Commodore Esek Hopkins first employed the Jack in the fall of 1775 as he readied the Continental Navy in the Delaware River. His signal for the whole fleet to engage the enemy was the striped jack, or ensign, flown at their proper places. Now a symbol of the spirit of the American Navy, the flag displays thirteen stripes crossed by a Timber Rattlesnake, representing the Colonial attitude. The snake will not strike unless provoked, and gives warning first with its rattle, which has thirteen layers on the flag. The bold words, “Don’t Tread on Me,” underline that warning. Currently, in accordance with the orders of Secretary of the Navy, all US ships are to fly the First Navy Jack for the duration of the War on Terrorism, in honor of those killed on September 11, 2001.
