13 Star U.S. Revenue Cutter Service commissioning pennant.
The Act of March 2, 1799, known as the Customs Administration Act authorized that "the cutters and boats employed in the service of the revenue shall be distinguished from other vessels by "an ensign and pendant, with such marks thereon as shall be prescribed and directed by the President of the United States."

Oliver Wolcott, Alexander Hamilton's successor as Secretary of the Treasury in 1795, was given the honor of conceiving a new ensign. On June 1, 1799, Wolcott presented his design to President John Adams for approval. Wolcott's concept was an ensign of sixteen vertical stripes, alternating red and white, corresponding to the number of states comprising the Union by 1799. Wolcott was following the stipulations of Congress, which, in 1794, had already modified the national flag to fifteen stars on fifteen stripes, providing for an amendment to the design at the entry of each new state. Wolcott increased the stripes to sixteen, and altered their display to be perpendicular to the horizontal lines of the U.S. Flag.

This new flag was ultimately implemented August 1, 1799, when Secretary of the Treasury, Oliver Wolcott, issued an order announcing that in pursuance of authority from the President, the distinguishing ensign and pennant would consist of, "16 perpendicular stripes, alternate red and white, the union of the ensign to be the arms of the United States in a dark blue on a white field."

We assume that the Commission Pennant, like the ensign reflected the 16 states of the Union, was adopted at the same time. Traditionally, masthead pennants were flown from a nation's warship. This type of flag is also called by such various names as a commissioning, masthead, and a long, narrow, or coach whip pennant. Customarily, these pennants were used primarily on public vessels of sovereign states. In 1674, Britain had limited these pennants to use on the King's ships. Presently, such pennants serve as the "distinctive mark" stipulated in Article 8 of the "1958 Convention on the High Seas," by which to distinguish warships from other vessels.

The commission pennant is a characteristic marking for commissioned Coast Guard cutters; vessels commanded by commissioned or warrant officers. Its raising symbolizes the commissioning new ships and from that time onward, until the ship is decommissioned, the pennant is flown perpetually from the aftermost masthead, except for instances when the cutter is flying an admiral's flag or a command pennant. The commission pennant is also used to indicate the company of a commanding officer (admirals, etc.) and is otherwise used for all the same purposes served by its US Navy equivalent.

Before the Civil War, Revenue Marine cutters were already using a commission pennant that was white with 13 blue stars at the hoist with red and white vertical stripes taking up the fly. After the war, it modified to a design similar to what the US Navy used at the time. This version entailed 13 white stars on blue at the hoist, with the tail striped vertically as before as opposed to that of the Navy, which had red over white. However, in 1938, the Coast Guard, successor to the Revenue Marine and Revenue Cutter Service, reinstated the old antebellum pennant, which we still see in use today.

This small pennant probably dates from after 1938 due to the presence of zigzag stitching on the pennant.

Exhibition History:

First Presidio Exhibit
(ZFC0637)
United States Revenue Service Commision Pennant

Second Presidio Exhibit Gallery One Copy 2003
ZFC0637
13-Star, 16-Stripe United States Revenue Cutter Service Pennant

Publication History:
Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 31.

Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection (ZFC0637) in 2002 from the Mastai Flag Collection of New York City through auction at Sotheby's.

ZFC Significant Flag
Item is Framed

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