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Commissioning pennant
Pennant flown from the masthead of a warship / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The commissioning pennant (or masthead pennant) is a pennant (also spelled "pendant") flown from the masthead of a warship. The history of flying a commissioning pennant dates back to the days of chivalry with their trail pendants being flown from the mastheads of ships they[who?] commanded. Today, the commissioning pennants are hoisted on the day of commissioning and not struck until they are decommissioned. Some navies have a custom of flying a "paying off" or "decommissioning pennant," the length of which often reflects the length of service of the warship.
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In the United States, ships in commission in the fleet of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), although not warships, also fly a commissioning pennant.