Serapis Flag
The Serapis Flag is an unconventional form of the United States flag dating back to the American Revolution.
On 23 September 1779, Captain John Paul Jones of the Continental Navy attacked the British Naval vessel Serapis near Flamborough Head, Yorkshire as part of a general Franco-American campaign of naval interference. In the course of the battle, Jones captured the Serapis, while his own ship Bonhomme Richard began to sink.
Jones set sail for port in the Dutch United Provinces, which was nominally neutral but tended to support the Americans. British representatives at the port argued that Jones was a pirate, as he was not flying any known national flag.
Based on descriptions of the US flag circulating in Europe, the Dutch authorities recognized the flag above as that of the United States. A sketch dated 5 October 1779 titled “Serapis” survives to this day.
Misperceptions about the correct flag design were common; Benjamin Franklin as Ambassador to France described the flag as such:
It is with pleasure that we acquaint your excellency that the flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen stripes, alternately red, white, and blue; a small square in the upper angle, next the flagstaff, is a blue field, with thirteen white stars, denoting a new constellation.
At that time, the more conventional construction had already been dictated by the Continental Congress. Franklin made no mention of the number of points on the stars. The Serapis flag, almost uniquely, uses eight-point stars.