Original Item. Only One Available. This is an enormous Naval command burgee pennant, used by the commander of a division of ships or craft or a major subdivision or group of an aircraft wing. It is white with red stripes on the upper and lower edges. This example is marked to Mare Island, more specifically for the Mare Island Naval Shipyard which was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996.

The pennant is an enormous 64 x 124” with a very heavy header with a long halyard rope. The header is stamped:

BURGEE COMMAND No. 3 MARE ISLAND JAN. 1928

The pennant is in great shape without any serious damage. Please note that it is unfortunately far too large for us to take a picture that shows all at one time. A great example for any WWII Naval display. Comes ready for further research and display.

In 1919, MINSY (Mare Island Naval Shipyard) was finally, after 65 years, linked to mainland Vallejo by a causeway with a drawbridge, which provided direct land-based movement of supplies and personnel across Mare Island Strait. Owing to the shallowness of the shipping channels in Mare Island Strait and San Pablo Bay, the larger battleships and carriers of the Pacific fleet were sent not to MINSY but to leased dry docks then-privately owned at Hunters Point. However, submarine work was especially suited for Mare Island. MINSY became the major West Coast submarine repair facility in WWI and in 1925 was awarded a contract to build its first submarine, USS Nautilus. In the 1930s, land reclamation nearly doubled the usable acreage on Mare Island. For example, the low-lying North End marshland were raised above high tide, making it available for future MINSY expansion.

Before World War II, the Navy established Station I at Mare Island as one of four High Frequency Direction Finding (HFDF) stations on the Pacific mainland to track Japanese naval and merchant shipping east of Hawaii. The other stations were: Point Arguello, California (Station Z), Point Saint George, California (Station T), and Fort Stevens, Oregon (Station S).