Yacht Ensign at the stern of your vessel. It is usually appropriate to fly the U.S. JL – You are running the risk of going aground. ZL – Your signal has been received but not understood. ZD2 – Please report me to Lloyds, London. ZD1 – Please report me to the Coast Guard, New York YU – I am going to communicate with your station by means of the International code of signals. UP – Permission to enter Harbour is urgently requested. PD – Your navigation lights are not visible.

SO – You should stop your vessel instantly. NC – I am in distress and require immediate assistance. RU – Keep clear of me I am maneuvering with difficulty. LO – I am not in my correct position: used by a light vessel. Nautical Flags: What They Mean And How To Use Them Seven-flags are for longitude signals containing more than one hundred degrees. Six-flag signals are used when necessary to indicate north or south or east or west in latitude and longitude signals. Five-flag signals are those relating to time and position. Four-flags are used for geographical signals, names of ships, bearings, etc. Three-flag signals are for points of the compass, relative bearings, standard times, verbs, punctuation, also general code and decode signals. Two-flag signals are mostly distress and maneuvering signals. One-flag signals are urgent or very common signals (see meanings below). You will notice, for clarity, the flags shown are either red and white, yellow and blue, blue and white, or black and white besides plain red, white, and blue. These are: red, blue, yellow, black, and white and these cannot be mixed indiscriminately.

Only a few colors can be readily distinguished at sea. These maritime flags include 26 square flags which depict the letters of the alphabet, ten numeral pendants, one answering pendant, and three substituters or repeaters. Also called signaling flags, they are a set of ship flags of different colors, shapes and markings which used singly or in combination have different meanings. International Code Flags or Signaling FlagsĪlthough you may never see them displayed except at fleet parades, around naval installations, and areas with heavy international shipping traffic, International code flags are used to signal between two ships or between ship and shore.

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Blue and black flag