International maritime signal flags

International maritime signal flags
The set of signal flags on the bridge of the Liberty ship SS Jeremiah O'Brien

The system of international maritime signal flags is one system of flag signals representing individual letters of the alphabet in signals to or from ships. It is a component of the International Code of Signals (INTERCO).[1]

Contents

Overview

There are various methods by which the flags can be used as signals:

  • each flag spells an alphabetic message, letter by letter.
  • individual flags have specific and standard meanings[2]; for example, diving support vessels raise the "A flag" indicating their inability to move from their current location because they have a diver underwater.
  • one or more flags form a code word whose meaning can be looked up in a code book held by both parties. An example is the Popham numeric code used at the Battle of Trafalgar.
  • in yacht racing and dinghy racing, flags have other meanings; for example, the P flag is used as the "preparatory" flag to indicate an imminent start, and the S flag means "shortened course" (for more details see Race Signals).

NATO uses the same flags, with a few unique to warships, alone or in short sets to communicate various unclassified messages. The NATO usage generally differs from the International meanings, and therefore warships will fly the Code/Answer flag above the signal to indicate it should be read using the International meaning.

During the allied occupations of Axis countries after World War II, use and display of those nations' national flags were banned. In order to comply with the international legal requirement that a ship identify its registry by displaying the appropriate national ensign, swallow-tailed versions of the C, D, and E signal flags were designated as, respectively, provisional German, Okinawan, and Japanese civil ensigns. Being swallowtails, they are commonly referred to as the "C-Pennant" (C-Doppelstander), "D-Pennant", and "E-Pennant".

Letter flags (with ICS meaning)

* ^ N and C together (No and Yes) is used as a distress signal.

** Also signallable on a ship's whistle using Morse code. See International Code of Signals.

*** The Z flag was also famously hoisted by Adm. Heihachiro Togo at the 1905 Battle of Tsushima as the Japanese fleet prepared to engage the Russian fleet. In Japanese coding at the time, the flag meant, "The Empire's fate depends on the result of this battle, let every man do his utmost duty."

Substitute

Substitute or repeater flags allow messages with duplicate characters to be signaled without the need for multiple sets of flags.

The four NATO substitute flags are as follows:

ICS Repeat One.svg ICS Repeat Two.svg ICS Repeat Three.svg ICS Repeat Four.svg
First substitute Second substitute Third substitute Fourth substitute

To illustrate their use, here are some messages and the way they would be encoded:

"N" ICS November.svg
"O" ICS Oscar.svg
"NO" ICS November.svg ICS Oscar.svg
"NON" ICS November.svg ICS Oscar.svg ICS Repeat One.svg
"NOO" ICS November.svg ICS Oscar.svg ICS Repeat Two.svg
"NOON" ICS November.svg ICS Oscar.svg ICS Repeat Two.svg ICS Repeat One.svg
"NONO" ICS November.svg ICS Oscar.svg ICS Repeat One.svg ICS Repeat Two.svg
"NONON" ICS November.svg ICS Oscar.svg ICS Repeat One.svg ICS Repeat Two.svg ICS Repeat Three.svg
"NONNN" ICS November.svg ICS Oscar.svg ICS Repeat One.svg ICS Repeat Three.svg ICS Repeat Four.svg

See also

References

  1. ^ International Marine Signal Flags
  2. ^ AB Nordbok. "The Lore of Ships", page 138. New York: Crescent Books, 1975.

External links



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Signal — Signal, signals, signaling, or signalling may refer to: Scientific concepts * Signal (electrical engineering), a physical quantity that can carry information. * Signal processing, the field of techniques used to extract information from signals * …   Wikipedia

  • Maritime flag — A medieval ship flag captured by forces from Lübeck in the 1420s showed the arms of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Pomerania. The original flag was destroyed during a World War II attack on the city, but a 19th century copy remains in Frederiksborg… …   Wikipedia

  • International Code of Signals — The International Code of Signals (INTERCO) is a signal code to be used by merchant and naval vessels to communicate important messages about the state of a vessel and the intent of its master or commander when there are language barriers.… …   Wikipedia

  • Maritime flag signalling — Maritime flag signalling, generally flaghoist signalling, is the principal means other than radio by which ships communicate to each other or to shore; distinguished from flags showing nationality, ownership, or (for naval vessels) organizational …   Wikipedia

  • Distress signal — Call for help redirects here. For the TV show, see Call for Help. A distress signal is an internationally recognized means for obtaining help. Distress signals take the form of or are commonly made by using radio signals, displaying a visually… …   Wikipedia

  • Code international des signaux maritimes — Le code international des signaux maritimes est un système mis en place dans la marine qui permet de représenter les lettres de l alphabet à partir d un bateau, à l aide de différents pavillons. Les pavillons peuvent être utilisés de plusieurs… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Code International Des Signaux Maritimes — Le code international des signaux maritimes est un système mis en place dans la marine qui permet de représenter les lettres de l alphabet à partir d un bateau, à l aide de différents pavillons. Les pavillons peuvent être utilisés de plusieurs… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Code International de Signalisation — Code international des signaux maritimes Le code international des signaux maritimes est un système mis en place dans la marine qui permet de représenter les lettres de l alphabet à partir d un bateau, à l aide de différents pavillons. Les… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • international relations — a branch of political science dealing with the relations between nations. [1970 75] * * * Study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (e.g., bureaucracies and political… …   Universalium

  • Maritime history of California — History of California This article is part of a series Timeline …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”