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  WWII VINTAGE ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG WITH 48 STARS AND ENDEARING WEAR FROM OBVIOUS LONG-TERM USE, A U.S. NAVY SMALL BOAT ENSIGN, MARKED "No. 11, DATED “1943,” MADE AT MARE ISLAND, CALIFORNIA, FORMER HEADQUARTERS OF THE PACIFIC FLEET

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): Approx. 38.5" x 63"
Flag Size (H x L): 26.5" x 51"
Description....:
48 star, U.S. Navy small boat ensign, made during WWII (U.S. involvement 1941-45) at Mare Island, California, Headquarters of the Pacific Fleet. A black stencil along the hoist on the reverse side reads as follows: "U.S. Ensign No. 11; Mare Island; Apr 1943." While U.S. involvement in the Second World War (1941-45) necessitated the acquisition of flags from many sources flags, the Navy had long made their own flags at several locations, of which this was one.

Ensign is simply a term for the primary flag from a ship. "No. 11" is a size designation for a small boat flag that, per U.S. Navy Regulations of 1914, was to measure 2.37 x 4.5 feet. Extensively flown, this one has lost some of its original length, but at 26.5” on the hoist, this particular flag is near to those specifications in height. In my experience, slight variation was the norm.

The canton and stripes of the flag are made of wool bunting of a notably heavy weight and pieced with machine stitching. The stars are made of cotton and are double-appliquéd (applied to both sides) with a zigzag machine stitch. There is a heavy canvas binding along the hoist, with four brass grommets. The general manner in which the flag is made, with higher grade fabrics and uncommonly stout construction, is indicative of U.S. Navy flags of the WWI-WWII era.

The 48 star flag became official in 1912 following the addition of New Mexico and Arizona. It remained the official flag throughout WWI (U.S. involvement 1917-18), WWII (U.S. involvement 1941-45), and the Korean War (1950-53), until Alaska gained statehood in 1959 and the 49th star was added.

Located about 23 miles northeast of San Francisco, Mare Island (actually a peninsula) became a seat of U.S. Navy defense in 1852, in the wake of California’s admission as the 31st state (1850). The site was proposed by Commodore John Drake Sloat, a prominent U.S. Navy officer who, in 1848, had embarked at Monterey and claimed the former Mexican ‘Alta California’ Territory for the United States, with the support of explorer and former U.S. Army Engineer, John Fremont, who arrived on the same day, in the employment of one America’s most powerful senators, Railroad Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri. Two years later, Sloat received orders to lead a survey party in search of a logical site for the nation's first Pacific naval installation. The result was his recommendation that it be situated on the ‘island’ that lay beyond the Napa River, on the western edge of the settlement of Vallejo, which at that time served as the state’s principle seat of government. Sloat selected the location, being "free from ocean gales and from floods and freshets." On November 6th 1852, two years after California gained statehood, President Fillmore reserved Mare Island for government use by Executive Order. Acting favorably on Sloat’s report, U.S. Navy purchased Mare Island, in July of 1853, for the sum of $83,410, for use as a naval shipyard.* Two years later, on September 16th of 1854, it became the first permanent U.S. naval installation on the West Coast, with Commodore David G. Farragut serving as its first 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. Very active in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, it closed in 1993, following congressional approval of recommendations contained in the Base Realignment and Closure Report.

* When the Navy bought Mare Island, it belonged to one of its own, Lieutenant Commander William Pope McArthur, a U.S. Navy hydrographer, who had previously surveyed the island, and, in 1850, bought it from its Mexican owner, with a consortium of private investors. Per the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, that ended the Mexican War, legal owners of private land, in areas seized by or otherwise transferred to the United States, retained their original ownership.

Mounting: The flag has been hand-stitched to 100% silk organza for support on every seam and throughout the star field. It was then hand-stitched to a background of 100% cotton, black in color, that was washed to reduce excess dye. An acid-free agent was added to the wash to further set the dye and the fabric was heat-treated for the same purpose. The mount was then placed in black-painted and hand-gilded Italian molding. The glazing is U.V. protective Plexiglas.

Condition: There is significant fabric loss at the fly end from obvious long-term use. There is modest to moderate soiling in the stars and along the hoist binding, accompanied by some significant staining at and near the top of the hoist binding, plus a bit at the extreme bottom. There is a minor mothing in the canton, as well as the 1st and the 6th-13th stripes. All of the above is expected from a Navy flag that was actually flown, especially during wartime. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age and history of use, especially when they present well, like this example.
Collector Level: Beginners and Holiday Gift Giving
Flag Type: Sewn flag
Star Count: 48
Earliest Date of Origin: 1943
Latest Date of Origin: 1943
State/Affiliation: California
War Association: WW 2
Price: SOLD
 

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