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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 “Juliet”
(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” (V) 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 once had my initials (LW)
on the front of my car in signal flags! I might just do that
again!
Until next
time, I wish you clear skies, fair winds and calm seas!
Captain
Larry Walker is the president of World Wide Marine Training,
Inc., a U.S. Coast Guard Approved facility authorized to give
examinations for captain’s licenses up to 200 Ton Master, Able
Seaman up to Unlimited, STCW-95, Radar, ARPA and other
Endorsements
(www.fromthehelm.com or
call toll-free 866-249-2135). |
