Raven: A Journal of Vexillology

Volume 11, 2004

Peter Ansoff
Pages 1-60

The First Navy Jack

While the rattlesnake-and-stripes flag that currently flies on the bow of every U.S. warship has a long tradition in American flag use, its design was a 19th-century mistake based on an erroneous 1776 engraving. This paper explores the history of the flag that never existed.