The Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier is officially flying a brand new battle flag at sea
The new aircraft carrier may still be working out the kinks, but its battle flag is certainly ready for action.
BY JARED KELLER | PUBLISHED OCT 27, 2022 10:38 AM
The first-in-its-class $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier may only be undergoing “service-retained early employment” ahead of its first formal deployment next year, but that doesn’t mean the once-embattled supercarrier can’t mark its first serious trip on the high seas with some pomp and circumstance.
While operating alongside NATO allies in the Atlantic Ocean, the Ford unfurled a distinctive blue-and-yellow battle flag for what appears to be its first formal reveal aboard the aircraft carrier.
As with most Navy battle flags, the colors and symbols selected for the Ford’s banner pay homage to the ship’s namesake, President Gerald R. Ford. The core color scheme of maize yellow and blue represents the 38th president’s undergraduate years at the University of Michigan, while the nautical compass topped with a fleur-de-lis at true north symbolizes not just the spirit of Ford’s naval service during World War II, but his “distinction as the only President who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout,” according to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.
The flag is clearly evocative of the ship’s crest, which was originally unveiled back in 2013. While the ship’s motto of ‘Integrity At The Helm’ — meant to highlight Ford’s “extraordinary legacy of integrity and honesty and his legacy’s connection with the Navy’s core values,” according to the Ford Presidential Foundation — appears on the crest, the battle flag merely reads merely ‘Victory’ with a 78 for the ship’s CVN number. Despite this, both crest and flag center the nautical compass as its core symbol, a tribute to both Ford’s naval career and his moral fortitude.
https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/navy-uss-gerald-r-ford-aircraft-carrier-battle-flag/
