The Naval Review The copyright of this article rests with the author, or the author's estate.

SKULL AND CROSSBONES.

THE use of the "Jolly Roger" flag to denote success against the enemy is now universal in submarine flotillas, and the "heraldry" has become more or less standardized. Some remarks on the composition of these flags and the generally accepted rules governing their display may be of interest.

As far as can be discovered Jolly Rogers were not flown by our submarines in the last war, but the connection between submarine warfare and piracy certainly started then. Both were unrestricted and illegal.

In this war the Germans announced unrestricted submarine warfare from the start. We did not follow suit until some time later, after some very worth-while targets had got away.

One of these was the liner Bremen. Commander Bickford, in the Salmon, was in a good position for torpedoing her, but according to the rules and his orders at the time he had to see the crew in a place of safety before sinking the ship. He tried to achieve this by means of a surface attack with his guns, but the air escort forced him to dive again immediately, and this valuable ship passed unmolested.As a matter of fact, even if there had been no air escort, Commander Bickford would have been lucky if his plan had succeeded. The Bremen had only to turn away at full speed and the Salmon's gun would have been very unlikely to have damaged her during the short time she would have been in range. It requires many well placed hits with a submarine's small gun to sink even a moderate-sized ship, let alone a 52,000-ton job.

Fortunately the distinction between combatants and non-combatants at sea was eventually abandoned by us, and our submarines were left free (like our aircraft) to operate in the only way they can with any hope of success, i.e. without restriction.

The first Jolly Roger seen this war was probably that presented by the Captain (S) commanding the First Flotilla at Alexandria, some time early in 1941. The practice soon spread to Malta and the home flotillas. Now each new or newly commissioned boat starts its own Jolly Roger when it scores its first success.

The flag is flown, usually from one of the periscopes, as the submarine enters harbour, and is left flying for the rest of that day. It is eagerly watched for from the signal bridge of the depot ship, as it is often the first news that Captain (S) has that one of his boats has had a bit of luck. It is also flown on that great day when the submarine steams into her home port after a foreign commission. The White Ensign is, of course, always flown as well.

The different devices on the flag must be well known by now, since so many photographs have appeared in the Press. Warships sunk are represented by red bars, merchant ships by white bars. For a U-boat the sign is a red bar with the letter "U" super-imposed. (Yes, it does happen, despite the official doctrine that the submarine is not the answer to the submarine.)

Occasionally, when very large ships have been sunk, an extra thick bar has been put up. One submarine explained that one of their bars was very large because it had been such a colossal fluke hitting the ship. One or two odd coloured bars have also been seen at various times. The boat which accounted for a floating dock used a green bar, while another boat which, by mistake, sank a ship which he should have allowed to pass, decided that yellow was the appropriate colour.

Small ships are usually sunk by gunfire for the sake of economy, and also because they are difficult to hit with a torpedo. They can, however, also be dealt with by a demolition charge or by ramming, but the latter is not recommended. Apart from the risk of damaging the submarine, it is quite easy to misjudge the angle so that the target slides off unhurt. Needless to say this never happens when a slight error of judgment in coming alongside causes the submarine's bows to come into momentary contact with another ship's side. Then the damage is always spectacular and widespread.

All gun actions are shown on the Jolly Roger by stars over crossed guns. Each action rates one star only, even if several ships are sunk at the same time, as often happened in raids on the harbours of the Aegean. Red stars indicate gun actions with warships. Sensible people avoid these if they can, but sometimes they occur either by mistake or as a last resort. The submarine should be very careful not to get hit. It does not require a very big hole in the pressure hull to prevent it from diving.

One of our boats in the Mediterranean mistook an Italian destroyer for a U-boat one dark night a couple of years ago. He opened fire and scored some hits before the destroyer turned to ram and he realized what he was attacking. It was then too late to dive, so he turned exactly end on and neatly sliced open the whole side of the destroyer with his fore hydroplanes as it swept past. We probably know now whether it sank or not, but it was considered a "probable" at the time.

Bombardments of ports and specific objectives are quite good fun, and earn a white star as well. Even if there is an airfield quite near, there is an interval of at least ten minutes before the arrival of the first aircraft, which can be well employed. It is unwise to do a bombardment from too near a shore battery. But even then it is surprising how long it takes them to realize what is going on.

"Mines are laid in enemy waters" quite frequently by our submarines, although it is not considered necessary to announce the fact on the nine o'clock news. But if the reader sees a horned mine with the figure, say 458, alongside it on some submarine's Jolly Roger, he is entitled to draw his own conclusions.

The daggers which appear on most of the flags of the boats returning from abroad may cause speculation. They are copied from the Commando fighting knife and are awarded for "Special Operations." Without delving too deeply into this subject, it may be said that the transportation of General Giraud and his staff from France to North Africa was a special operation which entitled the British submarine which carried it out to add a dagger to its already impressive flag. A curious fact about this romantic operation was that for political reasons the submarine flew the United States ensign and was technically under the command of an American naval captain. This officer took no part, of course, in the handling of the ship. It is circumstances like this which are apt to muddle historians.

Various senior officers have objected to submarines flying Jolly Rogers; but their use has never been officially proscribed, so it is probable that they have come to stay. They may also be dangerous from a security point of view, but evidently not sufficiently so to warrant their abolition. If THE NAVAL REVIEW is read in the Wilhelmstrasse this article may clear up any doubtful points.

The story of Jolly Rogers is the story of our submarines in this war. Some of that story will remain on the Most Secret list for ever. Much of it will have to wait till after the war for publication. But it is to be hoped that it is being written now before memories fade and time colours recollection. It will be worth reading.

W.