Guide Collections Flags Updated June 7, 2026

State Flags with Ships and Boats

Oregon state flag (front) showing the state seal with a departing British man-of-war and an arriving American merchant vessel on the Pacific Ocean

State Flags with Ships and Boats

Collection - Flags

Oregon's state flag seal depicts a uniquely narrative maritime scene: a British man-of-war sailing away as an American merchant vessel arrives — a visual declaration of the transfer of Pacific sovereignty from Britain to the United States.

Quick Answer

State Flags with Ships and Boats

  1. 1

    Five US state flags feature a ship or boat as part of their visible design — all within state seals or coats of arms displayed on the flag.

  2. 2

    Oregon's flag carries the most historically specific ship scene: a British man-of-war departing and an American merchant vessel arriving on the Pacific — a deliberate image of British power leaving and US sovereignty arriving.

  3. 3

    New Hampshire's state seal shows the frigate USS Raleigh under construction, representing New Hampshire's role in building the first American naval fleet.

  4. 4

    Pennsylvania and New York both show sailing ships in their coats of arms within the state seal.

  5. 5

    Nebraska's flag seal features a steamboat on the Missouri River — a transportation symbol rather than a military or exploration one.

State Flags with Ships and Boats

What Each Ship Represents

Oregon — British Ship Leaving, American Ship Arriving

Oregon — British Ship Leaving, American Ship Arriving

What it represents
The 1846 Oregon Treaty — a British man-of-war sails away as an American merchant vessel arrives, depicting the transfer of Pacific sovereignty from Britain to the US. Oregon is also the only US state with a two-sided flag: the front shows this ship scene; the back shows only a golden beaver. Adopted 1925.
New Hampshire — The USS Raleigh Under Construction

New Hampshire — The USS Raleigh Under Construction

What it represents
New Hampshire's claim to naval heritage — the USS Raleigh was one of 13 frigates authorized by Congress in 1775 for the first Continental Navy. The flag shows the ship still on the stocks at Portsmouth, not yet launched. It is the only US state flag depicting a ship being built rather than at sea.
New York — Hudson River Trade

New York — Hudson River Trade

What it represents
The maritime commerce that made New York the dominant colonial trading hub — a full-rigged sailing ship and a smaller sloop on the Hudson River, shown in the coat of arms since 1778. New York was already the center of Atlantic trade when the design was created.
Pennsylvania — Trans-Atlantic Commerce

Pennsylvania — Trans-Atlantic Commerce

What it represents
Pennsylvania's role in trans-Atlantic trade through Philadelphia, one of the largest colonial ports. A full-rigged sailing ship fills the upper third of the coat of arms shield on the state flag, adopted in its current form in 1907.
Nebraska — Steamboat on the Missouri River

Nebraska — Steamboat on the Missouri River

What it represents
19th-century commerce and westward expansion — Nebraska's seal shows a steamboat alongside a locomotive, making it the only US state flag depicting both river and rail transportation together. Unlike Oregon's specific narrative, Nebraska's steamboat is a general symbol of frontier commerce.

Oregon: The Most Historically Specific Ship Flag

Oregon state flag (front) showing the state seal including a British ship departing and an American ship arriving on the Pacific Ocean
Oregon: British ship leaving, American ship arriving.

Oregon's state flag (front) shows the state seal on a navy blue field. The seal's central scene depicts two ships on the Pacific Ocean. One ship — a British man-of-war — sails away from the viewer, its sails filled as it departs. A second ship — an American merchant vessel — approaches the coast.

The contrast is intentional and historically specific. The scene represents the transfer of Pacific sovereignty from British to American influence in the Oregon Territory. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 settled the border with British Canada at the 49th parallel, formally ending joint occupation of the region. The flag design (adopted 1925) commemorates that transition.

Oregon is also the only US state with a two-sided flag: the front shows the state seal (with the ships), while the reverse shows only a gold beaver. This makes Oregon's flag unique — the ship appears only on the front.

Key Figure
5

US state flags display a ship or boat — from Oregon's departure-and-arrival maritime narrative to Nebraska's Missouri River steamboat.

New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Nebraska

New Hampshire state flag showing the state seal with the USS Raleigh frigate under construction against a blue field
New Hampshire: the USS Raleigh in the seal.

New Hampshire: New Hampshire's state seal — displayed on the blue state flag — shows the frigate USS Raleigh being built on the stocks at Portsmouth. The Raleigh was one of 13 frigates authorized by the Continental Congress in 1775 as the core of the first American navy. New Hampshire's inclusion of this ship in its state seal (and thus its flag) is a claim to naval heritage: the state helped build the first US fleet.

New York: New York's coat of arms — displayed on the blue state flag — shows a shield divided into two panels. The upper panel depicts a landscape with the Hudson River and two ships: a full-rigged sailing ship and a smaller sloop. The ships represent the maritime commerce that made New York the primary trading port of the colonial period. The coat of arms was designed in 1778, when New York was already the dominant trading hub of the Atlantic seaboard.

Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania's coat of arms shows a shield with three panels. The upper third contains a full-rigged sailing ship on a blue sea. The ship represents Pennsylvania's role in trans-Atlantic trade through Philadelphia, which was one of the largest ports in the British colonies and the new republic. The coat of arms appears on the state flag, adopted in its current form in 1907.

Nebraska: Nebraska's state seal — on the state flag — shows a steamboat on the Missouri River as one of several transportation symbols. The steamboat, alongside a locomotive, represents Nebraska's 19th-century growth through river commerce and railroad expansion. Unlike Oregon's historically specific ships, Nebraska's steamboat is a general symbol of industrial transportation.

Key Facts About Ships on US State Flags

1 Oregon is the only US state flag with two ships, and the only flag where the ship scene tells a specific historical story
2 New Hampshire's ship is the only US state flag depicting a ship being built — not yet launched
3 Oregon's ship scene appears only on the front of the flag — the reverse shows only a beaver
4 New York's coat of arms has been in continuous use since 1778, making its ship scene one of the oldest maritime symbols on any US state flag
5 Pennsylvania's ship represents Philadelphia — the largest US port city in the colonial era
6 Nebraska's steamboat is paired with a locomotive — the only state flag showing both river and rail transportation together
7 The USS Raleigh (New Hampshire's flag ship) was captured by the British in 1778, two years after being launched

Quick Answers

Which US state flags have ships on them?
Five US state flags feature ships or boats: Oregon (two ships — a departing British man-of-war and an arriving American merchant vessel), New Hampshire (the frigate USS Raleigh under construction), New York (sailing ship and sloop on the Hudson River), Pennsylvania (sailing ship in the coat of arms shield), and Nebraska (steamboat on the Missouri River in the seal).
Which state flag has two ships on it?
Oregon's state flag (front side) shows two ships on the Pacific Ocean: a British man-of-war sailing away and an American merchant vessel arriving. The scene represents the end of British sovereignty and the arrival of American governance in the Pacific Northwest, commemorating the 1846 Oregon Treaty.
Which state flag shows a ship being built?
New Hampshire's state flag shows the frigate USS Raleigh under construction on the stocks at Portsmouth — not yet launched. The Raleigh was one of 13 frigates commissioned in 1775 for the first Continental Navy. It is the only US state flag to depict a ship being built rather than at sea.
Why does Oregon's flag show two ships?
Oregon's state seal — displayed on the front of the state flag — shows a British man-of-war departing and an American merchant vessel arriving on the Pacific. This represents the 1846 Oregon Treaty, which ended joint British-American occupation of the Oregon Territory and established American sovereignty over the region north to the 49th parallel.

Methodology

How we researched this list

Flags were included when a ship, boat, or vessel is visible as part of the official flag design. Ships buried in very dense seal details at very small scale are noted.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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