Signal Flags

We have talked about many topics that are important to mariners. It is hard to rank those topics in order of importance since they are all links in a long chain of navigation and safety. Among the many links in the chain is "communication." For some mariners, were it not for timely and effective communication in an emergency, we might be referring to them in the past tense today.

Over the long history of mariners on the water, electronic communication is a relatively recent development. Prior to that, for many centuries, mariners relied on "visual" communications between vessels. Two of the most common mediums were flags and lanterns. In fact, one of today's official "international distress signals" is the display of two signal flags.

There are numerous distress signals, but the one that uses signal flags employs the signal flag "November" (N) displayed above the signal flag "Charlie" (C). Many people wonder about the meaning of those two signal flags and how they came to be used as a distress signal. The "Charlie" flag stands for "Yes" and the "November" flag stands for "No." If you are signaling yes and no at the same time something is wrong.

There are a few other signal flags that are commonly used today for other reasons. One circumstance that comes to mind is a "man overboard" situation. During my time in the Navy, we threw a "dummy" overboard for one of our lookouts to spot. That was the beginning of our "man overboard" drill. The dummy was named "Oscar" since the "Oscar" (O) signal flag was the appropriate flag to fly in a man overboard situation.

Another commonly displayed flag is the code flag "Alpha" (A). It is the international signal flag that means "have a diver down, keep clear." In the United States and a few other places, the "diver down" flag is a red flag with a white diagonal stripe, which we are more accustomed to seeing.

There are a few others that are widely used. The "Bravo" (B) flag is used by Navy ships during ammunition handling operations. "Bravo" means dangerous goods. The "Tango" (T) flag is displayed by two fishing vessels engaged in "pair trawling." Does that mean it takes "Two to Tango?" Maybe it does. Many of our every day expressions are from maritime origins.

There are a few more flags with pretty straightforward meanings. The "Echo" (E) flag means "altering course to starboard." The "India" (I) flag means "altering course to port." The "Juliett" (J) flag means "on fire, have dangerous cargo, keep clear." I wouldn't have to see that flag twice to get out of the way.

The "Uniform" (U) flag means "you are running into danger." The "Victor" flag means "require assistance." The "Whiskey" (W) flag means "require medical assistance." The "Zulu" (Z) flag means "dragging my anchor."

It is common to see signal flags in place of a front license plate on a mariner's car. Many people display their initials. It might be an interesting exercise to find out the meaning of the signal flags used by one of your friends. I put my initials (LW) on the front of my car in signal flags! What do you think?

Until next time, I wish you clear skies, fair winds, and calm seas!