Virtual Content

Waving Through Time

Flags of the Sweetwater Seas: the museum's flag collection, explored one banner at a time.

A ship’s flag is a distinctive feature in the world of boating and especially the Great Lakes. Bulk freighter companies have house flags that display their logo high in the air. Yachting associations have celebratory flags for their success in races and in their grouping. Signal flags are a form of communication between big and small vessels. There have been thousands of flags and symbols that have waved through time, each leaving its mark on the lakes. Through this exhibition, we are able to retell their history and the purpose of these flags.

Come with us as we explore the flag collection of the National Museum of the Great Lakes, which includes over 200 different examples.

Flags and trophies from the Waving Through Time exhibit, arranged as a display case

Alpha Foxtrot

Alpha Foxtrot

A – Alpha F – Foxtrot A – ALPHA: The signal flag ALPHA when flown by itself, lets other vessels’ crews know that a diver is down below and to keep a clear distance, traveling at a slow speed.

Bay View Yacht Club – Toledo

Bay View Yacht Club – Toledo

Bayview Yacht Club – Toledo In 1905, a meeting was held in the machine shop of F.M.

Chagrin Lagoons Yacht Club

Chagrin Lagoons Yacht Club

In 1940, small craft owners throughout the Cleveland, Ohio area, received postcards in their mailboxes inviting them to a meeting regarding a potential yacht club in the eastern end of Greater Cleveland.

Chalice

Chalice

So far this exhibition has covered a number of yacht clubs and races sponsored by them.

Cleveland Yacht Club

Cleveland Yacht Club

The Cleveland Yachting Association, known today as Cleveland Yacht Club, was founded by yacht racing icon George W.

Cleveland Yacht Club Auxiliary Races

Cleveland Yacht Club Auxiliary Races

Throughout the boating season, Cleveland Yacht Club hosts several races for all yacht class types.

Cleveland Yacht Club Exchange Series 1948

Cleveland Yacht Club Exchange Series 1948

Here we have a flag with very little information.

Cleveland Yacht Club F.W. Roberts Trophy 1946

Cleveland Yacht Club F.W. Roberts Trophy 1946

The first race of each season sponsored by the Cleveland Yacht Club (CYC) is the F.W.

CMYA

CMYA

Cleveland Metropolitan Yachting Association Star Class Race The formation of the Cleveland Metropolitan Yachting Association (CMYA) dates back to 1926, with plans for a boathouse in Cleveland near Edgewater, however, it was never built.

Commodore Winton Trophy

Commodore Winton Trophy

The Cleveland Yachting Association, known today as Cleveland Yacht Club, was founded by yacht racing icon George W.

Detroit Boat Club

Detroit Boat Club

E. A. Brush, Alpheus S. Williams, S.H. Sibley, J.H.

Falcon Cup Race 1942

Falcon Cup Race 1942

The Falcon Cup was first introduced in 1938 by Mentor Harbor Yachting Club’s former Commodore Richard (Dick) H.

Fall and Spring Series – LYC

Fall and Spring Series – LYC

Southern Lake Erie Fall and Spring Series The Fall and Spring Series are two of three seasonal series of races, hosted by the Lorain Yacht Club for the Southern Lake Erie Star Fleet.

Higgins Industries

Higgins Industries

This story of this burgee begins down south in Louisiana, eventually finding its way to the Great Lakes and now being featured in this exhibition.

High Rig & Low Rig Champion I-LYA 1933

High Rig & Low Rig Champion I-LYA 1933

From July 9th -15th, 1933, Put-In-Bay was speckled with yachts participating in week-long festivities and races.

I-LYA Lyman Cat Boat Race

I-LYA Lyman Cat Boat Race

The Lyman Boat Works, founded in 1875 by legendary boat builders Bernard and Herman Lyman, originated in the heart of Cleveland, Ohio.

I-LYA Parsons Trophy 1941

I-LYA Parsons Trophy 1941

The Parsons Trophy, named after former Cleveland Yacht Club Commodore Harry A.

ILYA Placement Flags

ILYA Placement Flags

Inter-Lake Yachting Association Regatta Placement Flags The Inter-Lake Yachting Association was formed through the efforts of George Gardner, founder of the Cleveland Yacht Club.

Inter-City Yacht Club

Inter-City Yacht Club

Inter-City Yacht Club (IYC), of Cleveland, Ohio, is one of two member run clubs in the United States that are predominantly African American.

Inter-Lake Yachting Association Comet Class 1939

Inter-Lake Yachting Association Comet Class 1939

In 1932, Mrs. Elliot Wheeler sent a request to C.

J.C. Goss Trophy

J.C. Goss Trophy

The J.C. Goss Company has been in business since 1878 manufacturing flags, tents, high end fabrics and sails for vessels across the Great Lakes.

Lorain Yacht Club Star Class Race

Lorain Yacht Club Star Class Race

The Lorain Yacht Club’s history begins in 1906 as the Black River Power Boat Club (BRPBC) positioned at the mouth of Black River in Lake Erie, Ohio.After two decades, the BRPBC transitioned into the Lorain Yacht Club in 1928.

McGarvey

McGarvey

McGarvey Memorial Series The McGarvey Memorial Series was an annual race held on Lake Erie that first began in 1948, exclusively for the star class boats.

Mentor Harbor Yachting Club

Mentor Harbor Yachting Club

East of Cleveland, Ohio, is the stomping grounds of Mentor Harbor Yachting Club.

Nugents Canal Yacht Club

Nugents Canal Yacht Club

Nugent’s Canal Yacht Club Like many other yacht clubs, Nugents Canal Yacht Club (NCYC), located in Port Clinton, Ohio is the product of a shared idea.

Old Timers

Old Timers

Old Timers Trophy Race The Oldtimers Trophy Race of the Cleveland Yacht Club is a relative mystery in search of its history.

Port Clinton Yacht Club Star Class Champion 1933

Port Clinton Yacht Club Star Class Champion 1933

The Port Clinton Yacht Club (PCYC), in the western basin of Lake Erie just north of the Portage River, has been around for over a century!The founding members saw that land in 1907, in a low marshy area as the perfect place to have a site for boating and water fun for them and their families.

Rosswurm Trophy Series

Rosswurm Trophy Series

The Rosswurm Trophy Series is an enigma to us at the National Museum of the Great Lakes.

Sandusky Sailing Club

Sandusky Sailing Club

On August 4, 2024, the Sandusky Sailing Club (SSC) will be celebrating its 92nd anniversary, marking its founding in 1932.

Signal Flags – B&C

Signal Flags – B&C

Signal Flags – B (Bravo) and C (Charlie) B – BRAVO: The signal flag BRAVO is a solid red swallowtail flag.

Signal Flags DELTA & X-RAY

Signal Flags DELTA & X-RAY

D – DELTA The signal flag DELTA, marked by a white background and a navy blue horizontal stripe through the center, sends the message to surrounding vessels to “Keep clear, I am having difficulty maneuvering.” X – XRAY The signal flag X- XRAY, marked by a white canton and a navy blue plus symbol that reaches the fours edges of the flag.

Signal Flags KILO & WHISKEY

Signal Flags KILO & WHISKEY

The signal flag K, KILO, is represented on a square with the colors yellow and blue split into two vertical halves.

Signal Flags M – Mike & O- OSCAR

Signal Flags M – Mike & O- OSCAR

MIKE – M The signal flag M – MIKE, is depicted with a blue background and a white “X” touching the four corners of the flag creating triangles along the edges.

Southern Lake Erie Star Fleet Burgee

Southern Lake Erie Star Fleet Burgee

Southern Lake Erie Star Fleet The Southern Lake Erie (SLE) Star Fleet is a small racing organization operating out of Lorain, Ohio.

Sun Parlor Boat Club

Sun Parlor Boat Club

To the east of Fighting Island on the Detroit River, in Ontario, Canada is the Sun Parlor Boat Club (SPBC), a tight-knit power boating community organized in the late 1960s through the efforts of a small group of outboard racing enthusiasts.

United States Power Squadron

United States Power Squadron

The United States Power Squadron (USPS) ensign is a variation of the United States Yacht ensign, featured in a previous post.

United States Power Squadron – Lieutenant Commander

United States Power Squadron – Lieutenant Commander

The flag of a red canton and double white tridents denotes the rank of a Squadron Lieutenant Commander of the United States Power Squadron (USPS).

United States Power Squadron 1st Lieutenant

United States Power Squadron 1st Lieutenant

This flag is for the Squadron First Lieutenant of the United States Power Squadron.

Vermilion Boat Club

Vermilion Boat Club

This flag is not the official flag of the Vermilion Boat Club, however, their burgee is seen at the very center.

Vermilion Boat Club South Shore Regatta

Vermilion Boat Club South Shore Regatta

The month of August is always exciting for the town of Vermilion, Ohio.

Vermilion Power Boats

Vermilion Power Boats

Powerboats were introduced in the late 1880s, rising in popularity throughout the early and mid 1900s.

Vermilion Yacht Club

Vermilion Yacht Club

The mouth of the Vermilion River used to be a low-lying swamp area, but in 1928, Lou Wells of LA Wells Construction purchased a portion of the area and invested his time and money to develop the land into a residential community with a spot dedicated for a future yacht club.

Vice Commodore

Vice Commodore

This flag is a Vice Commodore officers flag for private clubs and related yachting associations.

West River Yacht & Cruising Club

West River Yacht & Cruising Club

The Detroit River stretches over 40 miles connecting Lake Erie to Lake St.

Western Lake Erie Star Boat Champion

Western Lake Erie Star Boat Champion

The Western Lake Erie fleet, formed in the 1900s, is similar to the Southern Lake Erie Fleet, as a conglomerate of yachtsmen from various clubs who travel internationally to compete in Star boat races.

Wyandotte Yacht Club

Wyandotte Yacht Club

In 1951, a group of yachting enthusiasts formed the Wyandotte Yacht Club, in Wyandotte, Michigan.

Yacht Ensign

Yacht Ensign

United States Yacht Ensign The United States Ensign, regularly known as the Yacht Ensign, is a flag dedicated to the registered yachts of the United States.

“P”&”S”

“P”&”S”

Signal Flags P – “Papa” and S – “Sierra” The International Code of Signals encompasses 26 “Letter” flags, 10 “Number flags” and 4 additional flags for use when used in sequence.

Algoma

Algoma

Algoma Central Corporation A well known logo that can be spotted on the lakes today is the black bear used by Algoma Central Corporation.

Buckeye

Buckeye

Buckeye Steamship Company John T. Hutchinson began his business in 1861 at 24 years old after purchasing the scow Monitor, built for the transport of lumber.

Cleveland Tankers

Cleveland Tankers

Cleveland Tankers Corp. This seven-foot long swallowtail flag with the letters “CT” on a bright light blue fabric was the company logo for Cleveland Tankers Corporation.

Columbia

Columbia

Columbia Steamship CompanyIn the late 1800s and early 1900s, there was a steady transition from wooden vessels to steel hulls.

D&C

D&C

Detroit and Cleveland Navigation CompanyOnce flown at the pinnacle of the passenger steamer City of Detroit III, this is the flag of the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company.

Fairless

Fairless

Benjamin F. FairlessThe 639-foot long steel bulk carrier, Benjamin F.

Franklin

Franklin

Franklin Steamship Company The Franklin Steamship Company is a small company that owned a fleet of vessels that was managed by several prominent shipping companies.

Gene

Gene

Gene C. HutchinsonIn 1910, the American Shipbuilding Company built and launched the William C.

GLT

GLT

Great Lakes Towing Company The Great Lakes Towing Company was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1899 and rapidly grew in fleet size and popularity.

Golf

Golf

Signal Flag G – “Golf” The alternating yellow and blue vertical stripes correspond to the letter “G” in the English alphabet.

GTug

GTug

Great Lakes Towing Co.A brief history of the company flag of the Great Lakes Towing Company has already been covered in this exhibit, however, in recent weeks, this flag was identified to have been used by the famous towing company in its early years.

Halco

Halco

The Hall Corporation of Canada Ltd., also known as HALCO, was founded in 1918 in Montreal, Canada, as the Canadian subsidiary of George Hall Coal Company.

HALCO

HALCO

Hall Corporation of Canada has been covered a couple of times throughout this exhibit.

Hall2

Hall2

Hall CorporationThe flag shown here is one of the many variants of the Hall Corporation’s flag.

Hanna

Hanna

M.A. Hanna & Company In the 1840s Daniel Rhodes established Rhodes & Co.

HLL

HLL

Henry La LibertéThe James Corrigan was built in Ecorse, Michigan by the Great Lakes Engineering Works in 1908.

Huron Cement

Huron Cement

The Huron Cement flag in the NMGL collection is eight feet long and consists of a rectangular white flag with a blue outline of a circle in the center.

Inland Lakes

Inland Lakes

Inland Lakes Management Incorporated Inland Lakes Management Inc.

International Harvester

International Harvester

International Harvester CompanyThe International Harvester Company is widely recognized for its agricultural and construction equipment, cars and trucks, and gardening products.

ISMA President

ISMA President

International Ship Masters Association The International Ship Masters’ Association (ISMA) was established through the efforts of professional ship captains to cope with the difficulties encountered by families who had to deal with the deaths of members of their trade.

J and I

J and I

Signal Flags J – “Juliet” and I – “India” This one and half foot long blue and white horizontal striped flag is the signal flag “J – JULIET”.

Jenkins

Jenkins

Jenkins Steamship CompanyCharles Jenkins was introduced to the Great Lakes shipping business upon marrying into the Mack family in the early 1900s, owners of the Mack Steamship Company.

Kinney

Kinney

Kinney Steamship CompanyAdelbert Thomas Kinney, founder of the Kinney Steamship Company, always had a sense for business.

Kinsman Marine Transit

Kinsman Marine Transit

Kinsman Marine Transit Company The Cleveland-based company, Kinsman Marine Transit Company, was established in 1901 after Henry Steinbrenner purchased the Minch Transit Company upon marrying Sophia Minch.

Labrador

Labrador

Labrador Steamship CompanyIn the 1960s, the Labrador Steamship Company was organized as a subsidiary of Pickands Mather and Company of Cleveland to create a presence in Canadian Shipping.

Lakeland

Lakeland

Lakeland Tankers LTLThe Lakeland Tankers flag in the NMGL collection is a seven-and-a-half-foot-long black swallowtail flag with a white circle in the center that contains the letters “L T L” in black text with the “T” being the largest letter in the center of the circle.

Marine Fueling

Marine Fueling

Marine Fueling Inc.This three-foot-long rectangular flag was used by Marine Fueling Incorporated.

Medusa

Medusa

The Medusa Cement Company The face of Medusa is stitched onto this 8-foot long rectangular flag that was used for the Medusa Cement Company.

Midland

Midland

Midland Steamship Line Inc. This three-foot-long rectangular flag flew for Midland Steamship Line, Incorporated, a company involved in the Great Lakes grain trade.

Morrow

Morrow

Morrow Steamship CompanyDuring the first World War, vessel transport of raw materials was at an all-time high to assist the war effort.

P&H Ltd.

P&H Ltd.

Parrish & Heimbecker Shipping Limited Parrish & Heimbecker Limited, commonly known as P&H Ltd., is a Canadian grain company that has been in business for 114 years.

Paisley

Paisley

J.A. Paisley Steamship CompanyJames A. Paisley was a mastermind in the coal industry in the Great Lakes region.

Papachristidis

Papachristidis

Papachristidis Company Ltd. Greek immigrant, Phrixos Basil Papachristidis, took a chance by venturing to Canada in 1933 with the clothes on his back and a suitcase packed with vintage stamps.

Paterson

Paterson

Paterson Steamship Ltd. In 1903, Norman Paterson joined the grain business with his father and went on to form the N.M.

Pickands Mather

Pickands Mather

Pickands Mather Company The Pickands Mather Company was founded in 1883, becoming a major presence in the mining industry and shipment of iron ore.

Pittsburgh Steamship

Pittsburgh Steamship

Pittsburgh Steamship Company The Pittsburgh Steamship Company was formed in 1899 and soon became a subsidiary of US Steel Corporation in 1901.

Presque Isle

Presque Isle

Presque Isle Transportation Company This three-and-a-half-foot-long swallowtail flag belonged to the small but significant fleet of the Presque Isle Transportation Company.

Pringle

Pringle

Pringle Barge Line The Pringle history begins when Captain Robert C.

Pringle2

Pringle2

Pringle Barge Company This five-foot-long swallowtail flag belonged to the Pringle Barge Company.

Quebec

Quebec

Signal Flag Q – “Quebec” The plain yellow signal flag stands for the letter “Q” in the English alphabet.

R and T

R and T

R – “Romeo” and T – “Tango” Prior to the 18th century, flags and lights were used to signal other vessels.

Reiss

Reiss

Reiss Steamship Company The Reiss Steamship Company was incorporated in 1916 by Peter Reiss and was operated by various kin of the Reiss family.

Reiss2

Reiss2

Reiss Steamship CompanyOn February 15, 2023, this exhibit covered a newer version of the Reiss Steamship company flag.

S&E

S&E

S & E ShippingHenry Steinbrenner III was a visionary in the Great Lakes shipping industry.

Scheadle

Scheadle

J.H. ScheadleIn 1906, the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company ordered a new vessel built for their subsidiary company the Grand Island Steamship Company.

Seaway

Seaway

Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway CorporationThe Great Lakes St.

Shell

Shell

Shell Canadian Tankers, Ltd. The Shell Oil Company has been in existence since 1907 branded with the bold yellow and red clam shell.

Shenango

Shenango

Shenango Steamship Company The Shenango Steamship Company flag is characterized by its swallowtail shape with a blue border, and white within that border.

STT – US Steel

STT – US Steel

US Steel Great Lakes Fleet The United States Steel Corporation was created in 1901 by three entrepreneurs, Andrew Carnegie, J.P.

Tomlinson

Tomlinson

Tomlinson Fleet Corp. The Tomlinson Fleet was owned by George Ashley Tomlinson of Duluth, Minnesota.

Upper Lakes

Upper Lakes

Upper Lakes Shipping CompanyThe Upper Lakes Shipping Company began in 1931 focusing on the shipment of coal, iron ore, stone and salt.

USACE

USACE

United States Army Corps of EngineersThe beginning of the United States Army Corps of Engineers dates back to June 16, 1775, when the Continental Congress formed an army with a chief engineer and two assistants.

V and L

V and L

V – “Victor” and L – “Lima”The signal flag VICTOR – V – is represented by a white flag with a red “X” that reaches the four corners of the flag.

Y&N

Y&N

N – “November” and Y – “Yankee”These two signal flags were used by vessels in the Cleveland-Cliffs Incorporated fleet.

Brown Trophy

Brown Trophy

This third-place award flag for the Brown Trophy is a special one within our collection due to it being presented in the first year the race was held in 1943.

C.B. Johnston Trophy

C.B. Johnston Trophy

In 1928, the Cleveland yacht Club held the C.B.

FANCHON Name Flag

FANCHON Name Flag

One of the oldest flags in our collection at the National Museum of the Great Lakes is this name flag from the yacht Fanchon, owned by John Doller of Put-In-Bay Yacht Club dating back to the late 1800s.

Kiwanis Trophy

Kiwanis Trophy

The Kiwanis Trophy was a trophy race held by the Cleveland Yacht Club, possibly sponsored by one of the local Kiwanis Clubs.

Racing Number

Racing Number

Similar to any other sporting event, a number worn or used by the competitors is associated with their name.

Signal Flags UNIFORM & HOTEL

Signal Flags UNIFORM & HOTEL

Bayview Yacht Club – Toledo Although these two flags share the colors red and white, their design denotes separate meanings.

Southern Lake Erie Saturday “B” Series

Southern Lake Erie Saturday “B” Series

The Southern Lake Erie Star fleet held weekly Star boat races for all experience levels.