Editing Commissioning pennant (section)

====United States Navy and United States Coast Guard====

The commissioning pennant of the United States Navy is "blue at the hoist, bearing seven white stars; the rest of the pennant consists of single longitudinal stripes of red and white."<ref name="USNHC"/> The commissioning pennant of the United States Coast Guard is a near opposite, being white at the hoist, bearing thirteen blue stars, and with the rest of the pennant consisting of multiple vertical red and white stripes.

Ships of the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard fly their respective commissioning pennants from the moment of commissioning until the decommissioning ceremony, the only exceptions being when either a [[flag officer]] or a civilian official is embarked and the flag officer's or civilian official's personal flag is flown in its place.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/customs-and-traditions/commissioning-pennant.html |title=Commissioning Pennant |website=www.history.navy.mil |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203120710/http://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/heritage/customs-and-traditions/commissioning-pennant.html |archive-date=2015-02-03}} </ref>

The ensign, jack and commissioning pennant are hoisted directly after the reading out of the commissioning order and struck as the final act before the captain declares the ship decommissioned.

The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard use the respective pennants as the symbol of the vessel's commanding officer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us%5Envcp.html |title=Commissioning pennant |year=2001 |last=McMillan |first=Joe |publisher=Flags of the World |access-date=11 March 2011}}</ref>
{{multiple image
| align = center
| image1 = USNavyCommissionPennant.svg
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| image2 = US Coast Guard Commissioning Pennant.gif
| width2 = 300
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| footer = Commissioning pennants for the [[United States Navy]] (left) and [[United States Coast Guard]] (right).
}}When the vessel's commanding officer is ashore, the ship will also display the international code flag known as the Third Substitute pennant.