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  48 STAR, U.S. NAVY SMALL BOAT ENSIGN, MADE AT MARE ISLAND, CALIFORNIA DURING WWII, SIGNED AND DATED MARCH, 1941

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L):
Flag Size (H x L): 30.75" x 69"
Description....:
48 STAR, U.S. NAVY SMALL BOAT ENSIGN, MADE AT MARE ISLAND, CALIFORNIA DURING WWII, SIGNED AND DATED MARCH, 1941:

48 star American national flag, made during World War II and signed along the reverse side of the hoist with a black stencil that reads: "U S ENSIGN NO 10 MARE ISLAND MAR 1941." This was the month that Japanese spy Takeo Yoshikawa arrived in Honolulu to begin his study of the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor. It was also at this time that F.D.R. signed the Lend Lease Act, which allowed Britain, China, and other Allies to buy U.S. military goods and defer payment until after the war. While the U.S. would not formally declare war until Japan attacked on December 8th, American volunteers, especially pilots ("Gun-Jumpers") had joined the Canadian and British forces and the American military was posturing in anticipation of the inevitable. WWII is generally said to have begun on September 1st, 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland and war was subsequently declared on Germany by France and the United Kingdom.

Located on the western edge of the City of Vallejo, about 23 miles northeast of San Francisco, Mare Island (actually a peninsula) served as a principal seat of U.S. Navy defense, beginning in the mid-19th century. The site was originally chosen following an expedition that set forth in 1850, when Commodore John Drake Sloat was ordered to lead a survey party in quest of a logical site for the nation's first Pacific naval installation. Sloat recommended the island across the Napa River from the settlement of Vallejo; it being "free from ocean gales and from floods and freshets." On November 6th of that year, two months after California was admitted to statehood, President Fillmore reserved Mare Island for government use. The U.S. Navy Department acted favorably on Commodore Sloat's recommendations and Mare Island was purchased in July, 1852, for the sum of $83,410 for the use as a naval shipyard. Two years later, on September 16th of 1854, Mare Island became the first permanent U.S. naval installation on the West Coast, with Commodore David G. Farragut serving as Mare Island's first base commander.

The base became home to what was known as the Pacific Fleet, and remained so until the threat of Japanese expansionism caused the shift to a more advanced position at Pearl Harbor. It was very active in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, but would eventually close in 1993 after Congress approved the findings of the Base Realignment and Closure Report.

The 48th state, Arizona, was added to the Union in 1912. The 48 star flag was official that year until 1959.

Construction: The canton and stripes of the flag are made of wool bunting, pieced with machine stitching. The stars are made of cotton and are double-appliqued (applied to both sides) with a zigzag machine stitch. There is a heavy canvas binding with four especially heavy gauge brass grommets for hoisting, each stamped with a number "2". The weight of the wool and the stalwart construction is typical of what the Navy preferred for its flags in this period. The fabric is heavier grade than what was typically employed in commercially-made flags and the fly end was bound with rows of stitching instead of the usual two. There is a large gusset (a patch of extra fabric added for support in areas that received the most wear) in the lower, hoist-end corner.

Mounting: The flag has not yet been mounted. It must be mounted in the proper vertical format, with the canton in the upper left, in order to view the stencil, which is on the reverse side of the hoist binding. Fabric of similar coloration can be placed behind the flag during the mounting process, if so desired, to ghost out the minor losses.

Condition: There is minor mothing throughout, which is common in vintage wool flags. There is only the most minor amount of staining, almost not worthy of mention. The colors are strong and the flag presents beautifully. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age gracefully.
Collector Level: Beginners and Holiday Gift Giving
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 13
Earliest Date of Origin: 1941
Latest Date of Origin: 1941
State/Affiliation: California
War Association: WW 2
Price: SOLD
 

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