We thought we would begin with the meaning of "signal flags". Sounds like a good start! The International Code of Signals are a series of colored flags and pennants flown from ships to indicate a variety of things: from current operations, intentions, and medical assistance requests. They are broken down into three main categories: one flag signals, two flag signals, and three flag signals. People often believe that the flags "spell" out things and although sometimes you do "spell" out items, they are not really used in that matter. First, its an international code, so if you spelled out words it could get confusing to other countries. Second, you would quickly run out of flags and need a huge flagpole if you had to spell out every word! I've seen people do it though and its a bit funny as well as a bit unprofessional as well. No, the flags have specific meanings when flown in certain orders. Sailors in other vessles can look up the signal and see what they mean. Although in modern times, sending signals can be done in quicker methods, signal flags are still flown from ships and in some cases, it is required if the ship is performing certain functions. In future posts, we will go into more detail about these flags and how to use them.
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