USS Enterprise CVN-65 Flag Questions???????

Shapes flown -- BALL/DIAMOND/BALL

Navy Newstand

{EDIT} See port (left) yardarm  -- three shapes just above the Hornet's left vertical stab

And sometimes with the FOX flag

Navy Newsstand

Not a lot of additional signals flown,  unless there are  some signals going out to the rest of the task force from the Admiral. 

For additional color & detail, the Enterprise's radio call sign is NOVEMBER-INDIA-QUEBEC-MIKE.  This is often flown where non-task group assigned communications may be necessary (entering/leaving port),  high traffic areas, etc.

Funny story about signal flags - I built a Big E for a friend's daughter, who shipped out on her as a brand new midshipman. I thought it would be nice to dress it up a little with signal flags spelling out her initials, JF ... and only later discovered that JF is the international signal code for "I am aground." The mom thought it was hysterical, not sure how her USN daughter felt about it, though!

As Ed pointed out, day shapes ball/diamond/ball. the balls are red, and the diamond is white. This hoist is displayed by any underway vessel, which, for various reasons, is extremely limited in its ability to alter its course. Typically, a carrier during flight ops, vessels engaged in underway replenishment, vessels tending channel markers,or bouys, etc. Vessels engaged in these activities after dark, display three lights red,over white,over red. If underway refuelling/rearming is being conducted, there will also be a "Bravo" flag flying. Bravo is a solid red flag, and can be part of a message hoist, but when flown by itself, indicates the handling of hazardous materials, and means stand clear. There are, of course, several "other" meanings of the phrase "flying Bravo".

 

Sumpter -

You're a little confused on the colors of the lights versus the colors of the day shape.  The lights are red-white-red; the ball-diamond-ball shapes are black.  The picture Ed posted clearly shows the day shapes as black.  From the NavRules:

A vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver, except a vessel engaged in mineclearance operations, shall exhibit:

1. three all-round lights in a vertical line where they can best be seen. The highest and lowest of these lights shall be red and the middle light shall be white;
2. three shapes in a vertical line where they can best be seen. The highest and lowest of these shapes shall be balls and the middle one a diamond.
3. when making way through the water, [a masthead light or lights/ masthead lights], sidelights and a sternlight in addition to the lights prescribed in subparagraph (b)(i);
4. when at anchor, in addition to the lights or shapes prescribed in subparagraphs (b)(i) and (b) (ii), the light, lights, or shapes prescribed in Rule 30.

 

Shapes

1. Shapes shall be black and of the following sizes:
   1. a ball shall have a diameter of not less than 0.6 meter;
   2. a cone shall have a base diameter of not less than 0.6 meter and a height equal to its diameter;
   3. a cylinder shall have a diameter of at least 0.6 meter and a height of twice its diameter;
   4. a diamond shape shall consist of two cones as defined in (ii) above having a common base.
2. The vertical distance between shapes shall be at least 1.5 meter.
3. In a vessel of less than 20 meters in length shapes of lesser dimensions but commensurate with the size of the vessel may be used and the distance apart may be correspondingly reduced.

 

display three lights red,over white,over red

The highest and lowest of these lights shall be red and the middle light shall be white;

Yeah, what I said. The day marks, on the other hand, I clearly remember as a white diamond with red ball above and below. I haven't been to sea since Dec.'79, and day marks may have changed since then. I'll have to find my color photos of unrep, and see if it may just be a case of "Halfzeimers" 

This is the closest I could get to a color picture of the dayshapes:

It does show Ball /Diamond/ Ball, with the Bravo flag. The diamond is clearly lighter in "color" than the balls, or the Bravo flag 

 As I mentioned, it has been almost thirty years since I was last at sea. I had a chnce to research day shapes, and find that currently they are, in fact black. So, I guess the question now is, at what time did the colors change? When did day shapes go from red and white, to all black? the choice of which to use will depend on the period being modeled.