Ensign of the Russian Navy
The Russian naval ensign, also known as St. Andrew's flag, was the naval ensign of the Navy of the Russian Empire and of the Navy of the Russian Republic, and is the naval ensign of the Navy of the Russian Federation since 1992, and the naval ensign and war banner of the Russian Navy since 2000.
The flag has a white background with two blue diagonal bands, forming a saltire, called St. Andrew's Cross. The ratio of the flag's width to its length is 2:3, the width of the blue band is 1:10 the length of the flag.
The Guards ribbon and images of orders awarded to the ship can be added to the naval ensign.
History
In 1698, Peter I the Great established the first Russian medal, the Order of St. Andrew, which is to be awarded for military exploits and public service. When he became tsar, he started to devise a flag for the Russian Navy. The symbolism of the flag is a tribute to his father, Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, who established a special flag for the first Russian naval ship, the three-masted sailing frigate.In 1699, on the draft of the tsar's instruction to Yemelyan Ukraintsev concerning protocol issues of the Russian embassy to the Ottoman Empire there is a white-blue-red three-striped flag crossed by a diagonal blue St. Andrew's cross.
In 1700, the flags of admiral, vice admiral and counter admiral were introduced; in the canton placed the image of St. Andrew's flag on a three-striped background.
Officially, the right of Russian warships to fly St. Andrew's flag was announced after the occupation of Kotlin Island in 1703. Since then, the flag with St. Andrew's cross has been used as a symbol of Russia's access to the four seas—the White, Baltic, Azov and Caspian.
In 1705, a drawing of a three-striped St. Andrew's flag was placed in a book by, published in Holland.
Since 1709 St. Andrew's cross on a white field was placed in the cantons of naval flags.
In 1712, the final version of the ensign for the fleet's main forces and ships in solo voyage—St. Andrew's flag of white colour with a blue cross reaching to the cloth's corners was adopted.
From 1692 to 1712 Peter I personally drew eight proposed flags that have consistently been taken into the Navy. Description of the flag's final version by Peter I:
Original text :
Modern Russian:
Blue and red flags with St. Andrew's flag in the cantons were abolished in, .
In 1819, was established as a reward flag—St. Andrew's flag with the image of St. George placed on a red shield in the centre. It was awarded to the ship of the line and the brig . In 1837, St. George's warflag—St. George's ensign measuring —was introduced to reward distinguished naval depots. It was awarded to the 12th Naval Depot, to which the ship of the line Azov was assigned. In 1856, from the 29th to the 45th Naval Depots were awarded St. George's warflags with the inscription "For the Defence of Sevastopol from 13 September 1854 to 27 August 1855."
St. Andrew's flag was cancelled by the decree of the All-Russian Congress of the Navy of. During the Russian Civil War St. Andrew's flag was hoisted on the ships.
After the October Revolution in Russia, the Russian naval ensign was changed, but it was used by Whites' naval vessels up to 1924. The flag of St. Andrew was reintroduced in the Russian Navy in 1992 by the decree of Boris Yeltsin from 21 July, and is still used today.