Why The Destroyer USS Paul Hamilton Came Home Flying A Crescent Moon Flag And A Long Pennant
The banners have to do with the history of the ship's namesake and Navy traditions regarding particularly long deployments.
ByJoseph TrevithickOctober 17, 2020
The War Zone
Last month, the U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Kidd returned to its homeport flying a huge Jolly Roger pirate flag, something the ship is uniquely authorized to do for reasons you can read about in this subsequent War Zone piece. Earlier this week, another destroyer in this class, the USS Paul Hamilton, finished up its latest deployment flying a large blue flag with a crescent moon-shaped symbol with the word "LIBERTY" written inside, as well as a very long pennant with a stars-and-stripes motif, both of which have their own fascinating backstories.
Paul Hamilton, also known by its hull number DDG-60, returned to Naval Base San Diego in California on Oct. 13, 2020. The ship had left its homeport in January and spent some nine months at sea, primarily in the Middle East and Western Pacific, traveling approximately 54,422 nautical miles, in total, according to the Navy.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/37101/why-the-destroyer-uss-paul-hamilton-came-home-flying-a-crescent-moon-flag-and-a-long-pennant
