OK, perhaps I am off base here but when a naval vessel of war goes to Battle stations I beleave that they raise their "Battle Flags" to alert the rest of the fleet.  If this is correct, what is the series of flags for "Battle Stations".

I just thought that might be a solid addition to my own flags!  If I am stupid or way off base, I welcome anyone to let me know.  

I was a Disbursing clerk, the guy who pays you.

When we went to battle stations, I was inside the ship, so I don't know about the battle flags, but Gitmo bay is hot in da summa time.  Especially when at battlestations.

But here is how it goes on the 1MC:

Battle stations, battle stations, all hands man yer battlestations....forget the rest....


Sweepers:

Sweepers, Sweepers, man yer brooms, give the ship a good clean sweepdown both fore and aft,
sweep down all ladderbacks and passageways,
now sweepers...

Your going to have to check with a skivvy waiver as I also have never heard about "battle flags" being raised during or before going to GQ.

Away the sea and anchor detail....

Actually, didn't it go
General Quarters, General Quarters. All hands man your battle stations. Forward and up on the port side, down and aft on the starboard.

As for flags, I only remember changing them from being in port to underway, and an extra large one as the holiday ensin(sp).

Request permission to go ashore now...

I was a skivvy waiver and the answer is no special flag is raised for battle stations.Flags are raised for fueling,anchoring,church services,manoverboard,absentee of the captain,and lots of other occasions.Why signal your state of readiness?

I have a contact off the port bow

Bearing XXX degrees...

Red on right returning....  [8D]

Sorry, no clue on flags...  Trying to remember what my Navy friend told me years ago for aircraft carriers.  

Man overboard, Man overboard... 3 whistles? Left or Right? Full Rudder,  All ahead flank.

Ya, I don't know nothing. [:D]

"Flight Quarters. Flight Quarters. Man your Flight Quarters stations. The ship is at Flight Quarters. All hands not involved in flight operations stand clear of the flight deck, all catwalks, and weather decks. Hold all trash on station."

"White smoke; white smoke. White smoke in compartment xx-xx-xx. Away the flying squad."

"Tattoo. Lights out in 5 minutes. All hands pause and uncover for the chaplain's evening prayer."

"Taps, taps. Lights out. All hands turn into your bunks. Maintain silence about the decks. Now taps."

My personal favorite: "Supper for the crew port side, embarked troops starboard side. Muster restricted men."

So then, I guess we can create our own AR15.com BATTLE FLAG???  Thanks for the advise and humor!

Nooooo, it begins with a "gong" alarm and then, [b]"GENERAL QUARTERS, GENERAL QUARTERS, ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!!!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!! GENERAL QUARTERS, GENERAL QUARTERS, ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS!!!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!!!"[/B] That port/starboard must've been for bird farms. Never heard that on either of my boats.

Sweepers (if underway), is proceeded by some crap on a bos'n pipe (or bosun or boatswain, if you prefer) and then [b]"SWEEPERS, SWEEPERS, NOW MAN YOUR BROOMS. GIVE THE SHIP A GOOD SWEEP DOWN BOTH FORE AND AFT. SWEEP DOWN ALL LOWER DECKS, LADDERBACKS, AND PASSAGEWAYS. THROW ALL TRASH AND GARBAGE CLEAR OF THE FANTAIL (if near shore, it's "HOLD ALL TRASH AND GARBAGE ON STATION"). NOW SWEEPERS."

All of the flag junk was handled by the skivvy wavers up on the "0" levels. The handful or so times when I went topside when we were at Condition IV, the gunner's mates had all of the guns manned along with some .50 caliber Brownings set up. I was a hole snipe, so I didn't really concern myself with the nitwits on the bridge.

General quarters for a jarhead means "hit the rack" [:D]

Kiwi

I have a picture of a Navy Ship flying the "Skull and Cross Bones" around 1975/76. I'll try and dig it up.

I had a hard life in the Navy I guess. I never had the fun you guys had on the ship. You see I was stationed on shore bases the entire tour. So, we had janitors cleaning out offices. We never had G.Q. drills. And I worked 7hrs a day and stood 24 hr duty 1x a month. Hell, for 6mos I played volleyball for the base team. So I was TAD to the recreation unit and never had to wear a uniform for 6mos and traveled up and down the West Coast. I had a tough life in the Navy. The only fun I participated in was 30day mess duty.

You guys had all the fun. Going on WestPACS. Hitting Australia and P.I. and getting the clap. Becoming a Shellback, some even a Golden Shellback. Eating sliders on the ships. Steel deck BBQ's. You guys had all the fun.

That would've been the [b]U.S.S. Buchanan (DDG-14),[/b] a guided missile destroyer out of San Diego. She was decomissioned about ten years ago. A good boat.

Well...its been a few years...but here we go.
It is an old Naval tradition to run up the largest national ensign when going into battle.  Usually, this is one of the 'holiday colors', normally flown on Sunday and holidays while inport.  This flag is much bigger than the regular colors.  Not every captain did it...but those with a certain panache (You know...cojones?) did so.
Normally while underway, the colors or national ensign is usually flown from a 'stick' on the foremast.  This 'stick' is really nothing more than a short yardarm that is angled up and aft.  It's sole purpose is to support Old Glory.  I have seen a ship run up a couple of more regular sized flags from the port and starboard yardarms of the foremast when charging into harm's way.  The tradition goes way back to the days of sail in the British Royal Navy.  It really looks cool, seeing a destroyer cutting through the water with a bone in her teeth, battle flags whipping in the breeze and the guns blazing away, leaving a series of smoke clouds astern as she races along, pouring out salvos every few seconds.  (I did love the smell of cordite in the morning.)
Other flags and shapes are used for different purposes such as to send messages to other ships, designate that ship as the flagship, and to report the status of the ship, such as when taking on fuel or ammunition (Bravo flag), coming alongside (India), or messing around with aircraft (Fox).  When a Navy signalman hooks up a flag to be run up, he "bends it on" the signal halyard (rope going up to the yard), then he puts the signal "at the dip" (half way up), or "closes it up", (all the way up to the top of the yard.)  When ordered, he "hauls down" the signal.
Clear?  Probably about like thick mud.
Gitmo?  Yuck!
[beer]

That was about the best explanation I've ever heard for it.  

Exactly why I quit. Frigging women aboard getting knocked up, morons passing VD back and forth, can't cuss out your firemen without the command EEOC dickhead having a little talk with you, and every piece of trash is damn near inventoried. They'd probably shit if I told how we pumped bilges pierside. I am a civilian MM now making twice the money with half of the hassles. It was fun early on though.

I remember it as...

"...sweep down all decks, compartments, and passageways...now sweepers..."

On my ship, they never included "Forward and up on the port side, down and aft on the starboard."   You were just supposed to know it.

I knocked over some guy who was coming down on the wrong side once, so maybe putting it in the announcement wasn't a bad idea.

"this is not a drill" was included when applicable?

One local version (non- 1MC) of reveille included the phrase ...."drop yours c**ks and grab your socks..."

USS Wichita (AOR-1). I'm the one that designed the flag. It was run up during UN-REPS.

I don't recall the Wicked Witch flying the Jolly Roger, but she did have an ensign and ship's seal with a hot-bodied witch.

This was 1975/76. The Captain's name of the ship, of all things, was "Captain Rogers" you know, as in "Jolly Roger". Flag was about 3' X 5' with a black background and I drew the Skull and Cross Bones for it, Boatswain made it in the "Sail Locker". I heard the ship has been turned over to MARAD.

I don't know what happened to the Witch, but I did go aboard during decom and pick up a bunch of tools, parts, etc.