commission that has no flag officer or other unit commander embarked. The pennant is flown at the after truck or, on a mastless ship, at the highest and most conspicuous point of hoist. Although the commission pennant is not a personal pennant, it is sometimes regarded as the personal symbol of the commanding officer. Along with the ensign and union jack, it is half-masted upon the death of the commanding officer. It remains at half-mast until sunset of the day of the funeral or until the body is removed from the ship. DRESSING AND FULL-DRESSING SHIP LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Explain procedures for dressing and full-dressing ship. Explain actions to be carried out when dressing and full-dressing in port, under way, when half-masting, and dipping. When dressing or full-dressing ship, the largest national ensign with which the ship is furnished is displayed from the flagstaff and, except as prescribed for a ship displaying a personal flag or command pennant, a national ensign is displayed from each masthead. The national ensigns displayed at the mastheads should be of uniform size but smaller than the one at the flagstaff. If there is a substantial difference in heights of mastheads, however, a difference in the size of the national ensigns is appropriate. When the ship is full-dressed, mastheads are dressed as described in the preceding paragraph, In addition, a rainbow of signal flags is displayed, reaching from the foot of the jackstaff to the mastheads, then to the foot of the flagstaff. Peculiarly masted or mastless ships make a display as little modified from the rainbow effect as possible. The rainbow is displayed in the order prescribed in NTP 13. Ships not under way are dressed or full-dressed from 0800 until sunset. Ships under way are not dressed or full-dressed. Ships operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC) are not required to be full-dressed, but will dress ship when full-dress is specified and on all occasions of dress ship. Ships are full-dressed on the third Monday of February (President's Day) and the Fourth of July (Independence Day). When the Fourth of July falls on a Sunday, ceremonies are conducted the following day. Ships are dressed on the remaining national holidays. Ships may be full-dressed or dressed at such other times as may be prescribed. When dressing or full-dressing ship in honor of a foreign nation, the national ensign of that nation replaces the United States national ensign at the main, or the masthead in a single-masted ship. Should the occasion arise whereby the ensign is to be half-masted or dipped during dress or full-dress ship, only the national ensign at the flagstaff is half-masted or dipped. When full-dressing is prescribed, the senior officer present may direct that dressing be substituted if the state of the weather makes such action advisable. The senior officer present may also exempt ships undergoing shipyard and/or repairs from dress or full-dress ship. Only clean flags should be used in full-dressing ship. On large ships, more than one set of flags may be needed to fill all the dressing lines. Flags should be stopped to the dressing lines the day before the ship is to be full-dressed, otherwise something unforeseen might develop and the dressing lines would not be ready for hoisting at 0800. The ensigns, jack, and rainbow of flags should be hoisted smartly at 0800. At evening colors, all ensigns and the jack should be lowered ceremoniously. The rainbow of flags should be lowered quickly. COLORS LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Explain the procedures for conducting colors ceremony and sunrise. The ceremonial hoisting and lowering of the national flag at 0800 and sunset at commands ashore and aboard ships of the Navy not under way is known as morning and evening colors. The guard of the day and the band, if available, are in the vicinity of the point of hoist. Aboard Navy ships or naval shore activities on all occasions of hoisting and lowering or half-masting the national ensign, the motions of the senior officer present are to be followed. Five minutes before morning and evening colors, at first call, the PREPARATIVE pennant is hoisted. Ceremonies for colors begin when the pennant is hauled to the dip. 10-11