A Jolly Roger flag, flown by Royal Navy submarine HMS E54 in 1916, will go on show at The Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport in April.

The First World War-era ensign will be part of a wider exhibition focusing on the history of the famous skull and crossbones-style flag. Traditionally associated with 17^th– and 18^th-century pirates, the Jolly Roger has featured on Royal Navy submarines for more than 100 years.

The tradition began in 1914 when lieutenant commander Max Horton, captain of HMS E9, flew the flag as the boat returned after sinking the German warship SMS Hela. Horton would go on to become an admiral during the Second World War.

His action was in response to comments by Admiral Sir Arthur Wilson who, in 1901, commented that submariners were “underhanded, unfair and damned unEnglish” suggesting states should treat submarines “as pirates in wartime… and hang all their crews”.

Symbols and meaning

While famous pirates such as William Kidd and Henry Morgan raised the Jolly Roger to frighten ships, submarine crews would unfurl theirs when they returned to base after a successful patrol.

Alexandra Geary, curator (artefacts) from the National Museum of the Royal Navy said: “Each action a submarine carried out had its own symbol. These symbols would either be painted or sewn onto a bit of black material. A dagger, for example, would denote a secret mission; a bar signifies the sinking of an enemy merchant ship; a lighthouse that the boat was used as a navigation beacon and we even have a symbol of Popeye character ‘Eugene the Jeep’ as a nod to the popular utility vehicle.” 

By the Second World War, submarine crews were officially issued with fabric, and Jolly Roger flying became common, a tradition that has been maintained to the present day.