The national flag of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas consists of a black triangle situated at the hoist with three horizontal bands: aquamarine, gold and aquamarine. Adopted in 1973 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the emblem of the Crown Colony of the Bahama Islands, it has been the flag of The Bahamas since the country gained independence that year. This was inspired by the ousting of the pirates, and consisted of a scene depicting a British ship chasing two pirate ships out at the high seas encircled by the motto "Expulsis piratis restituta commercia" ("Pirates expelled, commerce restored").
Because of the lenient regulations of registration, the flag of the Bahamas is commonly used as a flag of convenience by foreign-owned ships. The Bahamian national flag was first hoisted on July 10, 1973 at midnight.