USS Spadefish battle flag made either late World War 2 or post-war, but not on board the Spadefish
Collection
Flags Collection
Made/Created
Time Period
20th Century
Notes
Date: mid-20th century [?]
Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
Flag
Nomenclature Sub-Class
Organizational Objects
Nomenclature Class
Ceremonial Objects
Nomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication Objects
Interpretative Labels
Label
During the Second World War, on board US submarines, crew kept unofficial score of the enemy vessels they had sunk by producing “battle flags.” In the Pacific campaign, Japanese merchant vessels were represented by a red disk on a white background and warships by the rising sun motif of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The vessel’s namesake mascot – a cartoon fish – was also portrayed on the battle flag. The designs for these mascots were produced by Disney Studios as a contribution to war effort. Such flags were a symbol of the close bonds and esprit de corps found among the members of the “Silent Service.”
