Strange ensign on motor yacht

[Leighb]

Did any other forumite see the - incredibly smoky - motor yacht with a very odd ensign making its way up river yesterday afternoon..
We were on the Victor and this vessel overtook us in Sea Reach and we later saw it moored to the waiting pontoon outside the lock at Ipswich.

The ensign was large, white with a black cross with white lines in the cross. There was a circle at the centre with what looked like an imperial eagle in it. In the fly was an emblem which i couldn't make out, but was black and red.

The only similar ensign I can find was that of the German Imperial Navy pre 1914!!!!!

The engines must be in a very poor state as the smokescreen was unbelievable.

 

[sarabande]

German High Seas Fleet ?

View attachment 44138


Indeed strange. I can only assume that they are coming in to surrender again ....

 

[John 32i]

We spotted it going past us at the bottom of the Orwell...our engine had overheated (to be investigated) and with minimal wind we were drifting back towards Levington.

 

[Athene V30]

...our engine had overheated (to be investigated) and with minimal wind we were drifting back towards Levington.

See post about weed on the Orwell

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?366942-BEWARE-fine-floating-weed-on-the-Orwell

 

[Leighb]

German High Seas Fleet ?

View attachment 44138


Indeed strange. I can only assume that they are coming in to surrender again ....

Certainly similar to that, my impression was that the black cross had one white bar in the centre of each arm, but it was at a distance and I had neither camera nor binos.

I wondered if he was tied up outside the lock because the HM saw the smokescreen coming towards him and refused him entry.

 

[John 32i]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Naval_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg

This is the ensign we saw...flag of St George

 

[Leighb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Naval_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg

This is the ensign we saw...flag of St George

AKA The White Ensign.

Nothing like that, definitely a black cross on a white ground with an eagle in a circle in the centre.

 

[lpdsn]

AKA The White Ensign.

Nothing like that, definitely a black cross on a white ground with an eagle in a circle in the centre.

I've seen Finnish vessels with a blue cross with a white cross inside (as though the cross was made with double lines rather than a single) they're also defaced in various ways for various yacht clubs, so a possibility.

 

[Leighb]

Interesting, It certainly looked black, however the amount of smoke the vessel was emitting might have turned the blue to black? Still in that case the whole flag would have looked a dirty grey and it didn't, it did however look rather faded so perhaps was an original WWI ensign?

 

[ianc1200]

A big very new yacht has just gone Pin Mill with what looked like Imperial German Navy ensign WW1. In fact there were two of these big very modern yachts, the other had a red duster and looked as though it was on a sales demonstration. If anybody knows what the flag is my wife is trying all sources to work it out. Unfortunately flag wasn't flying well enough to photo.

 

[Sinbad1951]

Sounds like the German Imperial Navy war ensign 1871-1903 (approx) Maybe the vessel was 'laying down smoke"

 

[ianc1200]

Went to the chandlery at Foxes this afternoon, the boat which we saw on Friday flying the strange ensign was one of the Gunfleet yachts there. Man in chandlery said he thought the owner was German......