A 48-STAR U.S. ENSIGN FLOWN ON THE U.S.S. ENTERPRISE.
A 48-star pieced wool and canvas flag with painted stars, 40 x 60 inches, heading stamped 'U.S. No. 10 MI 44,' with label identifying the flag affixed to upper center, some toning and wear throughout.
Provenance: Manufactured at Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, 1944 and flown aboard U.S.S. Enterprise, 1944-1945; retained by QM3c Ernst B. Turp as a memento of service until 1990s; sold to The War Museum of New York City, 1990s; sold Bonhams, New York, to Zaricor Flag Collection, 2013.

The USS Enterprise (CV-6) was the seventh U.S. Navy vessel to bear that distinguished name. Lovingly nicknamed 'The Big E,' she was the only aircraft carrier to fight and survive throughout the second World War. She was engaged in every major battle save one, earning a total of 20 battle stars, making her the most highly decorated ship of WWII. From October to December 1942 she was the only carrier operating in the Pacific against the Japanese Navy and was thus their primary target. She escaped destruction and severe damage thus earning the appellation 'Lucky Lady.'

Incredibly there are very few documented surviving USS Enterprise flags and ensigns. One huge ensign survives from her 1938 shakedown cruise. Another is in the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola, FL, while one other, was preserved by a crewmen, as this was.

Quartermaster 3rd Class Ernst B. Turp acquired this #10 ensign during his service aboard the Enterprise and retained it as a memento of service. The ensign is marked on the hoist 'US No 10 MI 44' which translated United States flag; size number 10 (2.90 x 5.51 feet); Mare Island Naval Shipyard (the flag loft in which the flag was made) in 1944. This ensign is typical of similar wartime flags and exhibits the economy measures introduced in 1942.