Serapis is a name given to an unconventional, early

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

flown from the captured British frigate ''

Serapis Serapis or Sarapis is a Egyptian Greeks, Graeco-Egyptian god. A Religious syncretism, syncretic deity derived from the worship of the Egyptian Osiris and Apis (deity), Apis, Serapis was extensively popularized in the third century BC on the ord ...

''. At the September 23, 1779 Battle of Flamborough Head, U.S. Navy Captain

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

captured the ''Serapis'', but his own ship, the '' Bonhomme Richard'', sank, and her ensign had been blown from the mast into the sea during the battle. Jones, now commanding the ''Serapis'' without having a U.S. ensign to fly on it, sailed to the island port of Texel, which belonged to the neutral Dutch United Provinces. Officials from

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

argued that Jones was a

pirate Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

, since he sailed a captured vessel flying no known national ensign. A year earlier, Arthur Lee, U.S. commissioner in France, wrote in a letter to

Henry Laurens Henry Laurens (December 8, 1792) was an American Founding Father, merchant, slave trader, and rice planter from South Carolina who became a political leader during the Revolutionary War. A delegate to the Second Continental Congress, Laur ...

that the U.S. ships' "colors should be white, red, and blue alternately to thirteen" with a "blue field with thirteen stars" in the canton.

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

and

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

, ambassadors to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, wrote a similar description of United States flags: USS John Paul Jones DDG-53 Crest

Apparently based upon this description, a recognizable ensign was quickly made to fly aboard the ''Serapis,'' and Dutch records edited to include a sketch of the ensign to make it official. The Dutch could, therefore, recognize the flag and avoid the legal controversy of Jones' captured ship. The Dutch records survive and provide the original sketch of the ensign. The sketch is labeled "Serapis" and dated 5 October 1779, just one day after the

Francis Hopkinson Francis Hopkinson (October 2,Hopkinson was born on September 21, 1737, according to the then-used Julian calendar (old style). In 1752, however, Great Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar (new style) which moved Hopkinson's ...

style flag, labeled "

Alliance An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

" (a ship in Jones' fleet), was entered. There are five known illustrations of U.S. flags with tri-color stripes. Tri-colored stripes appeared in various European almanacs into the 19th century, featuring stars with 4, 5, or 6 points and arranged in various patterns. The Serapis flag is distinctive because of the four, irregularly placed blue stripes and 8-pointed stars. Although it was flown as a U.S. Ensign and was recognized as such by a foreign nation, it did not meet the Congressional description of U.S. flags under the Flag Resolution of 1777, which specified "alternate red and white" stripes.

The Serapis flag is also known as the "Franklin flag" due to the description given by Ambassador Franklin. It was featured on a 33¢ postage stamp issued in 2000, as a part of the U.S. Postal Service's ''Stars and Stripes'' series. The stamp was titled "John Paul Jones flag." The Franklin Flag is also recognized by the United States Army as the official flag of the 111th Infantry Regiment, which is known as "The Associators", and was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1747. The flag was carried into battle during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009 by 1-111th Infantry, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division. The 111th Infantry Regiment is the only U.S. Army unit authorized to carry the Franklin (aka "Serapis") flag. This flag, along with the

First Navy Jack The First Navy Jack was the Jack of the United States, naval jack of the United States from 1975 to 1976 and again from 2002 to 2019. It was authorized by the United States Navy, U.S. Navy and was flown from the jackstaff of commissioned vessels ...

, is featured on the crest of the .See the patch and description on the official website a
http://www.john-paul-jones.navy.mil/
The Serapis design remains popular among historic U.S. flag displays, and is offered by many flag vendors.

References and links

*Mastai, Boleslaw and Marie-Louise D'Otrange ''The Stars and the Stripes. The American Flag as Art and as History from the Birth of the Republic to the Present'' ©1973. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. {{ISBN, 0-394-47217-9 *Robinson, J. Denni
Unfurling Paul Jones' Flag
22 Sept 2001. ©2001, SeacoastNH.com. *Znamierowski, Alfred ''The World Encyclopedia of Flags'' ©1999, 2002 Anness Publishing Limited, London, UK. Flags of the American Revolution Military flags of the United States Flags with stars