FG-039 — Soviet Naval Ensign (59 × 99 cm, 1979)

FG-039 — Soviet Naval Ensign (59 × 99 cm, 1979)
FG-039 — Soviet Naval Ensign, full view (obverse)
Full view (obverse). Soviet naval ensign, wool bunting, dated 1979; pigment-printed devices; rope hoist with braided loop.

Flag ID: FG-039

Flag facts

  • Type: Soviet Navy ensign — white field with a narrow light-blue stripe along the lower edge, red five-pointed star toward the fly, and hammer-and-sickle toward the hoist (official proportion 2:3).
  • Dimensions (measured): 59 × 99 cm (the small deviation from 2:3 is consistent with service shrinkage and edge wear).
  • Material: Wool bunting.
  • Construction: One-piece field with pigment-printed devices (clear through-print on the reverse); stitched hoist sleeve with internal rope and braided loop; multi-row triangular reinforcement at the fly; machine-sewn hems; in-service repair patches (red patch at the upper hoist; blue patch at the lower fly).
  • Markings: “1979 г.” (1979, year) and “ГОСТ 8498-73” (GOST — State Standard — 8498-73, “Marine flags”) ink-stamped on the hoist tape.

Standard & construction

GOST 8498-73 (“Marine flags”). The 1973 standard defined the naval/ship-flag family, covering the types and sizes (ensigns, jacks, command and service flags), materials for bunting and hoist tapes, seam patterns with parallel rows, rope-in-sleeve hoists, color-fastness and weathering tests, and factory ink-stamping with the year and the standard code.

Fit to this specimen: wool bunting, rope-reinforced hoist sleeve and braided loop, parallel reinforcement rows at the fly, pigment print with reverse through-print, and the expected “ГОСТ 8498-73” and “1979 г.” stamps.

GOST 8498-81 (“Special marine flags. General technical requirements”). Introduced from 1982, this revision superseded 8498-73 and consolidated technical wording (acceptance rules, test methods, marking/packing). Requirements are broadly continuous with late-1970s practice.

Implication: a 1979-dated ensign bearing the 8498-73 stamp is exactly what we expect from late-1970s Soviet naval production; the later -81 update simply shows the standards lineage that followed.

Service indicators (observed)

  • Hoist hardware: dense stitching and rope in sleeve; braided loop with abrasion polish from fittings.
  • Fly edge: fraying and multi-row triangular reinforcement consistent with wind-flap stress.
  • Repairs: field-made patches (red at upper hoist; blue at lower fly) and local darns around the star — typical shipboard maintenance.
  • Fading/soiling: sun-softened blue stripe and operational grime from prolonged outdoor use at sea.

History & use

The ensign in this pattern was adopted in 1935 and remained in service until 1991–92. In practice it was flown at the stern in port and from mast/gaff under way; a red jack was used at the bow when moored. The 1979 date sits squarely in a high-production period for Soviet naval flags.

Provenance & attribution

Chain of custody is short and credible: acquired from a Ukrainian seller who obtained it from the widow of a Soviet naval officer.

Attribution to a Project 1124 “Grisha” small anti-submarine ship fits well on date, size class, construction details and regional context. As with all oral provenance, a small residual uncertainty remains until a unit or ship stamp is found.

Representative Grisha / Black Sea units (context)

  • MPK-6 — Grisha-class unit built at Leninskaya Kuznitsa (Kyiv); Black Sea Fleet service.
  • Vinnytsia (U206) and Ternopil (U209) — Grisha-type corvettes associated with Ukraine after 1991.
  • Aleksandrovets, Muromets, Suzdalets, Kasimov — representative Grisha units of the Black Sea Fleet over the late-Soviet/post-Soviet period.

Context, not ship-specific attribution.

Detail views

Reverse full view showing pigment through-print and fading on the star
Reverse full view: pigment through-print and sun-softened tones; service wear along fly.
Lower fly corner with blue repair patch and triangular reinforcement rows
Lower fly corner: blue repair patch with shipboard stitching; multi-row triangular reinforcement.
Ink date stamp 1979 on the hoist tape
Hoist tape: ink date stamp “1979 г.” (year 1979).
Red repair patch at upper hoist with hand stitching
Upper hoist: red repair patch; hand-sewn field work above the sleeve.
Fly corner reinforcement rows and fray
Fly corner: parallel reinforcement rows; honest edge fray from wind-flap.
Top edge wear and stitch layout near the star
Top edge: stitch layout and localized wear near the star.
Braided hoist loop and rope core in sleeve
Hoist detail: braided loop and rope core inside the sleeve.
GOST 8498-73 stamp on hoist tape
Hoist tape: “ГОСТ 8498-73” standard stamp.
Localized wear and darns near the red star
Field wear: localized darns and abrasion near the star.

Sources & references

  • Descriptions of the Soviet Navy ensign (design, proportion 2:3, usage), standard flag literature.
  • GOST 8498-73 “Marine flags” — definition of types, sizes, materials, stitching patterns, rope-in-sleeve hoists, color-fastness/weathering tests, factory marking.
  • GOST 8498-81 “Special marine flags. General technical requirements” — successor standard (from 1982) consolidating acceptance rules, test methods, and marking/packing.
  • Technical literature on Project 1124/1124M “Grisha” class and Black Sea deployments (Soviet and post-Soviet period).

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