Re: FB - emblems

At 19:27 31/05/98 +0100, you wrote:
>
>> > Blue is nowadays used by the Royal Navy Reserve, some Govt Depts
and any
>> > yacht club with the word Royal in its name.
>> > 
>> > White is Royal Navy and Royal Naval Yacht Squadron.
>> > 
>> > Red is merchant shipping and pleasure craft.
SNIP
>I wouldn't worry about it. Originally the red, white and blue ensigns
were
flown 
>by the red, white and blue squadrons of the Royal Navy. (Also called
the 1st, 
>2nd, 3rd squadrons but I can't remember which colour went with which
number.)
>
>No reason why the NAC can't have reinvented something similar and have
Red, 
>White and Blue Fleets.
>
>	Steve
> Steve Pugh, maintainer of The Unofficial Tanita Tikaram Web Site:

As I remember it (which is a bit vaguely) Red was first, White was 2nd
and
Blue was 3rd.  Each Squadron was at least nominally divided into a
vanguard,
main body and rearguard, and therefore required 3 Admirals (i.e. an
Admiral,
a Vice-Admiral and a Rear-Admiral) to command them.  The Red was the
senior
squadron, and its Admiral was also Admiral of the Fleet.  This, of
course
dates from the era when the RN might be expected to fight as a single
unit
(the 17th century I suppose).  The current seniority of the White Ensign
is
I believe a tribute to Nelson, who was Admiral of the White when he died
at
Trafalgar.  Incidentally, promotion was from Captain to Rear-admiral was
strictly in order of seniority on the Navy List, leading to the
promotion of
many Captains simply to get them out of the way of a favoured man.  Such
admirals were assigned "to an unspecified squadron", and often referred
to
as "Admirals of the Yellow".

Rob

"Rob Paul

Dept of Zoology
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