How do you read a maritime flag?
The Nautical Flag Alphabet
- A: Alpha – diver down; keep clear.
- B: Bravo – carrying dangerous cargo.
- C: Charlie – yes (affirmative)
- D:
- E: Echo – altering course to starboard.
- F: Foxtrot – I am disabled, communicate with me.
- G: Golf – I want a pilot.
- H: Hotel – a pilot on board.
What do different boat flags mean?
Solo or combined, nautical flags convey meaning.
The combination of the D (Delta) and V (Victor) flags, meanwhile, means “I’m maneuvering with difficulty and require assistance.” The J (Juliet) and L (Lima) flags mean “you’re running the risk of going aground.”
What is the nautical alphabet used for?
While someone not acquainted with maritime activity might think the colorful flags are simply decorative and traditional, the Nautical Flags Alphabet actually helps represent an important system of communication between sailors when at sea.
What do these flags R over Y as displayed above mean?
Romeo-Yankee (R over Y) proceed at slow speed when passing.
How do you remember flag signals?
Code Flags and the Phonetic Alphabet
- A – Alpha. Divers Down.
- E – Echo. Altering course to starboard.
- I – India. I am altering course to port.
- M – Mike. My vessel is stopped and making no way through the water.
- Q – Quebec. My vessel is healthy and I request free practique.
- U – Uniform.
- Y – Yankee.
- Repeater 1.
What does a skunk flag mean?
The Skunk flag signifies “no fish”, “getting skunked” or not hooking a fish.
What does a black flag on a ship mean?
Ships carrying passengers infested with the plague flew a yellow and black checked flag to warn other vessels against approaching. The plague flag flown over infested ships in port. Despite popular belief, the black flag was actually a more welcoming site than the red flag to other vessels.
What does the kilo flag mean?
I wish to communicate with you
The code flag K “Kilo” means ‘I wish to communicate with you. ‘ International Marine Signal Flags are international signals used by ships at sea. They can be used to spellout short messages, or more commonly, used individually.
What is the flag alphabet called?
The Semaphore flag signaling system is an alphabet signalling system based on the waving of a pair of hand-held flags in a particular pattern. The flags are usually square, red and yellow, divided diagonaly with the red portion in the upper hoist.
What is the nautical alphabet called?
The (International) Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet, is the most widely used set of clear code words for communicating the letters of the Roman alphabet, technically a radiotelephonic spelling alphabet.
What does the P flag mean in sailing?
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).
What does an orange flag mean on a boat?
State law requires that boats towing person(s) on water skis or similar devices carry and use an orange or red skier-down flag, at least 12 × 12 inches in size, whenever the towed person(s) or associated equipment is down in the water.
What does a white flag mean on a ship?
In distinction to striking one’s colors, hoisting a white flag, in itself, is not an indication of surrender. Rather, hoisting a white flag indicates a request for a truce in order to communicate with the enemy.
What does a yellow flag on ship mean?
Medical Definition of quarantine flag
: a yellow flag hoisted by all ships to request pratique on entering a harbor, by a ship to show that it has contagious or infectious disease aboard, or by a ship that has been quarantined. — called also yellow flag, yellow jack.
What does the Papa flag mean in the Navy?
Phonetic Pronunciation: pah-PAH. Navy & International Meaning: All personnel return to ship; proceeding to sea (Inport). International Code of Signal Flags have double stitched seams, finished nylon rope distance lines and ash toggles.
What does the tango flag mean?
Phonetic Pronunciation: TANG-go. Navy Meaning: Do not pass ahead of me. International Meaning: Keep clear; engaged in trawling.
What is Z in the military alphabet?
Zulu
NATO Phonetic Alphabet
| Symbol | Code Word | Phonic (pronunciation) |
|---|---|---|
| W | Whiskey | WISS KEY |
| X | X-ray | ECKS RAY |
| Y | Yankee | YANG KEY |
| Z | Zulu | ZOO LOO |
What is the meaning of phonetic alphabet?
1. : a set of symbols (such as the IPA) used for phonetic transcription. : any of various systems of identifying letters of the alphabet by means of code words in voice communication.
What does Delta flag mean?
The code flag D “Delta” means ‘Keep clear of me; I am manoeuvring with difficulty. ‘ International Marine Signal Flags are international signals used by ships at sea. They can be used to spellout short messages, or more commonly, used individually.
What is an alpha flag?
A diver down flag, or scuba flag, is a flag used on the water to indicate that there is a diver below. Two styles of flag are in use. Internationally, the code flag alfa/alpha, which is white and blue, is used to signal that the vessel has a diver down and other vessels should keep well clear at slow speed.
What are the 5 distress signals?
The signals are internationally recognised and must only be used if you are in distress.
…
Distress signals
- ‘mayday, mayday, mayday’ in emergencies only.
- ‘pan pan, pan pan, pan pan’ for urgent messages that aren’t emergencies.
- SOS in Morse code (using marine radio or another signalling method).
What are the 16 types of distress signals?
Red Hand-held Flare (day and night)
What is a red flag on a ship?
A red flag is frequently flown by armed forces to warn the public of live fire exercises in progress, and is sometimes flown by ships carrying munitions (in this context it is actually the flag for the letter B in the International maritime signal flag alphabet, a red swallow-tailed flag).
What does a blue flag mean on a boat?
Unlike the eight beach safety flags, the Blue Flag is awarded to sand strips, marinas, and boating operators that follow a pre-established set of eco-friendly parameters. Today, raising the Blue Flag means offering a higher level of standard when it comes to beach and saltwater quality.
What does Foxtrot flag mean?
I am disabled; communicate with me
The code flag F “Foxtrot” means ‘I am disabled; communicate with me. ‘ International Marine Signal Flags are international signals used by ships at sea. They can be used to spellout short messages, or more commonly, used individually.