arms, for example the ox-wagon in the badge of the frigate SAS Transvaal.
Those named after historical personalities incorporate their namesakes' personal coats of arms, or elements of their arms, in their badges, for example the shield of the Van Riebeeck arms in the badge of the destroyer SAS Jan van Riebeeck.
For some categories of ships, including the Daphné-class submarines
Daphne class submarine
The Daphné class was a type of diesel-electric patrol submarines built in France between 1958 and 1970 for the French Navy and for export.-History:...
, Minister-class strike craft, and River-class minehunters, standard badges were designed, which were then differenced to identify individual vessels. The submarines' badges depicted a trident (emblem of the submarine branch) surmounted by a lozenge displaying the arms of the lady after whom the vessel was named. The strike craft badges depict a Viking longboat in full sail, with elements of the arms of the cabinet minister after which the ship was named on the sail. The minehunters' badges depict a bridge across a river, with an additional device above the bridge alluding to the name of the river.
Badges are designed and approved by the South African National Defence Force
South African National Defence Force
The South African National Defence Force is the armed forces of South Africa. The military as it exists today was created in 1994, following South Africa's first post-apartheid national elections and the adoption of a new constitution...
's heraldry section, and registered at the Bureau of Heraldry
Bureau of Heraldry (South Africa)
The Bureau of Heraldry is the South African heraldic authority, established in Pretoria on 1 June 1963. It is headed by a National Herald and its functions are to register arms, badges, flags and seals , to keep a public register, to issue registration certificates and, since 1980, to advise the...
to provide legal protection against misuse.
United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
(USN) for ships, bases and other commands to receive an individually designed heraldic emblem. Due to heraldic traditions in the U.S.
United States heraldry
Heraldry in the United States of America was first established by European settlers who brought with them the heraldic customs of their respective countries of origin. As the use of coats of arms may be seen as a custom of royals and nobility, it has been debated whether the use of arms is...
, these emblems usually take the form of seals or crests; the terms are used often interchangeably, although the emblems are different. These items of naval heraldry are most commonly found on uniform patches for the ship's crew; unlike ships in Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
navies, which display their symbols on plaques and battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
boards fixed to the superstructure of the ship, USN ships are not allowed to paint or otherwise fix the ship's heraldry to the exterior of the ship.
From World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
to the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, some USN ships had these insignia, but World War II brought them into general use. Some designs were created by the ship's personnel, while others were commissioned by professional artists. The Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
saw another upsurge in interest in crests and coats of arms. In the 1950s and 1960s, OPNAVINST 5030.2B encouraged ships to design their own crests, and laid out the procedure for receiving official approval.
Today, the prospective commanding officers of new ships are responsible for designing the crests and submitting them for approval. They have great leeway in determining the design, and may optionally use the services of the U.S. Army's heraldry branch.
Naval Crests printed on paper
During the second half of the 19th century monograms and heraldic crests cut from stationary were widely collected.Publishers in several countries produced special Monogram & Crest Albums. They also supplied sheets with crests. Popular series were institutions, clubs, universities, nobility, army regiments and naval ships.
Surviving Crest Albums usually have a mix of genuine crests and publisher supplied crests.
The crests for the collecting market have been printed on sheets, not on stationary. They have not been ordered by any authority for use on their stationary.