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Navy - Battalion Flags (U.S.)

Overview
Naval Infantry Battalion Flag
Guidon
137th Naval Construction Battalion

See also:

Overview

The U.S. Navy infantry battalion flag is used as the organizational color for ship's landing party battalions and for battalion organizations of naval shore units. The Navy has a relatively small number of battalions in the operational fleet -- most notably the construction battalions, or Seabees -- as well as those in the training establishment. All of them use this flag as the organizational color, as do units of the Naval Reserve.

Description: A blue flag, 5 feet 1 1/2 inches hoist by 6 feet 6 inches fly (by far the largest organizational color carried by the U.S. armed forces), with a large white lozenge bearing a blue foul anchor. The designation of the unit is inscribed in 6-inch high "commercial gothic" lettering above and below the lozenge in lines parallel to the upper and lower edges. If necessary for reasons of space, authorized abbreviations are used and the size of the letters may be reduced. The designated finial is a brass battle-ax; there is no fringe, cord or tassels. Campaign and award streamers are not used. The illustration is for a currently non-existent unit; flags carried by actual battalions may differ somewhat in the format of the inscriptions.

History: Flags of this design have been used by U.S. naval landing forces since some time in the 19th century. A 1963 report by the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations cited its possible origins during the Civil War, but noted that it was first mentioned in Navy signal books just before 1900. There was formerly a red version for use by artillery and machine gun battalions; it was abandoned in the late 1940s or early 1950s. There was also formerly a separate battalion color for reserve units; this was abolished in 1967.

Note on actual use: The U.S. Navy is somewhat casual about adherence to directives on the use of what might be called non-operational flags. The infantry battalion flag may therefore be seen mounted on staffs with the silver spearhead used by the other services, carried with a national color with a spread eagle finial and gold fringe, cord and tassels. The color of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Five has the unit title on a curved line below the lozenge rather than the line parallel to the edge specified by the directive.

Joe McMillan, 11 September 1999

Naval Infantry Battalion Flag

by Joe McMillan, 11 September 1999

Naval Infantry Battalion Guidon

by Joe McMillan, 11 September 1999

137th Naval Construction Battalion

image located by William Garrison, 3 October 2025

Source: https://milestoneauctions.hibid.com

A "137th Battalion Seabees" flag (3' x 5') with gold fringe. A small silk tag on the spine reads: "Geo. P. Johnson Co. Detroit, MICH" [MICH = Michigan state] and has the insignia for the "137th Naval Construction Battalion", a U.S. Navy "Seabees" unit. It bears the iconic "Seabee" ("bumblebee") holding a submachine gun in the center. The 137th Battalion was a relatively small and short-lived construction battalion which served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The Seabees are specialized, deployable construction/engineer professionals who build, maintain, and defend infrastructure for military operations worldwide, such as the hastily built "Martson Mat" (Swiss-cheese holed, steel-plate) or "Pierced-Steel Planking" (PSP) runways constructed on Pacific islands during WWII. Their name is derived from the acronym for "Construction Battalions" ("CBs"). While not wanting to belabor the point, as bumblebees are viewed as being industrious, the Navy adopted them for a sea-duty logo and thereby the WWII island-hopping CBs became known as "Seabees" (which coincidentally is what the "CBs" acronym sounds like when spoken in English; "C" sounds like "see" or "sea"). Their motto is: "We Build, We Fight," reflecting their dual role as combat-ready construction workers. Since their inception during World War II, Seabees have supported wartime efforts, humanitarian missions, and disaster recovery by constructing vital facilities like airfields, bulldozed roads, and bases.
William Garrison, 3 October 2025