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  48 STAR, U.S. NAVY SMALL BOAT ENSIGN WITH AN ATTRACTIVE, ELONGATED FORMAT, MADE AT MARE ISLAND, CALIFORNIA DURING WWII, SIGNED & DATED JULY, 1943

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): Approx. 43.5" x 77.5"
Flag Size (H x L): 32.5" x 66.5"
Description....:
48 star American national flag, made during World War II (U.S. involvement 1941-45) and signed along the reverse side of the hoist with a black stencil that reads: "U S ENSIGN NO 10 MARE ISLAND JULY 1943". 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.

Measuring approx. 32.5" on the hoist and 66.5" on the fly, the proportions of the flag are noticeably elongated. This gives it an unusual presentation that is especially attractive. Long and narrow proportions were well-suited to maritime use. Flags wore out quickly at sea, where there was little-to-no protection from the wind, and having extra length allowed the flag to be turned back and hemmed several times before it was retired from use.

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

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-appliquéd (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 4 rows of stitching instead of the usual two. There are large gussets (patches of extra fabric added for support in areas that received the most wear) in the upper and lower corners on the hoist end.

* 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 for support. It was then hand-stitched to 100% cotton twill, black in color, which was washed to reduce excess dye. An acidf-free agent was added to the wash to further set the dye and the fabric was heat-treated for the same purpose. The flag has been placed in its correct vertical format, with the canton in the upper left, in order that the stencil may be viewed on the reverse side of the hoist binding. The flag was then placed in a black-painted, hand-gilded and distressed Italian molding. The glazing is U.V. protective Plexiglas.

Condition: There is very minor mothing, but there are no further condition issues. The colors are strong and the flag presents beautifully. Many of my clients prefer early flags to show their age gracefully.
Collector Level: Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts
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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