In this section you can find all the flags of the international code of signals, which are part of the nautical flags’ category.
The international code of maritime signals was adopted for the first time in 1847, when the growing maritime trade prompted the adoption of a communication code that could be understood by fleets with different nationalities. The first code was composed of thousands of signals; it was then revised in 1934 in order to make its usage more practical.
The code is composed of forty flags in total and it is used by vessels in order to communicate at sight, through the generation of complete messages, letters of the alphabet or numerals. Even though the flags can be used for conveying complete messages, most of the times they are used to generate codes of one or two letters. Situations in which the transmission of messages is required are usually related to the safety of people and navigation.
The colors which are used are red, yellow, blue, white and black, in horizontal, vertical or oblique stripes. As regards the usage of the flags, they are hoisted in groups of four and read from the top to the bottom.
Each flag of the international code has its own meaning if taken singularly, or a different message if hoisted in combination with others. Thanks to this system, each vessel can effectively signal its condition to the others. Click on each single flag’s image to discover its details.
All our flags are produced with nautical polyester, which is a durable, top- quality material, specifically developed to last under adverse weather conditions.
In order to purchase, just click on the desired item and add it to the cart. Purchasing the international maritime signal flags has never been so easy.