1st Navy Jack Flag – First Naval Jack Flags Don’t Tread On Me Sewn Cotton Embroidered 2×3, 3×5, 4×6 ft.

1st Naval Jack Flag US Navy Jack Flag – Dont Tread on Me Historic Seasnake Flag

Choose Your Size: 2×3, 3×5, 4×6 ft. Sewn Embroidered Thick Premium Cotton Flags

The First Navy Jack was born at sea, carried into battle on warships, and flies on US Navy vessels to this day. This Cotton Authentic embroidered version — words sewn correctly on both faces, nothing backwards — is built for the occasions that call for something beyond a display flag: honor guard presentations, memorial services, museum installations, and ceremonial contexts where the weight and texture of premium cotton deliver what no synthetic material can.

A Navy Built From Almost Nothing

When the Continental Navy was established in 1775, it faced a challenge that would have seemed laughable to the British Royal Navy — the most powerful maritime force in the world, with hundreds of warships and generations of naval tradition behind it. The Continental Navy had none of that. No ships purpose-built for war, no experienced officer corps, no established flag tradition, no institutional history.

What it had was necessity. Commodore Esek Hopkins was handed command of a collection of converted merchantmen and fishing vessels and tasked with creating a fighting navy from scratch. The flags, the signals, the protocols — all of it had to be invented on the spot, borrowed from existing maritime tradition, or created entirely new.

The striped jack with the rattlesnake was part of that improvised foundation. It gave the fleet a visual identity — something that said this is an American naval vessel before a word was spoken or a shot fired. Thirteen stripes for thirteen colonies. A rattlesnake for the character of the people those colonies represented. Four words that needed no translation in any language.

The Sea Snake — A Maritime Adaptation

The rattlesnake on the First Navy Jack is described in period references as a sea snake — the Continental Navy’s deliberate adaptation of the land-based colonial rattlesnake symbol into a maritime context. Where the Gadsden Flag’s coiled rattlesnake represented the colonial character in general, the Navy Jack’s uncoiled serpent stretched across the stripes suggests motion — a snake in the water, crossing between the columns of red and white, fully at home in the naval element.

It was a subtle but intentional recontextualization. The warning was the same. The environment had changed. The snake adapted accordingly.

“DONT” — What Thomas Hart Documented

The motto reads DONT TREAD ON ME — the apostrophe deliberately absent. This follows the only verified period depiction of the flag: a print made by Thomas Hart in August 1776, which clearly shows the word without punctuation. Every accurate reproduction since has preserved that original spelling. This cotton version maintains that historical fidelity in embroidered thread rather than printed ink.

Still Flying After 9/11

In 2002, the Secretary of the Navy directed all US Navy ships to replace the standard union jack with the historic Navy Jack for the duration of the Global War on Terror — a deliberate decision to fly a Revolutionary-era symbol of defiance and resolve during a new period of national conflict. A flag designed by men with no navy, no resources, and no guarantee of survival was brought back to the decks of destroyers and aircraft carriers as a statement about what America does when threatened.

That directive remains in effect.

A Note From Our Historian

Our historian has authored a full detailed account of the First Navy Jack’s history — covering its origins, documented period sources, naval use, and modern significance. Available by email or mail upon request.

Flag Details & Construction

Quality Tier: Cotton Authentic — Premium Embroidered, Double Sided

• Sizes available: 2×3 ft / 3×5 ft / 4×6 ft
• Material: Premium heavy cotton — full texture, natural weight and drape
• Construction: Embroidered, double sided — words and design sewn correctly on both faces, nothing backwards
• Header: Reinforced attachment with grommets for pole mounting
• Display: Museum and collection grade — designed for indoor and protected ceremonial display

Important: Cotton Authentic flags are designed for indoor and protected display. Not suitable for outdoor or wet conditions.

Recommended Uses

• Naval memorial services and military funerals
• Color guard and honor guard ceremonial presentation
• Museum, naval heritage, and historical society display
• Indoor institutional and civic installation
• Historical reenactments and living history naval productions
• Framed collector display and patriotic heirloom
• Gift of lasting significance for Navy veterans, maritime historians, and serious collectors

Frequently Asked Questions

Why choose cotton for a naval ceremonial flag? Cotton is the material from which every flag in the Continental Navy was made. For ceremonial, memorial, and museum contexts where historical authenticity matters, cotton’s natural weight, texture, and drape produce a result that connects directly to the original tradition in a way synthetic materials cannot replicate.

What does “sea snake” mean in reference to this flag? The Continental Navy adapted the colonial rattlesnake symbol into a maritime context — an uncoiled serpent stretched across the stripes, suggesting motion through water rather than a coiled land-based defensive posture. Period references describe it as a sea snake, distinguishing the naval adaptation from the Gadsden Flag’s terrestrial rattlesnake design.

Is this flag appropriate for military funerals and memorial services? Yes — Cotton Authentic quality is specifically suited for ceremonial and memorial occasions. The weight, texture, and premium embroidered construction give it the gravity appropriate to those contexts, particularly for naval and maritime memorial events.

Why does the flag omit the apostrophe in “Dont”? The spelling follows the only verified period depiction — a Thomas Hart print from August 1776 — which clearly shows the word without an apostrophe. This flag reproduces the historically documented spelling rather than applying modern punctuation standards.

Can this flag be used outdoors? Cotton is not suitable for outdoor or wet conditions. For outdoor display of the First Navy Jack, our nylon embroidered and nylon printed versions provide the appropriate durability for permanent outdoor use.