What is a typical pennant count for a full dress rainbow ship?

• A. 24
• B. 28
• C. 32
• D. 40

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is presenting a complete rainbow with pennants. In a full dress rainbow ship, you use enough pennants of each color to show a clear, continuous rainbow in order along the ship’s flag lines, so the sequence reads visually as a true arc of color from end to end. That means keeping a consistent set of pennants for each color so every color has the same visual weight and the rainbow appears balanced and complete.

This approach explains why a standard count is used: it provides the full rainbow without omitting colors or crowding the rigging. If you had too few pennants, the rainbow would be incomplete or too faint; if you had too many, the display would look crowded and awkward. So the choice reflecting the full rainbow arrangement aligns with the established ceremonial practice.