137-719: The British Merchant Navy is the collective name given to British civilian ships and their associated crews, including officers and ratings. In the UK, it is simply referred to as the Merchant Navy or MN. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and the ships and crew are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), a specialist agency of the UK Department of Transport. British merchant ships are registered under
274-536: A TT gauge version of Clan Line . Hornby and Graham Farish currently produce the rebuilt version of the class in OO gauge and N gauge respectively. The Hornby model was introduced in the 2000 edition of the Hornby catalogue. As of December 2010, fifteen members of the class have been produced. In March 2015, Hornby announced the inclusion of a new as-built version of the class in OO gauge in their 2016 range; this model
411-694: A blue ensign for ships operated by the Canadian government and for the Royal Canadian Navy . The Red Ensign served as Canada's national flag until 1965 when, after considerable debate , it was replaced by the Maple Leaf flag . The Red Ensign is still popular among traditionalists and monarchists . Although the national Red Ensign is no longer used officially, the provincial flags of Manitoba and Ontario are Red Ensigns bearing their respective coats of arms. The Hudson's Bay Company and
548-780: A British company. This amounted to: 59,413,000 GT or alternatively 75,265,000 DWT . This is according to the annual maritime shipping statistics provided by the British Government and the Department for Transport . In the last decade, ship numbers have continued to decline. In 2023, the British Ship Register had reduced to 1,054 ships. As a signatory to the STCW Convention UK ships are commanded by deck officers and engineering officers . Officers undergo 3 years of training, known as
685-670: A Secretary of State to approve "any colours consisting of the Red Ensign defaced or modified". Supporters cited the example of the States of Jersey , who in 2010 were permitted to use a "voluntary or informal" red ensign, adorned with a Plantagenet crown. The movement culminated in a petition for the Scottish Government to seek a warrant from the U.K. government to reintroduce the flag as an "informal or voluntary ensign" for Scottish merchant vessels. MacKenzie stressed that
822-418: A bad reputation, because it could cause highly irregular valve events, a problem compounded by the fast-moving Bulleid steam reverser . The entire system was located in a sealed oil bath, another unique design, providing constant lubrication to the moving parts. The locomotives were equipped with the unusual 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Bulleid Firth Brown (BFB) driving wheels which both lighter and stronger than
959-487: A cadetship at one of the approved maritime colleges in the United Kingdom. These include Warsash Maritime Academy , South Tyneside College , Fleetwood , Plymouth University and City of Glasgow College . Cadets usually have a choice of two academic routes: Foundation Degree or Higher National Diploma . Successful completion of this results in a qualification in marine operations or marine engineering. Generally
1096-623: A crew composed of many Indians, Chinese or African sailors. Crews from outside Britain were usually drawn from areas in which the ship traded, so Far East trading ships had either Singapore or Hong Kong crews, banana boats had West Indian crews, ships trading to West Africa and Southern Africa had African crews and ships trading to the Indian Ocean (including East Africa) had crews from the Indian subcontinent . Crews made up of recruits from Britain itself were commonly used on ships trading across
1233-656: A matt finish so as to obscure small irregularities in the casing. All class members that operated during the Second World War were eventually repainted in Southern Railway wartime black livery, with green-shaded "Sunshine" lettering. However, this was reverted to malachite green livery upon the ending of hostilities. 21C1 Channel Packet originally had an inverted horseshoe on the smokebox door, indicating its Southern origin, but crews believed this to be unlucky. A resultant re-design meant that this became
1370-484: A number of other nations have since adopted the title. Previously it had been known as the Mercantile Marine or Merchant Service , although the term "Merchant Navy" was already informally used from the 19th century. The British Merchant Navy was historically one of the largest ship registries and source of crew in the world, with 33% of global tonnage registered in 1939. However, since the mid 20th century,
1507-467: A red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off of Bermuda in 1609. The Red Ensign is likely to have been chosen as Bermuda's land flag due to Canadian influence. (For the first half of the 20th century, Canada made use of the Red Ensign defaced with the Canadian shield as an unofficial land flag.) Bermuda's 2002 shipping legislation officially recognises the flag as an ensign for Bermudian registered ships. Prior to 2002,
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#17327722495091644-1020: A result, the Blue Ensign was used throughout the Empire and thus became the model for the flags used by a number of colonies and former colonies in the British Empire . At the same time, the red ensign (which was designated in 1864 as the flag for merchant shipping) was used by merchantmen of those colonies or territories which obtained an Admiralty warrant. Warrants were issued, chronologically, to British North Borneo (1882), British East Africa (1890), Canada (1892), New Zealand (1899), British South Africa (1902), Australia (1903), British Somaliland (1904), Union of South Africa (1910), Newfoundland (1918), Indian Native States (1921), Cyprus (1922), Tanganyika (1923), Western Samoa (1925) and Palestine (1927). Those areas, notably including British India, that did not have an Admiralty warrant used
1781-543: A roundel, the gap being filled by the year of construction, so it acted as a builder's plate. The background was painted red. Early members of the class had cast-iron numberplates and gilt 'Southern' plates on the tender, but these were subsequently replaced by transfers. After nationalisation in 1948, the locomotives' initial livery was a slightly modified Southern malachite green livery, where "British Railways" replaced "Southern" in Sunshine Yellow lettering on
1918-528: A seagoing cadet officer; apply to one of several training programmes elsewhere; or go to sea immediately by applying directly to a merchant shipping company at about age 17. Then there would be three years (with prior training or four years without) of seagoing experience aboard ship, in work-clothes and as mates with the deck crew, under the direction of the bo'sun cleaning bilges , chipping paint, polishing brass, cement washing freshwater tanks, and holystoning teak decks, and studying navigation and seamanship on
2055-480: A sermon by Roger Williams in 1636, equating crosses with the papacy , Governor Endicott ordered the St George cross removed from the flag. The Great and General Court of the colony found that Endicott had "exceeded the lymits of his calling", and yet left the flag without its cross for a number of decades afterward. In 1674, a Royal Proclamation of King Charles II (1630–1685, reigned 1660–1685) confirmed that
2192-461: A similar cross-sectional outline to the carriages hauled by the locomotive. The water tank was of welded sheet construction to save weight, and the tender was fitted with vacuum braking equipment of a clasp-type similar to that used on the locomotive. Three train-brake vacuum reservoirs of cylindrical construction were grouped on the tank top, behind the coal space. Unusually for a British locomotive, two extra water filler caps were incorporated into
2329-575: A system already successfully applied on the Continent . However, both proposals for eight-coupled locomotives were resisted by the Southern Railway's Chief Civil Engineer, so a new 4-6-2 Pacific design was settled upon instead. The new design was intended for express passenger and semi-fast work in Southern England , though it had to be equally adept at freight workings due to the nominal "mixed traffic" classification Bulleid applied to
2466-471: A warrant on board the vessel. Bermuda (historically part of British North America , but left out of the Confederation of Canada ) flies the red ensign also as a territorial flag on land, as did other British North American colonies that still do so as Provinces of modern Canada , including Ontario (other British Overseas Territories that fly a nautical ensign as the territorial flag on land use
2603-663: Is a task no less essential to my people's experience than that allotted to the Navy, Army and Air Force. Upon you, the Nation depends for much of its foodstuffs and raw materials and for the transport of its troops overseas. You have a long and glorious history, and I am proud to bear the title "Master of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets". I know that you will carry out your duties with resolution and with fortitude, and that high chivalrous traditions of your calling are safe in your hands. God keep you and prosper you in your great task. During
2740-774: Is represented nationally and globally by the UK Chamber of Shipping , headquartered in London . British shipping registrars belong to the Red Ensign Group . Below is a list of some of the British shipping companies, past and present: Red Ensign The Red Ensign or " Red Duster " is the civil ensign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . It is one of the British ensigns , and it
2877-453: Is the civil ensign or merchant ensign of the United Kingdom . The flag has overall ratio of 1:2 with the Union occupying one quarter of the field and placed in the canton . Some public bodies or national institutions are authorised to fly red ensigns defaced with a badge or emblem. These include: The red ensign defaced with a specific club's badge or emblem is allowed to be hoisted as
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#17327722495093014-491: Is the only Overseas Territory not to adopt any such ensign as its territorial flag, although the ensigns may still be seen on vessels in the waters of the territory. The Crown dependency of the Isle of Man was granted a red ensign, with the triskelion of Man in the central fly, for use by ships registered through the island, by Royal Warrant dated 27 August 1971. It is widely used on luxury yachts and large cargo ships around
3151-581: Is used either plain or defaced with either a badge or a charge , mostly in the right half. It is the flag flown by British merchant or passenger ships since 1707. Prior to 1707, an English red ensign and a Scottish red ensign were flown by the English Royal Navy and the Royal Scots Navy , respectively. The precise date of the first appearance of these earlier red ensigns is not known, but surviving payment receipts indicate that
3288-548: The 21C1 class , and later informally known as Bulleid Pacifics , Spam Cans – which name was also applied to the Light Pacifics – or Packets ) is a class of air-smoothed 4-6-2 (Pacific) steam locomotives designed for the Southern Railway by Oliver Bulleid . The Pacific design was chosen in preference to several others proposed by Bulleid. The first members of the class were constructed during
3425-690: The Cutty Sark ) helped to entrench this dominance in the 19th century. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, maritime education expanded to train merchant navy officers. For example, in 1855 Leith Nautical College provided training for seafarers in Scotland. Other maritime colleges developed in this period included the South Tyneside Marine and Technical College, founded 1861 (now the South Tyneside College ) and
3562-538: The Atlantic convoys to and from Britain during the Second World War. A new design of nameplate was created, featuring a circular plate with a smaller circle in the centre. The inner circle carried the colours of the shipping company on a stylised flag, on an air force blue background. Around the outer circle was the name of the locomotive, picked out in gilt lettering. A horizontal rectangular plate
3699-462: The BR 'Standard' locomotive classes that had been introduced since 1950. The air-smoothed casing was removed and replaced with conventional boiler cladding , and the chain-driven valve gear was replaced with three separate sets of Walschaerts valve gear . The rebuilds were provided with a completely revised cylindrical smokebox, a new Lord Nelson-type chimney and LMS-style smoke deflectors. Together with
3836-721: The Blue Ensign which in Bermuda is only flown from civil government vessels such as ferry boats). House flags are personal and designed by a company. A house flag is displayed on a port halyard of a Yardarm . A number of notable Merchant Navy personnel include: Members of the UK Merchant Navy have been awarded the Victoria Cross , George Cross , George Medal , Distinguished Service Order , and Distinguished Service Cross for their actions while serving in
3973-535: The British Raj that were not directly governed by the British, but by a local ruler through a form of indirect rule subject to a subsidiary alliance under the paramountcy of the British Crown . The great majority of the princely states of British India were landlocked . Some of the few which had a coastline used versions of the red ensign on their merchant vessels. The New Zealand Red Ensign with
4110-519: The Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) in 1937, their successors considered that the time had come to change this situation. In March 1938 the new general manager Gilbert Szlumper authorised Oliver Bulleid, Maunsell's replacement, to prepare designs for twenty express passenger locomotives. The deteriorating international situation prior to the Second World War was an additional factor in this decision. Bulleid's first suggestion
4247-580: The Gresley -designed Cock o' the North . Originally, the spectacle plates of the Bulleid Pacifics were at the conventional right-angle to the direction of the locomotive, and offered limited vision ahead along the air-smoothed casing. The Southern-built batches also had variations in the material used for the air-smoothed casing with a change from sheet steel to an asbestos compound, forced upon
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4384-426: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency . Successful completion of the oral exam will result in the award of a certificate of competency. This is the international qualification, issued by the UK government which allows an officer to work in their qualified capacity on board a ship. Certificates are issued for different ranks and as such an officer will usually return to complete a subsequent series of studies until they reach
4521-764: The North West Company also used Red Ensigns as their corporate flags. The Red Ensign with the Newfoundland great seal in the fly was considered the unofficial flag of the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1904 until 1931, at which point it was officially legislated as the Dominion of Newfoundland's "National Colours" to be flown as the civil ensign , with the Union Flag being legislated as the national flag at that time as well. The Newfoundland Red Ensign
4658-578: The South West Main Line to Southampton and to Exeter . In August 1945, a series of test runs were made between London Victoria and Dover and from October the class were used on the resumed Continental expresses. The prestigious Bournemouth Belle Pullman train was reinstated in October 1946 and entrusted to the class for the next two decades. However, their heavy axle loading and length meant that they were banned from many areas of
4795-594: The Taunton flag and the George Rex flag . It also formed the basis of the Grand Union Flag of 1775, which served as the first American national flag, although it differed slightly from the primary Red Ensign in that it had a squared Union Flag in the canton. In 1801, with another Act of Union , Ireland joined with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , which resulted in
4932-500: The defacement of the flag in accordance with Māori custom in which white capital letters identifying a particular family or Māori tribe are added. In the case of the flag on the right, TAKITIMU refers to a grouping of Māori iwi descended from the crew of the Tākitimu waka (canoe) . Today, private and merchant craft can choose to fly the Flag of New Zealand (which is a blue ensign) or
5069-596: The "petition was not meant to replace or supersede the British Red Ensign". The petition received the support of MSP Michael Russell, and other Merchant sailors and members of sailing trade groups. The petition gained enough support that it was passed onto the Scottish Government who recommended Mr MacKenzie "raise the issue with the Secretary of State directly or through his MP". Upon
5206-748: The Blue Ensign on land, and in 1947 Prime Minister Ben Chifley reaffirmed this position, but it was not until the passage of the Flags Act 1953 that the restriction on civilians flying the Blue Ensign was officially lifted, after which use of the Red Ensign on land became a rarity. Under the Navigation and Shipping Act 1912 and the Shipping Registration Act 1981, the Red Ensign remains the only flag permitted for use by merchant ships registered in Australia. Pleasure craft may use either
5343-639: The British Railways crest on the tender tank sides. This livery was perpetuated after rebuilding. The class in both as-built and modified forms has been subject to a range of divergent opinions. The utilisation of welded steel construction and the various innovations that had not previously been seen in British locomotive design meant that the class earned Bulleid the title "Last Giant of Steam". The constant concern for ease of maintenance and utility had not previously been seen on locomotives of older design, whilst their highly efficient boilers represented
5480-714: The English navy was paying to have such flags sewn in the 1620s. Prior to the reorganisation of the Royal Navy in 1864, the plain red ensign had been the ensign of one of three squadrons of the Royal Navy, the Red Squadron , as early as 1558. By 1620, the plain red ensign started to appear with the Cross of St George in the upper-left canton . The Colony of Massachusetts used the red ensign from its founding; after
5617-553: The Falklands War and provided forty vessels, including transports, tankers and other vessels, with a total of 500,000 grt. The merchant ship SS Atlantic Conveyor , being used to ferry Harrier fighters and other aircraft to the South Atlantic, was lost during the conflict after being struck by an air-launched Exocet missile. The ship's captain, Ian North, and 11 other crew members died in the attack which constituted
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5754-590: The French branch of Westinghouse Electric before the First World War , and those of his tenure in the rail operating department during that conflict. The Southern Railway numbers followed an adaptation of the UIC classification system of using letters and numbers to designate the powered and unpowered axles, together with a running number. Thus the first 4-6-2 locomotive became 21C1 – where "2" and "1" refer to
5891-408: The Merchant Navy lay wreaths of remembrance alongside the armed forces in the annual Remembrance Day service on 11 November. Following many years of lobbying to bring about official recognition of the sacrifices made by merchant seafarers in the two world wars and since, Merchant Navy Day became an official day of remembrance on 3 September 2000. The merchant navy was also called upon to serve during
6028-820: The Merchant Navy. Canadian Philip Bent , ex-British Merchant Navy, joined the British Army at the outbreak of World War I and won the Victoria Cross . Members of the Merchant Navy who served in either World War also received relevant campaign medals . In the Second World War many Merchant Navy members received the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct . Lloyd's of London awarded the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea to 541 Merchant Navy personnel for their bravery in 1939–45. Many Royal Humane Society medals and awards have been conferred on Merchant Navy seafarers for acts of humanity in both war and peacetime. In September 2016
6165-458: The Merchant Navy. Recipients must be nominated by someone other than themselves, with at least two written letters of support and are normally required to have completed 20 years service in the Merchant Navy (although in exceptional circumstances it may be less). The British Merchant Navy consists of various private shipping companies. Over the decades many companies have come and gone, merged, changed their name or changed owners. British Shipping
6302-536: The New Zealand red ensign. The Red Ensign, defaced with the shield of the national coat of arms, was authorised as the merchant ensign of the Union of South Africa on 28 December 1910. From 1912, the shield was displayed on a white disc. The ensign was superseded by the national flag with effect from 1 January 1960, in terms of the Merchant Shipping Act 1951. The Red Ensign with the shield
6439-502: The North Atlantic, to South America and to Australia and New Zealand. Despite maintaining its dominant position for many decades, the decline of the British Empire , the rise of the use of the flag of convenience , and foreign competition led to the decline of the merchant fleet. For example, in 1939 the Merchant Navy was the largest in the world with 33% of total tonnage. By 2012, the Merchant Navy – while still remaining one of
6576-563: The Red Ensign as a national flag ended with the introduction of a proper national flag in 1928. This was preceded by the South African Flag Controversy of 1925 to 1928. The flag of the city of Taunton in Bristol County , Massachusetts is based on the pre-1801 Red Ensign. This was a local variant of the Flag of New England (see George Rex Flag ). The Grand Union Flag , the first national flag of
6713-436: The Red Ensign or the national flag, but not both at the same time. The term "Red Ensign" is often used to refer to the Canadian Red Ensign , the former de facto national flag of Canada. It was informally adopted following Canadian Confederation in 1867 and, from 1892, it was the official flag for use on Canadian merchant ships. On land, however, the official national flag was the Union Flag. Despite its unofficial status,
6850-407: The Red Ensign was also the principal ensign of the Royal Navy, and as such it was worn by ships of the Red Squadron of the navy, as well as by those warships that were not assigned to any squadron (i.e., those sailing under independent command). The white ensign and the blue ensign were also used by the Royal Navy. Many in the Admiralty felt that the Royal Navy's use of three separate ensigns (i.e.,
6987-409: The Red Ensign was the appropriate flag to be worn by English merchant ships . The wording of the 1674 proclamation indicates that the flag was customarily being used by English merchantmen before that date. At this time, the ensign displayed the Cross of St George in the canton. This changed in 1864, when an order in council provided that the Red Ensign was allocated to merchantmen. It is probable that
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#17327722495097124-409: The Red Ensign was widely used on land as well. In 1924, the Red Ensign was approved for use on Canadian government buildings outside Canada, and from 1945 for those inside Canada as well. Canada's Red Ensign bore various forms of the shield from the Canadian coat of arms in its fly during the period of its use. Shown here are pictures of the three official forms between 1868 and 1965. Canada also used
7261-406: The Royal Navy, the convoys successfully imported enough supplies to allow an Allied victory. Between 1941 and 1949, the SR Merchant Navy class steam locomotives were built in the UK. Each locomotive of the class was named after British shipping lines from the Second World War, principally those operating out of Southampton . In honour of the sacrifices made in both World Wars, representatives of
7398-420: The Second World War, German U-boats sank nearly 14.7 million tons of Allied shipping, which amounted to 2,828 ships (around two-thirds of the total allied tonnage lost). The United Kingdom alone suffered the loss of 11.7 million tons, which was 54% of the total Merchant Navy fleet at the outbreak of the Second World War. 32,000 merchant seafarers were killed aboard convoy vessels in the war, but along with
7535-434: The Second World War, and the last of the 30 locomotives in 1949. Incorporating a number of new developments in British steam locomotive technology, the design of the Merchant Navy class was among the first to use welding in the construction process; this enabled easier fabrication of components during the austerity of the war and post-war economies. In addition, the locomotives featured thermic syphons in their boilers and
7672-441: The Southampton School of Navigation, 1902 (now the Warsash Maritime School ). In the First and Second World Wars , the merchant service suffered heavy losses from German U-boat attacks. A policy of unrestricted warfare meant that merchant seafarers were at risk of attack from enemy ships. The tonnage lost to U-boats in the First World War was around 7,759,090 tons, and around 14,661 merchant seafarers were killed. In honour of
7809-416: The Southern Railway, and, later, the British Railways Southern Region network. As mentioned, the main production batch of Southern-built locomotives differed from the two prototypes, Channel Packet and Union Castle . The steam-operated firehole door treadle was removed, and a new type of boiler cladding was utilised in response to the worsening supply situation during the Second World War. Modification
7946-408: The UK Government introduced the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service . The medal is awarded: "to those who are serving or have served in the Merchant Navy and fishing fleets of the UK, Isle of Man or Channel Islands for exemplary service and devotion to duty, rewarding those who have set an outstanding example to others." It is the first state award for meritorious service in the history of
8083-418: The UK or Red Ensign group ship registries. British Merchant Navy deck officers and ratings are certificated and trained according to STCW Convention and the syllabus of the Merchant Navy Training Board in maritime colleges and other training institutes around the UK. King George V bestowed the title of "Merchant Navy" on the British merchant shipping fleets following their service in the First World War ;
8220-412: The UK. The Merchant Navy Welfare Board administers the MN fund for charitable support. Other charities include the Shipwrecked' Mariners Society , the Seafarer's Charity, the Scottish Nautical Welfare Society and the Scottish Shipping Benevolent Association. Ensigns are displayed at the stern of the vessel or displayed on the gaff , on a yardarm . Red Ensigns can be defaced, those can only be flown with
8357-470: The Union Flag in the first quarter, and the Southern Cross , represented by four five-pointed white stars featured in the fly became the official flag in New Zealand for merchant vessels in 1901. Previously a plain red ensign was used. The red ensign may continue to be flown on land in Māori areas or during Māori events under the Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act 1981 in recognition of long held Māori preference for red flags. New Zealand law allows
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#17327722495098494-407: The United States of America, was easily produced by sewing white stripes onto the British Red Ensigns. The current Flag of Hawaii is most similar to it, of all American flags. Sea Scout groups within The Scout Association can be Royal Navy Recognised, and are allowed to fly a defaced Red Ensign to signify this. SR Merchant Navy class The SR Merchant Navy class (originally known as
8631-442: The boilers as opposed to more common riveted construction, and a steel inner firebox which was 1.5 long tons (1.5 t) lighter than a more usual copper example. Two welded steel thermic syphons were implemented to improve water circulation around the firebox and these were subcontracted to Beyer Peacock . However he soon discovered that the Southern Railway lacked the facilities to manufacture welded boilers of this size, so
8768-500: The boilers had to be supplied from private industry and the tenders were built at Ashford. The prototype was completed in February 1941, numbered 21C1, and named Channel Packet at a ceremony at Eastleigh works on 10 March 1941. It underwent extensive trials and minor modifications before joining Southern Railway stock 4 June 1941. A second prototype, 21C2 Union Castle was completed in June and named at Victoria railway station 4 July. Both prototypes were found to be seven tons over
8905-403: The bridge in uniform, under the direction of an officer, before taking exams to become a second mate . Historically, the composition of the crew on UK ships was diverse. This was a characteristic of the extant of the shipping companies trade, the extent of the British Empire and the availability of crew in different ports. One ship might have a largely all British crew, while another might have
9042-404: The centre coupled axle. The inside cylinder was steeply inclined at 1:7.5 but the outside cylinders were horizontal. It was originally intended to use a gear-driven valve gear , but space restrictions within the frames and wartime material shortages led Bulleid to design his novel chain-driven valve gear . This component was unique amongst British locomotive design practices. It later gained
9179-411: The class for them to be built during wartime. Administrative measures had been put in place by the wartime government, preventing the construction of express passenger locomotives, due to shortages of materials and a need for locomotives with freight-hauling capabilities. Classifying a design as "mixed traffic" neatly circumvented this restriction. Most of the detailed design for the Merchant Navy class
9316-480: The class have survived in the guise of locomotive nameplates and smokebox number plates, which were taken from their locomotives towards the end of steam on the British Railways Southern Region in the 1960s. As a result, many exist in private collections and several have been seen at auctions, selling for several thousands of pounds. Livery was Southern Railway malachite green with "sunshine yellow" horizontal lining and lettering. The first five locomotives were given
9453-561: The class were modified by British Railways during the late 1950s, losing their air-smoothed casings in the process. The Merchant Navy class operated until the end of Southern steam in July, 1967. A third of the class has survived and can be seen on heritage railways throughout Great Britain. They were known for reaching speeds of up to 105 mph (167 km/h); such speeds were recorded by examples including No. 35003 Royal Mail (since scrapped) and Nos. 35005 Canadian Pacific and 35028 Clan Line (both preserved). The Southern Railway
9590-414: The class. Hauling a train comprising three carriages and two parcels vans (164 tons tare, 180 tons gross) between Weymouth and Waterloo , the mile between milepost 38 and milepost 37 (located between Winchfield and Fleet ) was covered in 34 seconds, a speed of 105.88 mph. This was also the last authenticated speed in excess of 100 mph achieved by a steam locomotive in the United Kingdom, until
9727-411: The controversial Bulleid chain-driven valve gear . The class members were named after the Merchant Navy shipping lines involved in the Battle of the Atlantic , and latterly those which used Southampton Docks : a publicity masterstroke by the Southern Railway, which operated Southampton Docks during the period. Due to problems with some of the more novel features of Bulleid's design, all members of
9864-415: The costs of a cadetship will be met by sponsorship from a UK shipping company. During the three years of training, cadets also go to sea, for a period of a year or more, usually spread across the cadetship. This affords a practical education, that along with the academic time in college prepares a candidate for a separate and final oral exam. This oral exam is carried out with a master mariner at an office of
10001-453: The country". Overall, the class was largely successful, with half of the locomotives completing more than 1 million miles in revenue-earning service. Makers of models of Merchant Navy locomotives include Hornby Railways , Graham Farish and Minitrix . The first OO gauge model of an as-built locomotive was produced by Graham Farish in 1950 followed by Hornby/Wrenn in 1962 and by the modified version. In 1959, Tri-ang Railways produced
10138-544: The cross-saltire was adopted by the Scots as a national ensign at a very early period, but there seems no direct evidence of this before the fourteenth century. The earliest Scottish records were lost at sea in the ship that was sent to return them to that country, whence they had been carried off, with the " Stone of Destiny ", by King Edward I (1239–1307, reigned 1272–1307). Prior to 1707, the Scottish Red Ensign
10275-571: The design and construction of a lighter version of the same locomotive with consequently increased route availability . These were the West Country and Battle of Britain class Light Pacifics , the first of which entered service in 1945. Just prior to the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, the Southern Railway placed an order for ten more Merchant Navy locomotives, with larger 6,000-imperial-gallon (27,280 L; 7,210 US gal) tenders . A shortage of materials meant that delivery
10412-468: The first few years of service by the Merchant Navy class were beset by a variety of technical problems, partly as a result of having so many novel features. Some of these were merely teething troubles , but others remained with the class throughout their working lives. These may be summarised as follows: As a result of these problems, in 1954 serious consideration was given to scrapping the class and replacing them with Britannia class locomotives. However,
10549-410: The first loss of a British merchant navy ship to an armed attack since the Second World War. Historically a person wishing to become a captain , or master prior to about 1969, had three choices: to attend one of the three elite naval schools from the age of 12, the fixed-base HMS Conway and HMS Worcester or Pangbourne Nautical College , which would automatically lead to an apprenticeship as
10686-553: The first ten boilers were ordered on outside contract from the North British Locomotive Company . The boiler was enveloped by Bulleid's air-smoothed sheet-steel casing, which was not for the purposes of streamlining , as demonstrated by the extremely flat front end, but as a way of lifting exhaust gases. The flat sides were also an aid to cleaning the locomotive with mechanical carriage washers, representing an attempt to reduce labour costs. It followed
10823-524: The flag was often used unofficially by Bermudian ships as an ensign, as reflected in Admiralty correspondence dating back to the 1950s. Bermuda (civil) Government vessels and maritime services use the defaced blue ensign , which is flown both from vessels and from shore facilities. Gibraltar features variant flags of the territory which incorporate the Gibraltar coat of arms into a red ensign. This
10960-464: The flagship of the class. Five examples have returned to steam, but it is unlikely that many of the remainder will do so, as the class is too large and heavy for use on most of today's heritage railways. As the entire fleet was rebuilt from 1956 onwards, no examples exist in their original condition, although a team is attempting to reverse-engineer 35011 General Steam Navigation with its air-smoothed casing and chain-driven valve gear. Other relics of
11097-497: The flat, boxy air-smoothed casing, and the resemblance of this to the distinctive tin cans in which SPAM was sold. The nickname Packets was also adopted by locomotive drivers, as the first member of the class was named Channel Packet . As the class appeared during the War, there were no heavily laden Continental Boat Trains from Dover and Folkestone , for which they had been designed. They were, however, used on express trains on
11234-409: The footplate. The gauges were lit by ultra-violet light . This enabled clearer night-time vision of the boiler steam pressure gauge and the brake pipe vacuum gauge, whilst eliminating dazzle, making it easier for the crew to see signals along the track. Close attention was also paid to the ergonomics of the driving cab, which was designed with the controls required for operation grouped according to
11371-887: The highest qualification. The first UK deck officer certificates of competency were issued in 1845, conducted then, as now, by a final oral exam with a master mariner. The training regime for officers is set out in the official syllabus of the Merchant Navy Training Board . This training still encompasses all of the traditional trades such as celestial navigation, ship stability, general cargo and seamanship, but now includes training in business, legislation, law, and computerisation for deck officers and marine engineering principles, workshop technology, steam propulsion, motor (diesel) propulsion, auxiliaries, mechanics, thermodynamics, engineering drawing, ship construction, marine electrics as well as practical workshop training for engineering officers. Traditionally and still now,
11508-418: The lack of air-smoothed casing, these helped reduce the problem of smoke and steam obscuring the driver's vision of the line. The fast-moving and unpredictable Bulleid steam reverser was replaced with a screw-link version, whilst the mechanical lubricators were moved to the footplates along the boiler sides. Sanding was also added to the leading driving axle, whilst rearward application was incorporated to
11645-494: The largest in the world – held only 3% of total tonnage. In 2010 the Merchant Navy consisted of 504 UK registered ships of 1,000 gross tonnage (GT) or over. In addition, UK merchant marine interests possessed a further 308 ships registered in other countries and 271 foreign-owned ships were registered in the UK. In 2012 British merchant marine interests consisted of 1,504 ships of 100 GT or over. This included ships either directly UK-owned, parent-owned or managed by
11782-512: The legislative union of England and Scotland in 1707, the tiny Royal Scots Navy came to an end as a separate force, and the "Union" colours (invented on the union of the two crowns a hundred years before) were inserted in all ensigns, naval and mercantile. An Order in Council of 21 July 1707 established as naval flags of the royal standard the Union flag and "the ensign directed by her Majesty since
11919-466: The locomotive was re-converted to hand-firing. As mentioned, the British Railways batch had detail differences to previous versions. The most significant modification was the reduction of weight using lighter materials unavailable during wartime. From 1952 the air-smoothed casing ahead of the cylinders was removed to ease maintenance and lubrication. This coincided with the removal of the tender 'raves' on all locomotives, as they quickly rotted, obstructed
12056-498: The locomotives after victories of the Second World War , to the extent that a mocked-up nameplate River Plate was produced. In the event, when early successes for the British proved few and far between, the chairman of the Union-Castle Line suggested naming them after shipping companies which had called at Southampton Docks in peacetime. This idea resonated in 1941 because the shipping lines were heavily involved in
12193-481: The locomotives had excellent boilers and several other good features and so the decision was taken to rebuild them, removing several of Bulleid's less successful ideas. Partially because of the Crewkerne incident, and due to the incessant modification of Bulleid's original design, British Railways took the decision to rebuild the entire class to a more conventional design by R. G. Jarvis , adopting many features from
12330-437: The locomotives within the lineal loading of the Southern Railway's narrower bridges. The supporting rear trailing truck was a one-piece steel casting that gave the smoothest of rides; the design was utilised in the future BR Standard Class 7 . The spaces between driving wheels housed steam-powered clasp brakes, that gripped the wheels by way of a "scissor" action. The two middle brake hangers held two brake blocks each, whilst
12467-414: The maintenance problems, whilst retaining the good features, thereby creating excellent locomotives. One minor drawback was that the 'modifieds' put greater loads on the track as a result of hammerblow , caused by the balance weights for the outside Walschaerts valve gear, whereas the original valve gear design was largely self-balanced. On 26 June 1967, 35003 Royal Mail recorded the highest speed ever for
12604-408: The manufacturer by wartime expediency. This resulted in several class members having a horizontal strengthening rib running down the length of the casing. The final Southern Railway-initiated experiment involved equipping 21C5 Canadian Pacific with a Berkeley mechanical stoker imported from Canada . Little improvement in performance was seen when trialled under British Railways auspices in 1948 and
12741-404: The middle driving axle. The first 'modified' locomotive to be released from Eastleigh was 35018 British India Line in 1956. The final example, 35028 Clan Line , was completed in 1960. The success of the modification programme for the Merchant Navy class was also to influence the design of the future modification of 60 'Light Pacifics'. There is no doubt that rebuilding the class solved most of
12878-602: The more technical steam locomotives for a downturn in workload. Five of the surviving Merchant Navys have run in preservation: 35005, 35006, 35018, 35027 and 35028. Three members of the class, 35005, 35018 and 35028, have operated on the mainline in preservation. Ten locomotives ended up at Barry Scrapyard. One however, 35028 Clan Line , was purchased by the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society direct from British Railways service in 1967. Clan Line has since been regarded as
13015-407: The multiple-jet blastpipe , which failed to be caught by the air flow. After several trials, the air flow was increased by extending the casing roof over the front of the smokebox to form a cowling whilst side smoke deflector plates were also incorporated into the front of the air-smoothed casing. The latter added to the poor visibility from the footplate and the expedients combined never fully solved
13152-453: The national ensign by members of the following yacht clubs : Bermuda , uniquely among British overseas territories , uses the Red Ensign as its land flag as well as at sea. The flag has apparently been flown unofficially since Bermuda's arms were granted in 1910. There appears to be no formal adoption of the Bermuda flag for use on land, although a 1969 Foreign and Commonwealth Office circular mentions its use. The white and green shield has
13289-435: The needs of both fireman and driver, thus promoting safe operation. As an aid to the fireman , a steam-operated treadle was provided that used steam pressure to open the firehole doors (where the coal is shovelled into the firebox ). The footplate was entirely enclosed, improving crew working conditions in winter. The Southern Railway placed an order for ten of the new locomotives to be built at Eastleigh Works , although
13426-404: The new larger tenders for the new locomotives meant that some were fitted with the smaller examples intended for use with Light Pacifics that were under construction at the time. Two spare boilers for the class were also constructed at Brighton and Eastleigh during 1950/1. Bulleid adopted a new numbering scheme for all his locomotives based on Continental practice, following his experiences at
13563-484: The number of shipowners, ships, officers and crew have declined dramatically as a result of globalisation and the rise of flags of convenience. As of 2023, the British Merchant Navy numbered 1,054 ships. The Merchant Navy has been in existence for a significant period in English and British history, owing its growth to trade and imperial expansion. It can be dated back to the 17th century, when an attempt
13700-436: The number of unpowered leading and trailing axles respectively, and "C" refers to the number of driving axles, in this case three. The remainder were numbered 21C2-21C20. The scheme was abandoned by British Railways in 1949 and the existing locomotives were renumbered under the British Railways standard system in the series 35001-35020; the final batch appeared in traffic as 35021-35030. The Southern Railway considered naming
13837-466: The outset, and greater use of welding ensured lighter locomotives. The batch was also fitted with the TIA ("Traitement Integral Armand") chemical feed-water equipment used on the Light Pacifics . This precipitated scale-forming constituents in the "hard-water" of southern England into a non-adhesive mud that could be cleared from the locomotive using a manual "blow-down" valve. A delay in the construction of
13974-497: The packing of coal into the bunker and restricted the driver's view when reversing the locomotive. The resultant 'cut-down' tender included new, enclosed storage for fire-irons, revised step ladders and glass spectacle plates to protect the crew from flying coal dust when running tender-first. The new locomotives demonstrated that they could generate enormous power using mediocre quality fuel, due largely to Bulleid's excellent boiler. They also ran very smoothly at high speed. However,
14111-454: The plain Red Ensign, although unofficial local versions of the Red Ensign were used. Today , Red Ensigns charged with the local emblem are available to be used by ships registered on several of the component registers of the Red Ensign Group : Bermuda , British Virgin Islands , Cayman Islands , Falkland Islands , Gibraltar , Guernsey , Jersey , and Isle of Man . The plain red ensign
14248-497: The present Union Flag being added to the canton. The St Patrick's Cross was added to the Union Flag and, accordingly, to the first quarters of the British ensigns. The Merchant Shipping Act 1854 included a specific provision that the Red Ensign was the appropriate flag for a British merchantman. This provision was repeated in successive British shipping legislation (i.e., 1889 , 1894 (section 73) and 1995 ). Until 1864,
14385-518: The previous year, were passed by the parliaments of England and Scotland , thereby uniting the Kingdom of Scotland with the Kingdom of England (which included the Principality of Wales ) into a new state with the name " Kingdom of Great Britain ". This resulted in a new red ensign which placed the first Union Flag , including a saltire in the first quarter. The new design of the Red Ensign
14522-465: The profile of the Belpaire firebox and extended to a curved profile forward of the smokebox front. Spun glass mattresses were used for boiler lagging. The smokebox was a sheet metal fabrication to the same profile as the firebox, acting as a former to maintain the shape of the air-smoothed casing. In between, the casing was supported by channel-section steel crinolines (strengtheners used to maintain
14659-628: The radio officer (colloquially known as 'sparks') replaced by changes in technology and the requirement under the STCW Convention for deck officers to hold individual certification in the GMDSS system. Electro-technical officers (ETO) also serve aboard some ships and are trained to fix and maintain the more complex systems. In 2023, the UK Merchant Navy had 10,930 certificated officers, 10,180 ratings, 1,450 merchant navy cadets and 1,540 other officers. Merchant navy related charities are active in
14796-677: The red, white, and blue) was outdated and confusing. Many also felt that merchantmen should be clearly distinguishable from warships . In July 1864, an order-in-council provided that the White Ensign was the ensign of the Royal Naval Service . The Blue Ensign was designated as the proper national colours for ships commanded by an officer of the Royal Naval Reserve , and (with an appropriate badge) as national colours for ships in government service. The Red Ensign
14933-531: The sacrifice made by merchant seafarers in the First World War, George V granted the title "Merchant Navy" to the companies. In 1928 George V gave Edward, Prince of Wales the title of "Master of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets"; which he retained after his accession to the throne in January 1936 and relinquished only at his abdication that December. Since Edward VIII, the title has been held by
15070-463: The said Union of the two Kingdoms", which from the coloured drafts attached to the order is seen to be the red ensign. The white and blue ensigns are not mentioned in this Order; evidently the red ensign was alone regarded as the legal ensign of Great Britain and the others as merely variations of it for tactical purposes. In 1707, Acts of Union , ratifying the Treaty of Union , which had been agreed
15207-625: The same mark was attained in 2017 by Tornado . Their principal work was on the South West Main Line to Southampton and Bournemouth until 1967. However, the main reason why the class began to be withdrawn in 1964 was the transfer of the main line between Salisbury and Exeter to the Western Region and the introduction of "Warship" class diesel-hydraulic locomotives on these services. The rebuilt locomotives were therefore withdrawn relatively soon after their rebuilding, whilst still in excellent condition. The first two to be withdrawn were
15344-655: The second prototype 35002 Union Castle and 35015 Rotterdam Lloyd in February 1964. Nearly half of the class had been withdrawn by the end of 1965, but seven survived until the end of steam on the Southern Region in the summer of 1967. Eleven of the class survived into preservation, thanks largely to the high workload of Woodham Brothers Scrapyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan , South Wales , which found it easier and more lucrative to scrap railway wagons, keeping
15481-405: The shape) attached to the frames. The smokebox housed the five-nozzle Lemaître blastpipe arranged in a circle within a large-diameter chimney. Bulleid designed a new 5,000 imperial gallons (22,730 L; 6,000 US gal) tender which could carry 5 tons (5.1 t) of coal on a six-wheel chassis. It featured BFB wheels and streamlined panels , or "raves", that gave the top of the tender
15618-445: The ships ratings are supervised by the bosun , as overseen by a responsible deck officer, usually the chief mate . A ship may also have different sub-departments, such as the galley, radio department or hospitality services, overseen by a chief cook, radio officer or chief steward. Many of these roles have now changed, as ships crews have become smaller in commercial shipping. On most ships the radio department has disappeared, along with
15755-559: The smoke drift problem. During the time they operated under the Southern Railway, further modifications were applied to the class, such as the reduction in boiler pressure to 250 psi (1.72 MPa ) and the redesign of the footplate spectacle plates . These are the small windows on the front face of the cab, which were redesigned to a wedge-shaped profile, a feature to be seen on all Bulleid-designed locomotives post-nationalisation. They had been introduced in Britain in 1934 with
15892-621: The sovereigns George VI and Elizabeth II . When the United Kingdom and the British Empire entered the Second World War in September 1939, George VI issued this message: In these anxious days, I would like to express to all Officers and Men and in the British Merchant Navy and the British Fishing Fleets my confidence in their unfailing determination to play their vital part in defence. To each one I would say: Yours
16029-897: The specified weight, and, at the insistence of the Southern Railway Civil Engineer , production of the remainder was halted until steps were taken to remedy this. This was achieved by using thinner steel plates for the frame stretchers and covering the boiler cladding, and enlarging the existing lightening holes in the main frames. The remaining eight locomotives in the batch were delivered between September 1941 and July 1942. A second batch of ten followed, beginning in December 1944 and culminating in June 1945. These were entirely constructed at Eastleigh and equipped with 5,100-imperial-gallon (23,190 L; 6,120 US gal) tenders . The Merchant Navy class spawned
16166-469: The spoked equivalent. These proved to be successful and were later used on other Bulleid classes. The leading bogie was based upon that of the SR Lord Nelson class , although it had a 6 ft 3 in (1.90 m) wheelbase as opposed to Maunsell's 7 ft 6 in (2.28 m) design, and featured 3 ft 1 in (0.94 m) BFB wheels. A long coupled driving wheelbase was incorporated into the design, to keep
16303-434: The tender front, for access from the footplate. The original tender design proved to be inadequately braced and subject to serious leakage if even slightly damaged, or when water surges caused the welded joints to split. The problem was not solved until 1944 when additional baffling was fitted. Electric lighting was also provided on both the locomotive and the footplate , supplied by a steam-powered generator fitted below
16440-449: The tender sides. The Bulleid numbering system was temporarily retained, with an additional "S" prefix, such as S21C1. A short-lived second livery was an experimental purple with red lining, as applied to 35024 East Asiatic Company . This was replaced by British Railways express passenger blue with black and white lining. From 1952, the locomotives carried the standard British Railways Brunswick green livery with orange and black lining and
16577-461: The two outside hanger on the leading and rear driving wheels held one block each. These were connected together by outside rodding for ease of access, and the whole system was operated from the footplate. The maximum boiler pressure was higher than any other British regular service locomotive (except the GWR County class ) at 280 psi . Bulleid decided on cheaper all-welded fireboxes for
16714-427: The ultimate in British steam technology, the hallmark of a successful locomotive design. Despite this, the number of innovations introduced at the same time made the class unreliable and difficult to maintain during the first few years of service. Many of these difficulties were overcome during the rebuilding, leading to D.L. Bradley's statement that the modified locomotives were "the finest express locomotives to work in
16851-605: The world, due to the financial benefits the Isle of Man can provide. The Australian Red Ensign is the Australian civil ensign. From 1901 to 1954 the flag was used as a civil flag, to be flown by private citizens on land, with the use of the Blue Ensign reserved for government use, reflecting British practice. During this period, the Blue Ensign was the Australian national flag. In 1941, Prime Minister Robert Menzies stated that there should be no restrictions on private citizens using
16988-401: Was also made to the air-smoothed casing surrounding the smokebox after reports were made of drifting smoke obscuring the locomotive crew's vision ahead. Initially, the only form of smoke deflection was a narrow slot in front of the chimney, intended to enable air to lift the smoke when the locomotive was travelling. This proved inadequate because of the relatively soft exhaust blast that came from
17125-456: Was also used on land as a de facto national flag from 1910 until 1928. There was also a Blue Ensign which was the official ensign of government-owned vessels, and was also flown at South African offices overseas. The most notable usage of the Red Ensign as a national flag was when General Louis Botha flew the flag over Windhoek in what was then German South-West Africa after the town's occupation by South African troops in 1915. The use of
17262-465: Was assigned to British merchantmen. This basic structure remains today. A few years later (1867–1869), the Admiralty determined that the blue ensign charged with an appropriate badge in the fly would be used as the ensign by those ships in the armed, or public, service of the many British colonies. Most British colonies needed to use the blue ensign due to the fact that most had government vessels; some colonies, such as South Australia , had warships. As
17399-428: Was attached to either side of the circular nameplate, with "Merchant Navy Class" in gilt lettering. This acted as a class plate, as indicated on the nameplate photograph, above left. During their operational career, the class gained several nicknames; the most obvious, Bulleid Pacific , simply denoted the designer and wheel arrangement. The colloquial name Spam Can arose from their utilitarian appearance, enhanced by
17536-434: Was delayed until September 1948, and completed in 1949; the batch never carried Southern Railway numbers. Eastleigh was responsible for the construction of the final batch, which were in the series 35021–35030. Construction was undertaken in-house by Eastleigh works, with the boilers and tenders constructed at Brighton , the frames at Ashford and the rest at Eastleigh. These were equipped with wedge-shaped cab fronts from
17673-519: Was flown by ships of the Royal Scots Navy , with a saltire in the canton. The Scottish Ensign has been flown unofficially by many Scottish vessels for a number of years. In 2015, a movement was launched by Lieutenant Commander George MacKenzie RNR to have the Scottish Ensign officially recognised, on the basis that the Merchant Shipping Act of 1995 permits Her Majesty the Queen in Council or
17810-411: Was for an eight-coupled locomotive with a 4-8-2 wheel arrangement for the heavily loaded Golden Arrow and Night Ferry Continental express trains, although this was quickly modified to a 2-8-2 , a wheel arrangement associated with Nigel Gresley's P2 locomotives ; Bulleid himself had worked with Gresley in the past. A second "Mikado" locomotive design was planned to have a Helmholtz pony truck –
17947-601: Was made to register all seafarers as a source of labour for the Royal Navy in times of conflict. That registration of merchant seafarers failed, and it was not successfully implemented until 1835. The merchant fleet grew over successive years to become the world's foremost merchant fleet, benefiting considerably from trade with British possessions in India and the Far East . The lucrative trades in sugar , contraband opium to China, spices , and tea (carried by ships such as
18084-620: Was proclaimed by Queen Anne (1665–1714, reigned 1702–1714), who indicated that it was to be used by both the navy and ships owned by "our loving subjects". The flag was flown by ships of the Thirteen Colonies in North America before the American Revolution . Modification of the flag was used to express the discontent of the colonists before and during the outbreak of the revolution. This can be seen in both
18221-457: Was redesigned by Adelaine Lane, niece of Governor Sir Cavendish Boyle in 1903. The Fijian Red Ensign with the Union Flag in the first quarter, and the shield from the coat of arms of Fiji in the fly became the official flag in Fiji for civilian vessels since 10 October 1970. Previously the ensign was displayed the full coat of arms on a white disc from 1908. The flag representing British India
18358-581: Was the most financially successful of the " Big Four ", but this was largely based on investment in suburban and main line electrification . After the successful introduction of the SR Schools class in 1930, the railway had lagged behind the others in terms of modernising its ageing fleet of steam locomotives. Following the retirement of the general manager of the Southern Railway Sir Herbert Walker and Richard Maunsell
18495-409: Was then used as official commercial shipping identification until the mid-1960s. The badge in the flag consists of Mercury , the god of commerce and merchandise, presenting to Britannia a fisherman who, in a kneeling attitude, is offering the harvest of all the sea. Above the device in a scroll are the words Terra Nova , and below the motto Hæc Tibi Dona Fero or "These gifts I bring thee." The seal
18632-503: Was undertaken by the drawing office at Brighton works , but some work was also undertaken by Ashford and Eastleigh . This division of responsibility was possibly due to Bulleid's wish to restrict knowledge of the new class to a limited number of personnel. The design incorporated a number of novel features, compared to then-current steam locomotive practice in Great Britain . Three 18 inches (46 cm) diameter cylinders drove
18769-604: Was usually the Union Flag with the Star of India . In many international events and international associations the Red Ensign with the Star of India was used to represent India. After the partition of British India, both India and Pakistan have their own civil ensigns following British tradition, which are all variants of the Red Ensign with their own national flag in the canton. The princely states , also known as 'native states', were over five hundred nominally sovereign territories within
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