Last modified: 2016-09-17 by rob raeside
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The Mariner's Mirror is the international quarterly publication of the
Society for Nautical Research (associated with the National Maritime
Museum at Greenwich, England). Among the correspondence in the
current (November 2008) issue, is a note at page 474 from Richard
Woodman. He reports learning recently why the International
Code/Answering pennant is often shown in ship pictures flying below
the vessel's ensign. In a seamanship manual published in 1898 (which
he does not identify), Mr. Woodman found the answer to be that, when
so flown, the answering pennant conveys the message that all other
signal flags visible aboard the vessel are intended to convey their
International Code meanings and no other. According to Mr. Woodman,
when hoisted elsewhere, the answering pennant performs its ordinary
task.
John Paul Jones, 21 November 2008
The ICS doesn't have code longer than 4 symbols, thus only needs three repeaters. The image shown is the NATO 4th repeater.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 3 September 2016
These signal flags are from a flag plate of house flags. They are all 1:2 versions of the ICS flags, except the C-G range, that is composed of triangular flags (also in proportions 1:2, with the following characteristics:
C - White with a red disc shifted to the hoist.
D - Blue with a white disc shifted to the hoist.
E - A red-white-blue vertical tricolour.
F - Red with a white cross throughout shifted to the hoist.
G - A yellow-blue vertical bicolour, with the dividing line shifted to
hoist.
Jorge Candeias, 15 January 2005
They are shown here, on a page from the German 1902 Brockhaus encyclopedia (pdf file):
These were still around in 1922, see
"Standard
Seamanship for the Merchant Service, Riesenberg, Felix, C.E.D., Van
Nostrand Company, 1922, "International Code Flags" p559. Changes
include "F" and "L"."
Jan Mertens, 16 January 2005
F - Older version. Red with a white dot.
L - Quartered blue and yellow
Answering pennant - like the current flag but sharp-tipped
Dominique Cureau, 5 May 2005