One one set of plans that I have for The Sullivans it shows a flag staff on the rear stack. Typically USN ships fly the Stars and Stripes from a jack at the stern while in port, anchored, etc, and from the main mast while under way. Does anybody know if this jack at the stack is for flying the flag while under way?

Rodger,
Interesting, now that you mention that. It sems that the mount point has migrated.

If you look at a lot of pictures of Fletcher class destroyers, you will see the common thread that the national ensign was flown at a small staff (I was taught in Surface Warfare Officer's School that this is called a "pigstick") at the after stack during WWII, and at the mast in postwar photos.

I didn't look at enough photos to determine exactly when the change was made - 1946, 1950, etc. :-)

On the other hand, the dust jacket for Alan Raven's "Fletcher-Class Destroyers" book, US Naval Institure, has a painting by Paul Bender of USS Sigsbee (DD 502), in Ms 22, with a large ensign at the masthead, "in action in 1945". It's a pretty picture, but there's no certainty that Mr. Bender didn't just paint it the way he expected it to look, considering that he might have seen some postwar Fletchers displaying the flag exactly that way.

Thanks for bringing that subject to light.

Rick

Thanks for the reply Rick. Now that you have pointed out the jack has migrated I will have to see if I can find when, and possibly why.


While doing a little research I found out a little tidbit of info. The original USS Fletcher, DD-445 was named in honor of Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher, who among other things won the Medal of Honor at Vera Cruz in 1914. His nephew, Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, of Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal fame, also won the Medal of Honor at Vera Cruz, and it is the later admiral that is the namesake of the present USS Fletcher DD-992.

Hey Rodger,

Here's a photo of the Charles Ausburne in 1944 with the flag flying from the stack.



And the Hoel in August of 1944...

Kenny neither of those links worked for me.

A couple of things -
- Kenny's links were to Navsource. Navsource doesn't allow lotlinking from another site, which is exactly what this is.
Instead, all we can do is suggest that Rodger can go to the Navsource (navsource.org) => destroyers => DD 570 Charles Ausburne and look at the bottom photo of the ship in US service, the port side view on 30 September 1944, and then
DD 533 Hoel, second photo from the bottom, 10 August 1944

Second thing,
I think this location of the Nation ensign is an evolutionary thing. Pre-WWII, I think we see it at the "main mast", or the after mast, still naming the after mast like that on a brig in the days of sail. (At Navsource, see DD 245, Reuben James, second photo down from the top)

Then along comes the Fletcher class, without an after mast to speak of. The early ships have a stub between #3 and #4 5" guns, and you will see the flag flying there underway. (See Navsource DD 445 Fletcher, 6th photo down from the top, circa June 1942)

Then they did away with that stub mast to clear the AA battery field of fire, and the next best place was to put the pigstick (there's that word again) at the after stack.

Then after the war, they gave up on that whole "after mast" practice and flew the flag at "the" masthead.

That's my theory.

Rick

Photos fixed.

Gator