(Third in the series of Unlubberizing flags, banners, and pennants.
Skip the sidebar in the last paragraph if you are only interested in
the origin of the term "dressed to the 9's")




Morning and Evening Colors, Dressing and "Full Dressing" Ship

The modern tradition of observing formal ceremonies for the daily
raising and lowering of the national ensign is thought to have
originated in the British Navy in 1797. After suppressing a series of
mutinies, the Admiralty sought some means by which additional
discipline could be instilled in the ranks. Lord St. Vincent concluded
that assembling twice each day to pay respect to the ensign and other
official flags was a useful means to that end, and the tradition
continues to this day.

Colors are traditionally "made" at 0800 (8AM), an hour by which the
sun has risen at most latitudes almost any day of the year and at which
the morning watch (0400-0800) is typically replaced on deck by the
forenoon watch (0800-1200). Evening colors are made at official sunset,
which will vary according to the day of the year and the latitude.

Most pleasure boaters will not observe an entire, formal, colors
ceremony on a daily basis, but any boater can show greater respect for
the national flag by employing at least of modicum of decorum when
hoisting or lowering the ensign. Various branches of the service
observe slight differences in color ceremonies, but the US Coast Guard
Ceremony listed below can serve as a general model for making colors.

Morning Colors Sequence:

1. At 0755, word is passed to the ship's company "First Call, First
Call to Colors." Aboard some military vessels, a black and yellow
"preparatory pennant" is hoisted halfway up the mast as an
additional, visual indication of "first call."
2. The guard of the day and the band parade. (But of course 99.99% of
pleasure boaters cruise without the benefit of a marching band)
3. Immediately prior to 0800, the bugle call "Attention" is sounded
and the assembled company comes to attention. (What? No bugler aboard
the 38-foot ship "Carpe Diem"? A single horn or whistle blast may
be substituted for the bugle call)
4. At 0800 precisely the order is given to "Execute," and either
the National Anthem or the bugle call "To the Colors" should be
played if the musical capability is at hand. The ensign is started up
at the beginning of the music, and hoisted directly to the top of the
pole or mast. The Union Jack, is displayed, is hoisted simultaneously
with the national ensign. All aboard the vessel face the ensign and
will salute during the playing of "To the Colors" or the National
Anthem. Those persons not in uniform will salute by removing hats and
placing their right hand over the heart.
5. If the ensign is to be displayed at half-mast, it is first raised to
the peak of the hoist and then lowered to the appropriate position.
6. When the ensign is in place, other flags and signals can be hoisted
beginning with the USPS ensign (when appropriate) followed by a club
burgee and finally any private signals.
7. When the colors have been made, the order to "Carry On" signals
the end of the ceremony. The order can be issued verbally, sounded as a
bugle call, or sounded as three blasts on the ship's horn or whistle.


Evening Colors Sequence:

1. Five minutes before official sunset, the word is passed "First
Call, First Call to Colors".
2. The guard of the day and the band parade.
3. Immediately prior to sunset, the bugle call "Attention" is
sounded. One blast on the ship's horn or whistle may be substituted
for the bugle call.
4. At sunset, the order to "Execute" is given, and the bugle call
"retreat" or the National Anthem is played. Private signals, club
burgees, and the USPS ensign (if flown) are lowered in that order and
quickly, and then the national ensign is lowered slowly. When music is
available, the ensign should be lowered at a speed that will bring it
to the bottom of the pole just as the last note sounds. All present
will face the ensign and salute.
5. If the ensign has been displayed at half-mast, it shall be quickly
raised to the peak before lowering as described in item 4.
6. The color ceremony ends with the verbal order or bugle call "Carry
On," or by three blasts of the ship's horn or whistle.


Dressing and "Full Dressing" Ship

The custom of dressing ship may have originated with the Vikings. When
a Viking longboat was returning to its home village, the warriors
aboard would often hang their personalized shields above the gunwales.
Worried family members would rush down to the shoreline as soon as the
longboat appeared on the horizon. Hands would shade anxious eyes as
onlookers squinted and strained to catch a glimpse of a loved ones'
shield for assurance that a father, a brother, a husband, or a lover
had survived the expedition. Some historians assert that the shields
displayed were those of slain (and looted) rivals, but in any event the
greater the number of colorful shields displayed on a longboat the
happier the crowds on shore would be as the longboat approached.

During the years when Britannia ruled the waves, the crews of warships
returning to port after a victory would decorate the ship with strings
of colorful flags, as well as bunting along the bulwarks. Tradition
dictated that the more decisive or profitable the engagement, the
greater the number of colorful flags and other decorations the ship
would display. Just as with the Viking tradition of displaying shields,
the purpose was to celebrate homecoming and afford spectators ashore
the earliest possible indication of the ship's fortunes. The
Admiralty eventually ordered the elimination of bunting and developed
some standards to regulate how ships would be "dressed" and upon
what occasions.

Many modern boaters make no distinction between the terms "dress"
and "full dress," assuming that "dressed ship" refers to any
vessel with a rainbow of signal flags displayed. Nitpickers will note,
(correctly), that a ship can be considered "dressed" when national
colors are flown from all mastheads and the flagstaff.

The colorful displays of signal flags seen in parades and during some
national holidays are easily recognized components of a ship in "full
dress." There are some specific standards that must be observed or
that string of colorful signals might just as well be flapping in the
breeze over the "front row" of a local used car lot. Certainly
among the more important criteria is the requirement that International
Code flags shall be used.
Among the more blatant lubberisms when full dressing a ship is the
often-observed substitution of multi-colored plastic banners that
actually *were* intended to hang over a display of used cars.

A properly "full dressed" ship is dressed at the 0800 colors, and
the dressing is removed quickly (and prior to the national or yacht
ensign) at evening colors. The yacht ensign is flown from the stern
staff, and the Union Jack (in the US, the blue field with 50 white
stars that is considered the "union" of the national ensign) may be
used on the jackstaff at the bow. Officer's flags and club burgees
are usually not displayed on a fully dressed ship.

A "rainbow effect" created by a string of International Code flags
begins at the waterline forward, proceeds across the stem, anchor
pulpit, or bowsprit, and is than carried to the mastheads before
descending to the waterline aft by way of the boom, sternrail, or other
portion of the vessel most aft. Flags and pennants are not simply bent
onto the display line in a willy-nilly, random fashion but in a manner
that creates an organized and pleasant overall appearance. There are
twice as many letter flags as numerical banners in the International
Code series, so it is customary to use a two-flag/ one-pennant sequence
to create the rainbow effect. Very large boats may require multiple
sets of International Code flags to cover the distance fore to aft.
Powerboats without masts shall attempt to duplicate the "rainbow"
effect as closely as practicable.

A commonly observed order for application of International Code flags
to the display line is, (from fore to aft): AB2, UJ1, KE3, GH6, IV5,
FL4, DM7, PO Third Repeater, RN First Repeater, ST Zero, CX9, WQ8, ZY
Second Repeater

A boat or ship cannot be "fully dressed" on a whim. Appropriate
occasions are national holidays, regattas, and special events such as
the Opening Day parades. Fully dressed ships and boats are not
customarily allowed to get underway, with some specific exceptions.
"Full dress" while underway is permissible for a vessel's maiden
or final voyage and (fortunately for Opening Day events) during parades
and other unique situations.



[Sidebar: Dressed "To the Nines"
It isn't unusual to overhear a person who has dressed up in formal
attire described as "dressed to the nines". This term actually
originated as part of the "dressed ship" tradition during the era
when British "ships of the line" would parade for the Monarch.
Ships of the line were traditionally rigged with three masts, and each
mast would be configured with a main yard, a topgallant yard, and a
topsail yard. The three yards on each of the three masts were casually
referred to as "the nines". When passing in parade before the King
or Queen, the ship's company would don formal uniforms and as many of
the crew as could be accommodated would climb to the yards, stand
shoulder to shoulder at attention, and salute the Monarch as the ship
passed the royal reviewing stand. The naval ships were not merely
"fully dressed", but with the addition of saluting sailors standing
on the various yards they were literally "dressed to the nines."}