Don't Tread on Me!

ET3 Timothy Krupka proudly displayed the new Navy Jack aboard the USS Key West on Tuesday. The flag honors those who died last September and will replace the Union Jack on all Navy vessels. Photo by Lori Cravalho

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (September 10, 2002) -- The nuclear attack submarine USS Key West on Tuesday raised the first Navy Jack at Pearl Harbor, which will be flown by all Navy vessels in lieu of the Union Jack. The Navy Jack is a flag consisting of a rattlesnake, superimposed across 13 horizontal alternating red and white stripes with the motto, "Don't Tread On Me." It honors those who died last September.

Commander Chuck Merkel, Key West's commanding officer, said the sub was conducting a routine transit to the Fifth Fleet when they learned of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The submarine was ordered to the North Arabian Sea.

by Gregg K. Kakesako

Honolulu Star-Bulletin