
Through history clans have distinguished themselves with many variations, often including swords, scimitars and skeletons, the skull and crossbones was common to most as a symbol to instill fear in merchantmen. It was first used on a pirate flag around. The skull and cross bones came from the symbol used in ships logs, where it represented death on board. military installations, an effective ban on the Confederate flag in the midst of a growing campaign to strip the symbols from bases across the country. The JOLLY ROGER is the traditional flag of American and European pirates. The Jolly Roger is the most famous pirate flag. File history Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. What makes the Kidd’s Jolly Roger even more unusual, however, is its presence just months after the Pentagon issued a memorandum restricting exactly which flags can be flown at U.S. English Illustration of Blackbeards Jolly Roger flag, depicting a horned skeleton piercing a heart, while raising a glass to give a toast. They also became known as the Pirates of the Pacific. “Subsequently, the Sailors of DD 661 were known to rescue downed aviators in the Pacific Ocean during World War II and return them to their aircraft carrier, for a hefty ransom of ice cream first of course,” the 2013 newsletter says. Kidd, the ship’s crew obtained formal permission to both have the Jolly Roger painted on the smokestack and fly the flag. Inez Kidd, widow of RADM Kidd, first.”Īs it turned out, Kidd’s nickname at the Naval Academy had been “Cap” in reference to Captain Kidd, as well.


“Not wishing to dishonor the ship’s namesake, however, the crew obtained permission from Mrs. “The crew of the Kidd … had also painted the famed buccaneer’s image high on the forward smokestack,” according to a 2013 edition of the official newsletter of the current USS Kidd. As The War Zone notes, the original USS Kidd - a Fletcher-class destroyer named for posthumous Medal of Honor recipient and former USS Arizona captain Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd - adopted Captain William Kidd, a Scottish sailor executed for piracy in 1701, as its mascot: At the same time, the Kidd itself has a unique relationships with the Jolly Roger that extends far beyond its traditional use as a naval commemoration of sorts.
