June 4, 2011: China is enlarging its naval ensign (a version of the national flag that is flown on navy ships.) Naval ensigns, in general, are designed for easy recognition at sea. Thus the Chinese naval ensign is basically the red national flag, with the bottom third of the flag taken up by five white and blue horizontal stripes. The new naval ensign will be larger and use brighter colors. The size change is explained as necessary because Chinese warships are, on average, much larger than they were when the current naval ensign was designed in the 1950s. When it comes to naval ensigns, size matters. The admirals also believe the new naval ensign will provide a modest boost to sailor morale.