Editing Commissioning pennant (section)

===Royal Navy===
[[File:HMS Tireless in the Clyde Estuary leaving HMNB Clyde MOD 45147732.jpg|thumb|[[HMS Tireless (S88)|HMS ''Tireless'']]: her commissioning pennant can be seen flying above and behind her white ensign]]

[[File:Royal Navy commissioning pennant (with outline).svg|thumb|400px|center|The Royal Navy's commissioning pennant]]

In the [[Royal Navy]] the commissioning pennant is flown continuously in every ship and establishment in commission unless displaced by a senior officer's [[Maritime flags#Rank flags|Rank flag]]. The masthead pennant is a [[St George's Cross|cross of St George]] in the hoist and a white fly.<ref name="RN flags">{{cite web |url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/training-and-people/the-rn-today/ship-s-badges-and-flags/index.htm |title=Ship's badges and flags |work=Royal Navy |publisher=Ministry of Defence |access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref> Formerly, when the Royal Navy was divided into red, white and blue squadrons, there were four different pennants in use, the colour of the fly of three of the pennants corresponding with the colour of the squadron ensign, and a fourth for ships on independent commission (i.e. not attached to a squadron, therefore directly under the command of the Admiralty in London), with the fly containing (from top to bottom) red white and blue in a [[triband (flag)|triband]] form (such ships would wear the red ensign). Modern commissioning pennants are significantly shorter than in previous centuries - typically 1m in length and only 10&nbsp;cm at the hoist, tapering to a squared-off point.<ref name="RN flags"/>

A boat carrying a captain of one of His Majesty's ships will on ceremonial occasions fly a commissioning pennant from the bows of the boat as a symbol of his authority.

====Royal Canadian Navy====
[[File:Canadian Commissioning Pennant.png|thumb|400px|center|The Royal Canadian Navy's commissioning pennant]]

Since its creation in 1910, until 1990, the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] and afterwards, Maritime Command (after unification into the Canadian Armed Forces) used the same commissioning pennant as the Royal Navy. In 1990, the old version was phased out with a new design; replacing the Cross of Saint George with a stylized Canadian red maple leaf.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/navy/services/history/naval-flags-uniforms/diplay-naval-flags.html|title = Display of naval flags on Her Majesty's Canadian ships over time|date = 27 October 2017}}</ref>