Dated August 9, 1966, by the Army Heraldry Branch, this drawing numbered “5-7-1” shows the new ensign design adopted in 1967 and used by the service today. (Coast Guard photo.) with “United States Coast Guard 1790” and kept “Semper Paratus” split above and below the shield. Thus, he matched the emblem on documents with the one used on the ensign. Commandant Frederick Billard approved the design as did Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon Feb. 26, 1927, followed by President Calvin Coolidge. The Coast Guard mass-produced this standard ensign and distributed new flags to the fleet. The 1927 ensign remained unchanged for nearly 25 years. In 1951, President Harry Truman initiated a flag identification program and the U.S. Army Heraldic Branch found that the U.S. coat of arms on the Coast Guard ensign and the Customs ensign did not adhere to the U.S. coat of arms adopted in 1782 by the Continental Congress. The Heraldic Branch made further changes to ensure the ensign adhered to the original 1799 act, and the eagle emblem of the 1884 U.S. coat of arms. Coast Guard General Order No. 7 of April 3, 1957, codified these modifications. A year later, minor changes followed, including reworking the Coast Guard emblem and changing the blue color of the ensign to match the color on the U.S. flag. The year 1967 saw the last changes applied to the Coast Guard ensign. Coast Guard General Order No. 7 of Jan. 16, 1967, implemented the Coast Guard “Visual Identification System,” which introduced the famous Coast Guard racing stripe. The system also created a separate seal for official plaques, letter head, and documents, and a simplified emblem design applied to the racing stripe and Coast Guard ensign, while the eagle design remained the same as the 1957 version. Dated Aug. 9, 1966, by the Army Heraldry Branch, drawing number 571 of the new ensign design was approved by Commandant Willard Smith in February 1967. Adopted on April 17, 1967, in 33 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 23.15, this design remains in use today. Although display of the Coast Guard ensign is required only when a cutter takes measures to enforce the law, it is customarily displayed on afloat assets at all times whether underway or not. According to 14 United States Code, Section 526, if a private vessel is used by the Coast Guard for law enforcement, it too shall display the ensign. Naval vessels with an embarked Coast Guard law enforcement detachment are also required to fly the ensign when engaged in non-defense law enforcement operations. Coast Guard smallboats must also fly the ensign depending on their mast configuration. Coast Guard regulations state that the distinctive markings of Coast Guard aircraft serve the same symbolic purpose as the ensign. Current regulations dictate that the Coast Guard ensign fly from the highest part of a cutter’s mast or the top of the foremast if the cutter has more than one mast. When dressing the cutter for holidays or ceremonies, the ensign is moved to the starboard yardarm to make way for the U.S. ensign. Above the Coast Guard ensign is flown the commissioning pennant or senior officer flag if the cutter has one mast. Coast Guard shore units are not required to fly the ensign, however, if they do, the ensign is hoisted below the U.S. ensign, or if the pole has a cross tree, from the halyard to the right. The ensign is only flown along with the U.S. ensign from 8 a.m. to sunset, and it is never half-masted. � Issue 1 • 2021 � RESERVIST 63
