Rank flags of the revolutionary cuban navy, by Dr. Avelino Víctor Couceiro Rodríguez

1^st. edition: Published in Flags, North American Vexillological Association (NAVA), Washington DC, USA; and in www.nava.org; from the North American Congress of Vexillology, Charleston, South Carolina, October 8-11, 2009.

Thanks Marta Rodríguez Díaz; in USA: Maikel Arista-Salado; Cary Aguilera; Mercedes León and Armando Pérez; NAVA. In Europe: Marisela and Milagros Cruz Suárez.

Like in other countries, the rank flags in Cuba do not only suffer of insufficient investigation due to the relatively recent birth of Vexillology in the world (hardly 52 years), but rather also, as per the above statement, the knowledge and awareness by the people in general, is practically null. This of course, threatens today substantial areas of the most genuine national patrimony, to which those ones previous to January of 1959, have been privileged. Bibliography hardly exists in this respect and less even on the current rank flags of the navy, which maybe the main contribution of this research.

Legislation under law number 13 of January 13^th of 1959, suspended all the rules, regulations and dispositions related to the Army of the Republic, leaving as well, obsolete the rank flags in use up that point.

Later on, to identify the State authorities of the Government and of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias. FAR, in next), a new set of rank flags were introduced but were not approved until after 1992, when the text of the new constitution was approved. Until the present, it has not been possible to find the exact context of the origin of each of this new rank flags.

We know that the Chief of Staff of FAR settled de iure, in the Regulations of Revolutionary Cuban Navy (RCN, in next), the flags and badges that this military body could use. However, it doesn't mean that the new rank flags were born with this legal new regulation. It is presumably that they were being used much earlier, without any known regulation. The fact that the regulation has not made public, it hinders to verify such antecedents, at least by these sources.

The one mentioned Regulation specifies that "when the flags are used by mobile units in combat or on parade, they are called banners.", a definition that has been valued as poor and indicative of the scarce culture that still exists in Cuba about vexillological terms, even when must be recognized also that, it is not an exclusive problem in Cuba and it is neither exclusive of the Army hierarchies.

This Regulation, which will serve as base for polemic and ulterior conclusions, offers in its article 185 the indications to identify the badges of the chiefs used in the units and ships of RCN. The descriptions reflect the inadequacies in the Cuban vexillological culture again, even among those who have been devoted professionally to this matter (see Annex); over this support, the following versions illustrate a little more effort in the vexillological language, in each one of which its flag is attached:

It is a rectangular white field with proportions 1: 1 ½. The Commander in Chief badge is in the center.[1] The field has double border, red the inside and white the outside one, at a distance similar to a 12^th. of its width. The width of the border is half of that distance; with a height equal to half of the width of the flag.

It is a rectangular red field its proportions are 1:1 ½. In its center, a yellow shield of Swiss contour - similar to the national one - with a five points star of the same color with black outline for contrast. The field has double border, white the inside and red the outside one, at a distance similar to a 12^th. of its width, the width of the border is half of that distance; with a height equal to half of the width of the flag.

It is a rectangular deep blue field with double border. The external border in red and the inside border in white, at a distance similar to a 12^th. of its width. The width of the border is half of that distance. The proportions are 1:1 ½. In its center, a white shield of Swiss contour - similar to the national one - with a five points star of the same color with blue outline for contrast, with a height same to half of the width of the flag.

It is rectangular, deep blue field of proportions 1:1 ½. In its center, a white shield of Swiss contour - similar to the national one - with a five points star of the same color with blue outline for contrast, with a height equal to half of the width of the flag. The field has double border, white the inside and deep blue the outside one, at a distance similar to a 12^th. of its width, the width of the border it is half of that distance.

It is a rectangular red field with a white canton with a red five points star in its center. The red star is inscribed in an imaginary circumference with radio similar to an eighth of the width of the flag. The proportions are 1:1 ½ and the width of the white canton will be five 12^ths. parts of the width of the flag, and its length, a third of the length of the flag.

It is rectangular red field with proportions 1:1 ½ and white canton with a red anchor in its center. At the fly, in the right upper corner a white five points star is placed, inscribed in an imaginary circumference its radio is similar to an eighth of the width of the flag. The width of the white canton is five 12^th. parts of the width of the flag; the longitude of the anchor is similar to a third of the width of the flag.

A deep blue field of rectangular shape with proportions 1:1 ½. A white canton with a red anchor in its center and at the fly of the right upper corner, a white five points star.[2]

A rectangular flag with proportions 1:1 ½ with two horizontal stripes of white over red. The white stripe is three times wider than the red (3:1) At the center of the white stripe a red anchor, its longitude will be five eighths of the width of the flag; in the bisector of its right superior angle a red five points star, inscribed in an imaginary circumference its radio will be similar to an eighth of the width of the flag and its center at a distance of the angle similar to the diameter of the circumference; from the inferior border of the flag, a red fringe its width will be similar to a fourth of the width of the flag.

It is rectangular, with proportions 1:1 ½ of two horizontal stripes of white over blue. The white stripe is three times wider than the blue (3:1). At the center of the white stripe a deep blue anchor. Its longitude is five eighths of the width of the flag; a deep blue fringe from its inferior border and its width is a fourth of the width of the flag.

A burgee, like an isosceles triangle, divided in three parts. Deep blue the superior part and white the inferior one. At the hoist a red equilateral triangle.

At least in principle, these flags can be valued to maintain a vexillological tradition inherited and even empiric, but finally a tradition. Some elements of the national symbols are of prevalence as the three colors of the national flag: white, blue and red. The solitary star and among the upper ranks, the allusion to the contour of the national arms even the real palm, are another identities from national symbols.

These rank flags also maintain international symbols as the anchor and the streamer. The rectangular shape is another international aspect on these flags, with the single exception of the flag of the President of the Council of State that is squared.

Another evidence of maintaining international vexillological principles is that the main device used for the upper rank flags is located at the center and all of these flags have a double border. On the other hand, all the middle rank flags have the canton, while the lower rank flags maintain a set profile.

Other devices on these rank flags are of third inheritance, like it could be with more polemic and according to each culture and context the meaning of the colors used.

Blue, white and red reigns almost absolutely, while and only very brief and occasionally, yellow and black. This last one, for example, in the signal referenced to the M-26-7, is used only once while yellow is used very little

But blue is a Cuban inheritance from the world, which is usually repeated in naval flags of other countries.

As the other flags, these ones are produced by a historical and cultural process in which at the same time, they act active and creatively for the imagination and social projects. They represent contexts indissolubly as waving emblems, visual lyricism that synthesizes in the textile some of the environmental and cultural values, those ones considered the most symbolic of the identity which they are supposed to raise high. This might be an essential vexillological law.

Lacking among the above mentioned rank flags, is the one of the President of the Council of State or commonly known as the “Presidential Flag/Ensign”. The flag is squared of deep blue field. At the center, the national arms of the republic, inscribed in an imaginary circumference of diameter equal to half of the width of the flag. (See in the annex the description according to the one referred in the official regulation) But this flag requires another dissertation.

For all the above-mentioned, the Cuban flags of rank, like this study demonstrates, deserve a more in depth study and analysis of all and each one. They summarize artistically codes to be studied by vexillologists, symbolic values that identify our people according to each context where they have been gestated. Because of all that, they deserve monographies to be preserved for the national patrimony. In this new context, they are worthy inheritors of the vexillological international patrimony and concretely, the Cuban one. AVCR

Descriptions of the Cuban flags of rank in accordance to the Regulation by the RCN.

a) Flag of the President of the Council of State: it is squared, of color deep blue; it takes to the center the shield of the real palm in colors, inscribed in an imaginary circumference of diameter same to half of the width of the flag.

b) Flag of the Commandant in Chief: it is rectangular, of white color and its long has time and half its width; in its interior it takes a red fringe, at a distance of the borders of the flag similar to a 12^th. of its width, being the width of the same fringe half of that distance; in the center it takes the Commandant in Chief's badge.

c) Flag of the Minister of the FAR: it is rectangular of red color, and its long has time and half its width; in its interior it takes a white fringe at a distance of the borders of the flag similar to a 12^th. of its width; being the width of the same fringe half of that distance; in the center of the flag it has embroidered, in yellow color, the oval leather of the national shield with a height equal to half of the width of the flag; inscribed in the shield it takes embroidered a star in the same color of the oval leather shield and with one of its five points up.

d) Flag of the First Vice minister: it is rectangular, of color deep blue, with the external border in red and its long has time and half its width; in its interior it takes a white fringe at a distance of the borders of the flag similar to a 12^th. of its width, being the width of the same fringe half of that distance; in the center of the flag has embroidered, in white color, the oval leather of the national shield with a height equal to half of the width of the flag; inscribed in the shield it takes embroidered a star in the same color of the oval leather shield and with one of its five points up.

e) Flag of the Vice minister and Joint Chief of Staff: it will be rectangular, of color deep blue and its long will have time and half its width; inwardly it will take a white fringe at a distance of the borders of the flag similar to a 12^th. of the width of this flag, being the width of the same fringe half of that distance; in the center of this flag will be embroidered in white color the oval leather of the national shield with a height equal to half of the width of the flag; inscribed in the shield it will take embroidered a star in the same color of the oval leather shield and with one of its five points up.

f) Flag of the Chief of the Army: it is rectangular, red with long similar to time and half its width; it has in its left superior part a white field, in its center takes a star of red color with one of its five points up, inscribed in an imaginary circumference its radio will be similar to an eighth of the width of the flag; the width of the white part will be five 12^th. parts of the width of the flag and its long a third of the long of the flag.

g) Flag of the Chief of RNC: it is rectangular, red, with long similar to time and half its width and has in its left superior part a white field, in its center takes an anchor of red color; the width of the white part is five 12^th. parts of the width of the flag; the longitude of the anchor is similar to a third of the width of the flag; takes a star of white color with one of its five points up, inscribed in an imaginary circumference its radio is similar to an eighth of the width of the flag.

h) Flag of the Second Chief of RNC: it is rectangular, of color deep blue, with a long similar to time and half its width; in its left superior part has a white field in its center takes a red anchor and in its right superior angle, a white star; the white field with its anchor and the star is prepared in the same form and proportions that those specified for the flag of the Boss of RNC.

i) Flag of the Chief of the Naval Base (Chief of the Naval Academy): it is rectangular, with a long similar to time and half its width, of white color, with a red fringe from its inferior border its width will be similar to a fourth of the width of the flag; in its white center it takes a red stocked anchor, its longitude will be five eighths of the width of the flag; in its right superior angle takes a red star with one of its five points up; the star will be in the bisector of the angle and inscribed in an imaginary circumference its radio will be similar to an eighth of the width of the flag and its center at a distance of the angle similar to the diameter of the circumference.

j) Flag of Squadron Chief: it is rectangular, with a long similar to time and half of its width, of white color, with a deep blue fringe from its inferior border and its width is a fourth of the width of the flag; in its white center it takes a stocked anchor in color deep blue its longitude is five eighths of the width of the flag.

k) The Streamer of Ship commander: it is an isosceles triangle, divided in two same parts; deep blue the superior and white the inferior one; in its widest part it takes a red equilateral triangle.

Notes:

[1] AUTHOR´S NOTE: At the same time, it retakes from the number 26 over red and black, visual symbol of the Movement July 26th. (M-26-7), generated after the assault to the Moncada Quarter on July 26^th. 1953, detonating to the triumph of January 1^st., 1959.

[2] AUTHOR´S NOTE: Notice that the white canton with its anchor and its star, are disposed in the same way and proportions than those ones specified for the flag of the chief of the RCN, such as it is explained in the description agree Regulation in the Annex.