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A gun salute being fired by members of the U.S. Army Presidential Salute Guns Battery

The 21-gun salute is a ceremonial military honor performed when 21 rounds are fired from a battery of artillery pieces. Lower ranking government officials, as well as military leaders, are honored with a salute of from 19-guns to as few as five.

A 21-gun salute is called a Royal Salute in the British Commonwealth (in the British Empire it had been reserved, mainly among colonial princely states, for the most prestigious category of native rulers of so-called salute states), unless rendered to the president or flag of a republic; even then it is colloquially called "royal". For example, it would be said of the President of the United States, if saluted in Canada, that he received a "royal salute." However, the salutes fired at the Tower of London to mark the anniversaries of the birth, accession, coronation of the Sovereign, and other royal occasions are in fact 62 guns, and 41 guns are fired at Hyde Park or Green Park on Royal occasions. When President George W. Bush made his visit to the United Kingdom in 2003, 41 guns were fired.

In the United States, the 21-gun salute is used for the President of the United States as well as visiting foreign Heads of State. A 21-gun salute is also fired at noon on Memorial Day to honor the nation's fallen. A 50-gun salute (one round for each state in the Union) is fired at noon on the 4th of July.

The 21-gun salute should not be confused with the 3-volley salute issued by a seven-member firing party at military funerals where honors are rendered. On such occasions, rifles, or (as is the case in some police departments) shotguns, are used.

The tradition of saluting can be traced to the Middle Ages practice of placing oneself in an unarmed position and, therefore, in the power of those being honoured. This may be noted in the dropping of the point of the sword, presenting arms, firing cannon and small arms, lowering sails, manning the yards, removing the headdress or laying on oars.

The cannon salute might have originated in the 17th century with the maritime practice of demanding that a defeated enemy expend its ammunition and render itself helpless until reloaded — a time-consuming operation in that era. Also, the gun salute was established as a naval tradition by the late sixteenth century. A man o' war which visited a foreign port would discharge all its guns to show that its guns were empty. Since the ship would not have enough time to reload before it was within range of the shore batteries, it was clearly demonstrating its friendly intentions by going in with empty guns.

Salute by gunfire is an ancient ceremony. The British for years compelled weaker nations to render the first salute; but in time, international practice compelled "gun for gun" on the principle of equality of nations. In the earliest days, seven guns was the recognized British national salute due to seven being the standard number of weapons on a vessel. In that day, gunpowder made from sodium nitrate was easier to keep on dry land than at sea. Thus those early regulations stated that although a ship would fire only seven guns, the forts ashore would fire three shots to each one shot afloat, hence the number 21.

With the increase in quality of naval gunpowder, by the use of potassium nitrate, honours rendered at sea were increased to the shore salute. 21 guns became the highest national honour, although for a period of time, monarchies received more guns than republics. Eventually republics gained equality in Britain's eyes.

When British India was the jewel in the crown of the British Empire, the king-emperor would receive an Imperial salute of 101 guns, but for the more important of the hundreds of colonial vassals rulers of princely states involved in indirect rule, there was a formal hierarchical system of odd numbers of guns as a salute, expressing the Monarch(y)'s prestige, the highest of these so-called salute states (also in some other parts of the empire) enjoying 21 guns (till 1947 only their Highnesses the Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar and the Maharajas of Manipur, Mysore, of Jammu and Kashmir, of Baroda and of Gwalior). For years, a few non-colonized Monarchs were granted 21 guns (Nepal, Oman, Mosquito Coast and Zanzibar) or even 31 guns (Afghanistan and Siam).

There was much confusion because of the varying customs of maritime states, but finally the British government proposed to the United States a regulation that provided for "salutes to be returned gun for gun." The British at that time officially considered the international salute to sovereign states to be 21 guns, and the United States adopted the 21 guns and "gun for gun" return on August 18, 1875.

A myth common in the United States relative to the origin of this tradition is that the year 1776 inspired the 21-gun salute due to the sum of the digits in 1776 being 21 (i.e., 1+7+7+6 = 21). However, this is not true. Beginning in the colonial period, the United States fired one shot for each state in the Union as its national salute. This practice was partly a result of usage, because John Paul Jones saluted France with 13 guns at Quiberon Bay in 1778 when the Stars and Stripes received its first salute. The practice was not officially authorized until 1810, when the United States Department of War declared the "national salute" to be equal to the number of states, which was 17 at the time. This was continued until 1841 when the "national salute" was reduced from 26 to 21.

In 1842, the United States declared the 21-gun salute as its "Presidential Salute." In 1890, the "national salute" was also formally reestablished as the 21-gun salute, although the traditional Independence Day salute is a 50-gun salute -- one round for each state in the union. This "Salute to the Nation" is fired at noon on July 4, (Independence Day) at U.S. military installations. The U.S. Navy full-dresses ships and fires 21 guns at noon on July 4, Independence Day and February 22, Presidents' Day. On Memorial Day, batteries on military installations fire a 21-gun salute to the nation's fallen. As well, batteries at Naval stations and the ships themselves, fire a salute of 21-minute guns and display the ensign at half-mast from 8 a.m. until completion of the salute.

Today, a 21-gun salute is rendered on the arrival and departure of the President of the United States; it is fired in concordance with four ruffles and flourishes, which is immediately followed by Hail to the Chief -- the actual gun salute begins with the first ruffle and flourish, and concludes after Hail to the Chief has ended. A 21-gun salute is also rendered to former U.S. Presidents, foreign Heads of State (or members of a reigning royal family), as well as to Presidents-elect. In such a ceremony, the national anthem of the visiting dignitary's country is played, following the salute.

Each round in a gun salute is fired one at a time. The number of cannon used in a battery depends upon the intervals between each round fired. For example, a 3-gun battery has 2 of its guns firing, each at 5 second intervals between rounds, with 1 gun at the ready in case of a misfire; such a battery would be used at an Armed Forces Full Honors Funeral, or for an arrival ceremony of a dignitary at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. A 4-gun battery has its first 3 guns firing rounds at 3 second intervals, with the 4th gun (again) at the ready in case of misfire.

Constitution renders a 21-gun salute to Fort Independence during her Independence Day turnaround cruise.

The U.S. Army SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for Gun salutes provides a 2-man gun crew (one loader, one gunner) for each cannon, as well as a 5-man 'staff' of soldiers to give the fire commands. The staff includes an Officer in Charge, a watchman (who marks the intervals and signals each gun to fire), an assistant watchman (as a backup), a counter (who keeps track of the number of rounds fired and signals the last round to the Officer in Charge), and a Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (who marches the battery into place as well as signals the backup cannon to fire in case another gun misfires).

Naval vessels now have saluting guns installed which are used solely for such purpose. The traditional timing chant, "If I wasn't a sailor, I wouldn't be here. Fire #1," etc., has been replaced by stopwatch.

A U.S. presidential death also involves 21-gun salutes and other military traditions. On the day after the death of the president, a former president or president-elect—unless this day falls on a Sunday or holiday, in which case the honor will be rendered the following day—the commanders of Army installations with the necessary personnel and material traditionally order that one gun be fired every half hour, beginning at reveille and ending at retreat.

On the day of burial, a 21-minute gun salute traditionally is fired starting at noon at all military installations with the necessary personnel and material. Guns will be fired at one-minute intervals. Also on the day of burial, those installations will fire a 50-gun salute—one round for each state—at five-second intervals immediately following lowering of the flag.

Royal gun salutes mark special royal occasion throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. The number of rounds fired in a Royal Salute depends on the place and occasion. The basic Royal Salute is 21 rounds. In Hyde Park and Green Park an extra 20 rounds are added because they are Royal Parks. At the Tower of London 62 rounds are fired on Royal anniversaries (the basic 21, plus a further 20 because the Tower is a Royal Palace and Fortress, plus another 21 'for the City of London') and 41 on other occasions. The Tower of London probably holds the record for the most rounds fired in a single salute - 124 are fired whenever The Duke of Edinburgh's birthday (62 rounds) coincides with the Saturday designated as The Queen's official birthday (also 62 rounds).

Gun salutes occur on the following annual Royal celebrations:

• Accession Day (6 February)
• The Sovereign's (real, individual) birthday (21 April)
• Coronation Day (the anniversary of The Queen's Coronation, 2 June)
• The birthday of the Duke of Edinburgh (10 June)
• The Queen's official birthday which designated annually as one of the first three Saturdays in June

Gun salutes also occur when Parliament is prorogued by the Sovereign, on Royal births and when a visiting Head of State meets the Sovereign in London, Windsor or Edinburgh.

Military saluting stations are London and York in England, Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, Cardiff (Wales)and Hillsborough Castle in County Down, Northern Ireland.

In London, salutes are fired in Hyde Park and The Tower of London; on State Visits, at the State Opening of Parliament and for The Queen's Birthday Parade, Green Park is used instead of Hyde Park. In Hyde Park, the salute is fired by The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery. The first round is fired at noon (11am on The Queen's official birthday). At the Tower of London, the salute is fired by the Honourable Artillery Company at 1pm. Salutes also are fired occasionally at Woolwich by the Royal Artillery.

Salutes in Northern Ireland are usually fired at Hillsborough Castle by 206 (Ulster) Battery, although recently they have also been fired at HMS Caroline in Belfast Harbour.

As a Commonwealth, the gun salutes are used special holidays, state funerals and visits by the Royal family in Canada.

Individuals whom are giving salute outside of the Queen (or King) are:

• Governor General of Canada - installation, special events (e.g. Canada Day), departure
• Foreign heads of state
• members of foreign reigning royal families

Holidays were a 21 gun salute is used:

• Rememberance Day (November 11) - with the presence of the Queen and/or Governor General

In the United States, 19-gun salutes are reserved for vice heads of state, chiefs of staff, cabinet members, and 5-star generals. In the United Kingdom, 19-gun salutes are used for field marshals and equivalents (e.g., admirals of the fleet and air marshals), ambassadors, and heads of government (e.g., the British Prime Minister).

In Canada, the Prime Minister and Heads of foreign missions are entitled with a 19 gun salute.

A 17 gun salute is given to the Canadian Minister of National Defence when visiting a saluting station (limited to once a year), as well as:

• Foreign heads of government, the Vice-President of the United States, ministers of National Defence

A 15 gun salute is given on certain occasions for the Lieutenant Governors of the provinces in Canada.

• State funeral
• Celebratory gunfire

• Navy Regulations, 1990, Ch 12, Flags, Pennants, Honors, Ceremonies and Customs
• AR 600-25 Salutes, Honors, and Visits of Courtesy
• Origins of the 21-gun salute
• The 21-Gun International Salute
• RoyalArk- India - salute states
• Urban Legend re: Sum of Digits of 1776
• Honours and salutes - Department of Canadian Heritage