Indian Naval Ensign
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| Use | Naval ensign |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 1:2 |
| Design | A white ensign, with a horizontal red stripe and a vertical red stripe intersecting at the centre of the flag, the emblem of India superimposed on the intersection, and the national flag in the upper canton next to the staff. |
The Indian Naval Ensign (also known as the Indian White Ensign) is a naval ensign used by ships of the Indian Navy.
The blue ensign of the Star of India was used from 1879–1928 as the naval ensign of Her Majesty's Indian Marine (1879-1892) and then the Royal Indian Marine (1892-1928). It then became the naval jack and was used from 1928–1947 by the Royal Indian Marine (1928-1934) and then the Royal Indian Navy (1934-1950). The white ensign of the Royal Navy was used from 1928–1950 as the naval ensign of the Royal Indian Marine and then the Royal Indian Navy. The Flag of India is used since 1947 as the naval jack of the Indian Navy.
From 26 January 1950, when India became a republic, until 2001, the Indian Navy used a modified version of the British Naval Ensign, with the Union Flag replaced with the Indian Tricolor in the canton. In 2001, this flag was replaced with a white ensign bearing the Indian Navy crest, as the previous ensign was thought to reflect India's colonial past. However complaints arose that the new ensign was indistinguishable as the blue of the naval crest easily merged with the sky and the ocean. Hence in 2004, the ensign was changed back to the St. George's cross design, with the addition of the emblem of India in the intersection of the cross.
In 2014, the ensign as well as the naval crest was further modified to correct the omission of the national motto in Devanagari script: सत्यमेव जयते (Satyameva Jayate) which means 'Truth Alone Triumphs' in Sanskrit.
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