International maritime signal flags
The flag alphabet is used in the shipping industry, to exchange messages optically by signal flags between ships. This message is signal (technical term: " hot " ) called.
There are, among others, the international and a German flag alphabet. These flag alphabets, each letter of the Latin alphabet is indicated by a different colored designed flag. Furthermore flags exist for signaling numbers and special flags. Most flags of the flag alphabet also possess additional special meanings, for example, signaled Flag A of the International Flag alphabet " Diver Down. " This flag is therefore also referred to as a dive flag and used outside of the shipping industry.
In contrast to the flag alphabet one letter is indicated by the position of two flags at Winker alphabet ( semaphore ).
History
1817 led the British naval officer Frederick Marryat a system of flag signals, the first for signaling and recognition of merchant ships over long distances at sea served ( Marryat signal code). The extended several times, and among other things, for the purposes of the Royal Navy system was redesignated in 1854 in The Universal Code of Signals for the Mercantile Marine of All Nations, and until about 1890 in use, mostly in British, American and German ships.
Another flag alphabet was designed in 1855 by the Board of Trade, published in 1857 and taken over gradually by many maritime nations. Germany took over the system in 1870. With the support of the International Code of Signals from 1901 this was first introduced universal. Since then, it has been repeatedly revised and streamlined with the advent of modern communication methods since the founding of the IMO in 1959 again and again.
Flag alphabets were first as military secrets and were mainly designed to be able to at sea during a naval battle transmit the own commands to friendly ships of war, without these commands could be read by the enemy. Since merchant ships are generally only following orders, there was in many nations even two signal books, one for the merchant marine, which of course was also the Navy available, and one exclusively for the Navy.
Remained the same principle as it applies since 1901, although the number of pennants and Stander has now increased. Today, there are 26 letters and ten pennants Pennant, a signal pennants, and four auxiliary Stander, and meanwhile, two railways and a target pennant. In general, various letters are set simultaneously and read from top to bottom up to four, which allows to formulate several statements 475 254 in total. By using the auxiliary Stander and the signal pennant, the increased nor. The track and target pennant, however, are only races ( regattas ) is important.
Genuine alphabetizing, so spelling of words, may be permitted only in exceptional cases, for example, to convey the name and spelling of a crew member, and happens after a " I'm starting to spell " signal and ends with a "I have spelled out " signal. Read this is the first volume of the International Code of Signals, which deals with the flags, Morse, and Winker signals. Volume two (of two) of the International Code of Signals, the radio book.
Signal Table
The flag signal "N over C" ( the flag is hoisted on N C)
A set of signal flags is called a "manipulated ". The signal flags can be set not only singly but also in combinations of several. They are placed below each other and read from top to bottom. So means, for example, " U", " W", " Good Luck " and " Bon Voyage ". This is used in the ship welcoming station Welcome Point in Wedel near Hamburg. Such combinations have been - used especially of warships in associations to communicate with each other - with the help of secret code books. This type of communication is, in contrast to radio, from enemy submarines not tap or peilbar.
The multi- signal flag "N " through " C" is an internationally recognized distress signal. More More Flag signals are rarely used today. They were initially replaced with the Q- codes of the Morse code, and later by radio.