Naval heraldry
An item of naval heraldry is seen as the identifying logo of the vessel, and is commonly reproduced on hats, stationery, trophies, souvenirs, and gifts related to the ship.
The system of naval heraldry used by the Portuguese Navy was established and regulated in 1972, being slightly reviewed by an ordinance of February 18, 2010.
[2] At the first meeting, it was decided that all RAN badges would follow the Royal Navy format: a circle of rope in which the individual design would be placed, capped by a naval crown and a scroll with the ship's name.
[4] In 1970, a minor change was made to the naval crown, with one of the pennants on top of the sails altered to point left instead of right.
[5] The reduced size for submarines was a practical necessity: the badge had to fit through the external hatch, as it was only displayed on the fin while in port.
[6] The badge entered use with all non-commissioned RAN units, such as the dockyards, naval police, and administrative divisions.
[6] Naval heraldry in the Royal Danish Navy can be traced back to the 17th century, when ships had elaborate transom decorations.
[9] Following a number of work-groups to determine design, a standard template was produced on 26 April 1957 and was approved by the King on the 15 June 1957.
Three maple leaves at the bottom of the rope circle distinguish Canadian badges from those of other Commonwealth navies.
[2] During World War II, the number of ships being built and commissioned outstripped the ability of a central authority to design and approve.
Local authority to the commanding officers of the ships resulted in humorous and risque badges, including some cartoon characters.
[15] However, the extravagance of these decorations began to reach the point of flamboyance, and an Admiralty directive in the early 18th century restricted the amount that could be spent, and eventually banned it outright.
[15] In 1918, Charles ffoulkes, the curator of the newly established Imperial War Museum was asked by the commanding officer of HMS Tower to design a badge for his ship.
[15] He quickly received requests to create badges for other Royal Navy vessels, and on 10 December 1918, ffoulkes was appointed the Admiralty advisor on heraldry.
[16] In 1919 the badges were standardized as four shapes: Circular (battleships & battlecruisers), Pentagonal (cruisers), Shield (destroyers) and Diamond (all other types and shore establishments).
[16] Cardboard mockups were created, gilded, and installed on a police launch, which was observed on patrol of the Thames by a captured German submarine moored outside the Palace of Westminster.
[16] This was primarily due to wartime shortages, although another factor was to eliminate difficulties caused when a ship was commissioned with a previously-used name but was a different type of vessel, requiring the badge to be redesigned for the new shape.
[16] After the war, the pentagonal badge shape was assigned to Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels, and the diamond to commissioned shore bases.
[18] A few ships of the South African Navy adopted badges during World War II, but they appear to have been unofficial.
Only one, that of the reserve base HMSAS Unitie, conformed to the Royal Navy pattern of enclosing the badge in a U-shaped frame of golden cable, ensigned of a naval crown resting on a name plaque.
For some categories of ships, including the Daphné-class submarines, Minister-class strike craft, and River-class minehunters, standard badges were designed, which were then differenced to identify individual vessels.
It is the custom in the United States Navy (USN) for ships, bases and other commands to receive an individually designed heraldic emblem.
