Flags flown on vessels have been a nautical tradition for centuries. They’ve allowed pirates to project fear, and enabled naval vessels and civilians alike to identify themselves. The United States’ formidable Navy, of course, is no exception to this rule, and its ships will frequently boast the beloved Stars and Stripes. However, there are other important U.S. military traditions that help to vary the flags that its vessels display, such as mascots and emblems.

U.S. Navy ships are typically named for servicepeople or high-ranking officials, as is the case with the service’s formidable USS Gerald R. Ford – the world’s largest aircraft carrier. Along with this often comes an emblem that emphasizes the connection. These symbols evoke crew pride and togetherness, while also serving as an important identifier. They can take the form of different animals or other symbols, and there are some iconic ones in the U.S. Navy in particular that make for excellent flags. From a legendary pirate symbol to a furious grizzly bear, here are some of the coolest ones that have been sported by U.S. naval vessels besides the Star-Spangled Banner itself.

As noted, with the likes of the USS Gerald Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln, there have been a lot of U.S. Navy ships named after American presidents. It’s not simply about those who have held the highest office in the land, though. Take the USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., for instance, a guided missile destroyer of the Arleigh Burke class and one of the more recent additions to the Navy’s arsenal of ships. Its now-retired namesake Colonel Harvey C. Barnum Jr. was a member of the Marine Corps and is a proud Medal of Honor recipient.

The ship’s battle flag, Task & Purpose notes, is also designed as a tribute to the colonel, featuring a formidable grizzly bear. It’s an intimidating and imposing sight in its own right, of course, but it serves a secondary function: Those with whom the colonel served knew him well for his words of wisdom, including the pithy “If you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly.” Sailors who will serve on the vessel, of course, will surely be inspired to do so boldly, fiercely, and uncompromisingly, like the grizzlies that the former colonel wants them to be. There are few more intimidating flags on the seas than this one, that’s for certain.

As for the ship itself, it’s designed to take on a broader combat role, allowing it to combat a range of nautical threats from above and below the waves, and is set to be commissioned in April 2026. It will be stationed at Norfolk, Virginia, having arrived at the Naval Station there in March.

As part of the far-reaching official duties of the office, the president may find themselves on board a naval vessel. When this happens, another particularly notable flag may be seen: the flag of the president of the United States. Simply named for the office and not unique to any particular holder, the president’s flag is a majestic dark-blue design, often featuring a circle of 50 stars (one for each state) encircling an eagle. It grips arrows and an olive branch in its talons, and also features the country’s famous motto, “E pluribus unum” (“Out of many, one”).

The call sign Air Force One is applied to any Air Force aircraft carrying the president, and it’s a similar use case to the flag. It is raised on a naval vessel when the current incumbent arrives aboard. It remains raised while they are aboard, signaling that this particular ship has the current great responsibility and honor of hosting them. As they leave, the flag is then lowered again. It is also prominently displayed on other vehicles the U.S. president travels in, such as the president’s limousine. The Beast, as it’s often dubbed, is frequently seen sporting both the Stars and Stripes and the Commander in Chief’s personal flag.

Since the advent of the MCU with 2008’s “Iron Man,” the Avengers crew and the broader Marvel characters have embraced the mainstream to an extraordinary degree. One of the clearest signs of this is on the mast of USS America: its flag bears the emblem of Captain America’s shield. Only the most patriotic superhero on the planet will do for such an iconically American vessel, and it’s an astonishing sight to behold to see Cap’s famous red, white, and blue emblem of circles and that central white star on the mast of a warship. 

The America class is a class of amphibious assault ships. Though a very different kind of ship from the USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., it’s similarly armed with a wide range of weaponry to keep it a formidable foe for all kinds of threats. Its arsenal includes Sea Sparrow and Evolved Sea Sparrow missile capacity, as well as seven .50-caliber machine guns. As a valuable offensive and defensive measure, it’s also equipped with the advanced PHALANX CIWS. This is a sophisticated computer-controlled weapon system used by the Navy to automatically target and destroy threats that have eluded the ship’s other multi-faceted defensive systems. 

The America class is set to be a considerable part of the U.S. Navy’s force projection into the future, with advanced capabilities beyond simply weaponry. It has a revolutionary secondary means of propulsion aimed at addressing one of the most significant issues affecting the success of many military vessels (and vehicles more broadly): fuel efficiency. It seems that Captain America’s flag and the ship that bears it will be a significant presence going forward.

Carl M. Levin is another prominent American who was honored with a military vessel named after him. Levin was not a president but a long-time Michigan lawmaker well known for his efforts in pursuing justice for military veterans. As a result of his tenacity and dedication, his namesake was constructed, boasting a motto appropriate to the man himself: “Tenacious in the fight.” Along with the USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., it’s one of the most recent additions to the Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class repertoire. Perhaps its most notable feature is its battle flag, designed by Damage Controlman 3rd Class Hector Mendoza. 

As Fox News reports, Mendoza explained to Military.com that he had a simple objective with the design: to make it as formidable and stand-out as possible, and he certainly succeeded on that score. Perhaps inspired by some of the coolest set-pieces from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, he depicted a phoenix flying above a scene that evokes every sailor’s worst nightmare: a kraken tearing a pirate ship apart.

Mendoza’s depiction of these two mythical creatures also boasts considerable symbolism. He explained to Military.com that the addition of these creatures both sets the design apart and, through the phoenix, “symboliz[es] how the crew will persevere through any hardships or challenges.” Life on such a vessel is not for the faint-hearted when it comes to long deployment, but it’s certainly true that Navy sailors are as committed as they come. Who wouldn’t have their spirits lifted when serving under such a flag? Hopefully, though, the hardy crew doesn’t encounter any krakens in real life.

When it comes to captains called Kidd, many would immediately think of the Scottish-born privateer turned notorious pirate William Kidd. However, there’s another Captain Kidd, an honorable naval officer named Rear Admiral Isaac Campbell Kidd, Sr. The latter, tragically, was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. He had been on his ship, USS Arizona, at the time of the attack. As such, USS Kidd, which was first launched in February 1943, was named for the rear admiral. This meant the ship was associated with two famous Kidds, which could have been problematic. Instead, the crew embraced the connection, as did the rear admiral’s widow, Mrs. Inez Kidd. Together, they secured something unique from naval authorities: the official right to fly the Jolly Roger. This is a right that vessels named USS Kidd still hold today, over eight decades after the original Kidd’s debut.

The current iteration of the USS Kidd that serves in the U.S. Navy, as of the time of writing, is a member of the Arleigh Burke class, one of the most powerful destroyer classes in the world. Constructed by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems and having been commissioned in 2007, it’s a 509.5-foot-long powerhouse capable of traveling at more than 30 knots, propelled by gas turbines of approximately 100,000 horsepower. Its pirate theme isn’t only symbolized by the vast skull-and-crossbones flag it sometimes flies, either. It also sports, according to the United States Navy, an “iconic drawing … [of] the Jolly Roger on the rear of the 5-inch gun on the ship’s forecastle,” by Fire Controlman 1st Class Juan Morales, whose work adorns several Navy ships.