Coast Guard - Award Flags (U.S.)

Last modified: 2019-01-01 by rick wyatt
Keywords: meritorious unit commendation |
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• Coast Guard Award Pennant

See also:

• U.S. Coast Guard flags
• United States of America

Coast Guard Award Pennant

The US Coast Guard on 11 April 2001 introduced the Spencer I. Kimball Readiness Award for shore units equipped with 41-to-47 foot motor lifeboats and utility boats. The award is given to units that score better than 85% on their biennial readiness evaluations; the instruction authorizing the award (COMDTINST 1650.2) says the award will be expanded to stations equipped with other kinds of boats as criteria for evaluation are developed.

The instruction authorizes two pennants, one for 44 and 47-foot motor lifeboats and one for 41-foot utility boats. Units that win the award display the appropriate pennant on the station flagpole until the next biennial evaluation. Unfortunately I have absolutely no information on the design of the pennants.
Joe McMillan, 3 October 2011

The Kimball Readiness Award Pennant was awarded from 2001 until around 2013 (see http://allhands.coastguard.dodlive.mil). Joe had no information on the design of the pennants, but there are a few pictures online now, for example: http://heartland.coastguard.dodlive.mil/2010/08/always-ready.

The pennant is blue with a black stripe along the top and red along the bottom, all tapering to the point in rough proportion 1:2:1. In the middle is an oval badge featuring a wavy scene with crew in a row boat and a lighthouse, the text "USCG", and, on a black border with yellow edges, "Office of Boat Forces" and "Soul of the Service".

See also:
Sea Flags website for actual Coast Guard award pennants
These include:

• Department of Homeland Security Presidential Unit Citation pennant:
  Swallowtailed orange pennant with white top and bottom wedges and W-B-W-B-W triangle in the middle. Dating from 2007.
• Secretary of Transportation Outstanding Unit Award pennant
  Swallowtailed pennant, blue with K-W-K-R-W bands on top/bottom (colours listed outside to inside). Dating from 2002. A silver O is placed in the middle if the award is for operational achievement.
• Coast Guard Unit Commendation pennant
  Swallowtailed pennant with blue-yellow-red stripes working in from top and bottom edges, and green-white-green triangle in the middle. Without the white in the middle, this would be the Navy Unit Commendation pennant.
  Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation pennant
• Swallowtailed pennant, green with blue stripes bordered whtie a top and bottom, and light blue triangle bordered white in the middle.