List of Polish naval and maritime flags

The list of naval and maritime flags of Poland

Jack

Flag	Date	Name	Note
	28.08.1919[1] – around 1946	Jack (proporzec marynarki wojennej)	Formally it remained in force until 31.12.1955
	around 1946 – 31.12.1955[2]	Jack (proporzec marynarki wojennej)	Early People's Republic of Poland period. No precise date of introduction nor legal source can be found
	31.12.1955[3] – 28.12.1959	Jack (proporzec marynarki wojennej)	According to some sources, not used in practice[2]
	28.12.1959[4] – 30.04.1993	Jack (proporzec marynarki wojennej)	People's Republic of Poland period. Basically the same, as 1919-1946
	from 30.04.1993[5]	Jack (proporzec marynarki wojennej)

Naval ensign

Flag	Date	Name	Note
	28.08.1919[1] – 29.03.1928	Naval ensign and land war flag (bandera wojenna i flaga wojenna lądowa)	Aspect 8:5
	29.03.1928 – around 1946	Naval ensign (bandera wojenna)	Formally it remained in force until 31.12.1955, but apparently a flag with the crownless eagle was introduced after WWII. Aspect 5:10½ (1:2.1)
	around 1946 – 30.04.1993	Naval ensign (bandera wojenna)	People's Republic of Poland period. Formally from 31.12.1955.[3] Aspect 1:2.1
	from 30.04.1993[5]	Naval ensign (bandera wojenna)	Basically the same, as 1928-1946. Aspect 1:2.1

Ensigns of auxiliary vessels of the Navy

Flag	Date	Name	Note
	31.12.1955[3] — 14.03.1996	Ensign of auxiliary naval vessels (Bandera pomocniczych jednostek pływających)	Introduced in People's Republic of Poland period (the crownless eagle).
	From 14.03.1996[6]	Ensign of auxiliary naval vessels (Bandera pomocniczych jednostek pływających)

Flags of ships of Border Guard

Flag	Date	Name	Note
	24.04.1953[7] - 19.11.1990	Ensign of vessels of the Border Defence Army (Bandera jednostek pływających Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza)	In addition to People's Republic of Poland naval ensign[8]
	from 03.03.1992[9]	Flag of the Polish Border Guard (Flaga Straży Granicznej)	In addition to state ensign

Ensigns of civilian ships

Flag	Date	Name	Note
	1783 — about 1864	So-called Polish merchant ensign	Used on ships of Cherson Trade Company 1783-1793 and on Congress Poland's vessels on the Vistula in the first half of the 19th century, under Russian protectorate
	28.08.1919[1] — 29.03.1928	Merchant and foreign representatives ensign	Aspect 8:5
	29.03.1928 — around 1946	Merchant ensign and state flag with a coat of arms	Aspect 8:5
	around 1946 — 22.02.1990	Merchant and state ensign	Formally from 31.12.1955
	From 22.02.1990	Merchant and state ensign	The same, as 1928-1946
	current	River craft ensign	At least from 29. 03. 1928

Other Navy flags

Image	English name Polish name	Use
	Commissioning pennant Znak dowódcy okrętu	Ship commanded by a navy officer in a campaign Detailed description in List of Polish flags
	Navy flag Flaga Marynarki Wojennej	Ceremonial flag used on military holidays, visits of high civilian or military authorities, or representatives of foreign countries, as well as other ceremonies.[6] Detailed description in List of Polish flags
	Naval aviation flag Flaga lotnictwa wojskowego Marynarki Wojennej	Naval airports and heliports, 28.12.1959[4] — 14.03.1996
	Flag of naval aviation of the Border Defence Army Flaga lotnictwa morskiego Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza	Naval airports and heliports, 28.12.1959[4] — 1991 (formally until 30.04.1993)
	Naval airport (heliport) flag Flaga lotnisk (lądowisk) Marynarki Wojennej	Naval airports and heliports, from 14.03.1996[6] Detailed description in List of Polish flags

Rank flags

Image	English name Polish name	Use
	Flag of the Commander of the Navy Flaga dowódcy Marynarki Wojennej	On naval vessels when the Commander of the Navy is on board[6] Detailed description in List of Polish flags
	Admiral's Flag Flaga admirała	On naval vessels when an admiral is on board
	Vice Admiral's Flag Flaga wiceadmirała	On naval vessels when a vice admiral is on board
	Rear Admiral's Flag Flaga kontradmirała	On naval vessels when a rear admiral is on board
	General's Flag Flaga generała	On naval vessels when a general is on board

Rank pennants

Image	English name Polish name	Use
	Pennant of the Chief of the Naval Staff Proporczyk szefa Sztabu Marynarki Wojennej	On naval vessels when the Chief of the Naval Staff is on board[6] Detailed description in List of Polish flags
	Flotilla Commander's Pennant Proporczyk dowódcy flotylli	On naval vessels when a flotilla commander is on board
	Division Commander's Pennant Proporczyk dowódcy dywizjonu	On naval vessels when a division commander is on board
	Group Commander's Pennant Proporczyk dowódcy grupy	On naval vessels when a group commander is on board

Special state service vessels

Image	English name Polish name	Use
	Police flag Flaga Policji	Police vessels (from 2 May 1996)[10]
Special state service flags (below) are used by state-employed civil special-purpose ships while on duty, from 16 December 2005. These flags all follow the same basic design; a white flag with a horizontal stripe 1/5 the width of the flag's width. In the middle, each flag is emblazoned with the national coat of arms superimposed on a golden or yellow anchor whose height is 3/5 of the flag's width. The middle stripe is broken in the middle and does not touch the anchor or the arms. The type of special service performed by the ship is indicated by the color of the middle stripe. Proportion 5:8.[11] From 1967 there were basically similar flags carried, but with PRL coat of arms (eagle without a crown)[12]
	Hydrographic survey and Maritime Office flag Flaga statku hydrograficznego i dozorczego urzędu morskiego	Hydrographic survey vessels and vessels of Maritime Offices (blue stripe)
	Rescue ship and pollution-control flag Flaga statku ratowniczego oraz specjalnego statku do zwalczania zanieczyszczeń	Lifeboats and pollution-control vessels (orange stripe)
	Icebreaker flag Flaga statku używanego wyłącznie do łamania lodów	Vessels used exclusively for breaking ice (violet stripe)
	Pilot boat flag Flaga statku pilotowego	Pilot boats (ash-grey stripe)
	Fireboat flag Flaga statku pożarniczego	Fireboats (red stripe)
	Training ship flag Flaga statku szkolnego	Training ships (black stripe)
	Customs ship flag Flaga statku celnego	Customs ships (green stripe)
	Hospital ship flag Flaga statku sanitarnego	Hospital ships (yellow stripe)
	Telecommunication ship flag Flaga statku telekomunikacyjnego	Telecommunication ships (brown stripe)

References

1. (Polish) Law of 1 August 1919 on Coat of Arms and Colours of the Polish Republic (Ustawa o godłach i barwach Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), Dz.U. 69 of 1919, pos.416
2. Kazimierz Madej, Polskie symbole wojskowe 1943-1978, Warsaw, 1980, ISBN 83-11-06410-5, p.74
3. (Polish) Decree of 9 November 1955 on insignia of the Armed Forces (Dekret o znakach Sił Zbrojnych), Dz.U. nr. 47 of 1955, pos.315
4. (Polish) Law of 10 December 1959 amending Decree of 9 November 1955 on insignia of the Armed Forces (Ustawa o zmianie dekretu z dnia 9 listopada 1955 r. o znakach Sił Zbrojnych), Dz.U. nr. 71 of 1959, pos.447
5. (Polish) Law of 19 February 1993 on insignia of the Polish Armed Forces (Ustawa o znakach Sił Zbrojnych Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), Dz.U. z 1993 r. Nr 34, poz. 154
6. (Polish) Zarządzenie Ministra Obrony Narodowej z dnia 29 stycznia 1996 r. w sprawie szczegółowych zasad używania znaków Sił Zbrojnych Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej oraz ustalenia innych znaków używanych w Siłach Zbrojnych Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Ordinance of the Minister of National Defence on Detailed Rules for the Use of the Insignia of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland and Establishment of other Insignia Used in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, 29 January 1996), Monitor Polski z 1996 r. Nr 14 poz. 178
7. (Polish) Decree of 23 April 1953 on ensign of vessels of the Border Defence Army (Dekret o banderze jednostek pływających Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza), Dz.U. nr.23 of 1953, pos.94
8. Volker Preuß. "Polen Marineflagge der Grenztruppen" (in German). Retrieved 2007-07-01.
9. (Polish) Ordinance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of 20 December 1991 on flag of the Border Guard, conditions of flying a flag and markings of vessels and aircraft (Zarządzenie Ministra Spraw Wewnętrznych z dnia 20 grudnia 1991 r. w sprawie wzoru flagi Straży Granicznej, okoliczności i warunków jej podnoszenia oraz sposobu oznakowania jednostek pływających i statków powietrznych, a także znaków rozpoznawczych używanych na nich przez Straż Graniczną w nocy), Monitor Polski nr.5 of 1992, pos.29
10. (Polish) Ordinance of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration on the Flag and Markings for Police Vessels and Aircraft, 18 April 2005, Dz.U. 2005 Nr 84 poz. 724
11. (Polish) Rozporządzenie Ministra Infrastruktury z dnia 21 października 2005 r. w sprawie wzorów flag dla statków morskich na oznaczenie pełnionej specjalnej służby państwowej oraz okoliczności i warunków ich podnoszenia (Ordinance of the Minister of Infrastructure on Flags for Special State Service Vessels), Dz.U. 2005 Nr 235 poz. 1998
12. (Polish) Zarządzenie Ministra Żeglugi z dnia 4 stycznia 1967 r. w sprawie określenia wzorów flag dla statków morskich pełniących specjalną służbę państwową (Ordinance of Shipping Ministry of 4 January 1967), M.P. 1967 Nr. 8 Pos. 46

See also

• List of Polish flags
• Mazurek Dąbrowskiego