Naval ensign

maritime flag used for national identification of warships

A naval ensign is a flag used by warships to show which country they belong to. Sometimes a naval ensign is called a war ensign.

A flag waving in the wind. The flag is on a ship. The flag is white and has a red cross on it. There is a British flag in the top left of the flag.
A British naval ensign on a warship of the Royal Navy.

A naval ensign flies from the back of a ship. Some countries use their national flags on warships as their naval ensigns. The United States is an example of a country that uses its national flag instead of a naval ensign. Some other countries have a special naval ensign different to its national flag. Britain is an example of a country which uses a special naval ensign different to its national flag.