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Turkey: Obsolete naval rank flags

Last modified: 2008-08-16 by ivan sache
Keywords: minister of navy | anchor: fouled (white) | anchor (white) | crescent (white) | bomb |
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The "bomb"

The basic charge of several Turkish rank flags is a "bomb" (fide Album des Pavillons [pay00]). A bomb is a kind of 20-pointed star with points of different length, with the sequence <long-small-medium-small-long> repeated four times.
The graphic construction of the bomb is given in Flaggenbuch (1939) [neu92], with the following details:
- diameter of the long rays: 40;
- diameter of the medium rays: 34;
- diameter of the small rays: 24.
The inner diameter of the bomb, not specified, could be 20. It seems that a small ray points upwards, followed clockwise by a medium ray, then by a small one and a long one, etc.

Ivan Sache & Željko Heimer, 16 April 2003


Flag of the Minister of Navy

[Flag of the Minister of Navy 1926]

Flag of the Minister of Navy, as shown in Flaggenbuch (1926) - Image by Željko Heimer, 20 April 2003

Flaggenbuch (1926) [d9e26] shows the flag of the Minister of Navy as a square red flag with four white bombs, one in each corner, and a white cabled anchor in the middle.

Željko Heimer, 20 April 2003


Naval Forces Command flag

[Naval Forces Command flag]

Naval Forces Command flag, as shown in Flaggenbuch - Image by Željko Heimer, 18 April 2003

The Naval Forces Command flag shown in Flaggenbuch (1939) [neu92] is a square red flag with four white bombs, one in each corner, and a white fouled anchor in the middle (that is, similar to the today's Naval Forces Command flag), and a crescent, with horns pointing upwards, beneath the anchor.
The construction details for the flag are as follows:
- Flag side length: 140 (cm?);
- Distance from the top of the flag to the top of the anchor: 30;
- Outer diameter of the anchor ring: 14;
- Length of the anchor crossbar: 45;
- Distance between the points of the anchor hooks: 40;
- Height of the anchor: 64;
- Distance from the bottom of the flag to the bottom of the crescent: 28;
- Outer radiius of the crescent: 27 (this makes the crescent and the lowest bombs slightly overlapping);
- Maximal width of the crescent: 38;
- Inner radius of the crescent: 26;
- Distance from the geometrical center of the flag to the geometrical center of a bomb: 58;
- Construction of the bomb, as described above.

National Geographic (1917) [gmc17] shows the flag in proportions 2:3, without crescent, as the Imperial standard afloat. This was probably the flag used by the Sultan as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.

Željko Heimer, 16 April 2003


Station Commander's flag

[Station Commander's flag]

Sation Commander's flag, as shown in Flaggenbuch - Image by Željko Heimer, 16 April 2003

The Sation Commander's flag shown in Flaggenbuch (1939) [neu92] is a square red flag with a white fouled anchor and a crescent, with horns pointing upwards, beneath the anchor.

Željko Heimer, 16 April 2003


Junior Commander at Sea's flag

[Junior Commander at sea]

Flag of a Junior Commander at Sea - Images by Željko Heimer, 16 April 2003

Flaggenbuch (1939) [neu92], shows for a Junior Commander at Sea a forked version of the flag of the Station Commander.

Željko Heimer, 16 April 2003