Flags afloat: flying from stem to stern, they can be decorative or descriptive - Cruise Primer - cruise ship flags

Cruise Travel, Jan-Feb, 2002 by Theodore W. Scull

Standing on the sun deck and gazing upward at the ship's mast, a good stiff breeze sends the flags snapping--and wandering minds to thinking, "What do they all mean?"

Flags often say quite a lot, even in this day of instant communication. Additionally, there may be a flag at the bow, another at the stern, a whole string of them draped from the bow up and over the ship in a series of arcs and down to the stern. And you may have even seen one painted on the side of a ship. Sometimes, the flags are flying, sometimes the pole is bare, and on other occasions you see them hoisted or lowered.

Flags send signals that, for instance: this ship is British, she's owned by Cunard, has a pilot onboard, is requesting health inspection clearance, and, as a courtesy to the former colony into whose port she is sailing, is flying the Stars & Stripes. So readers may have already guessed that the ship in question is the Queen Elizabeth 2, whose port of registry, inscribed on the stern, is Southampton in the United Kingdom, hence she flies the red ensign, a version of the British national flag that applies to merchant ships. The banner with the yellow lion wearing a crown and holding a globe set against a red backdrop is, or was until recently, the Cunard Line house flag. (A few decades ago, one would have seen a white star on a red pennant fluttering below, indicating the once joint company Cunard White Star Ltd. A even older shipping company, P&O, had its origin way back in the 1830s, trading from England to Spain and Portugal, so when the present house flag was designed, it included blue and white from the Portugal's national flag and red and yellow from Spain's.)

As ships enter or leave most ports, they carry a pilot, and when he is aboard, the red and white letter "H" (phonetic code word Hotel) flag is flown. The solid yellow letter "Q" (Quebec) flag means that the vessel requests health inspection clearance. Ships that visit many other countries carry a huge supply of national flags as a courtesy when the ship is in foreign waters; in this case, the QE2 is coming into New York, as she has done now for more than 32 years. The positioning of all these flags, and when they are flying, is very important for recognition purposes. The national registry flag is flown from the vessel's main mast when underway, for instance, and from the stern when she is in port.

But more often that not, most cruise travelers today are not sailing on ships flying the national flag of traditional maritime powers like Great Britain, the United States, or Germany, but ones from the Bahamas (Nassau), Panama, Liberia (Monrovia), or even Mata Utu. Of the last four, the first three are often referred to as "flags of convenience," while the last is an atoll in French Polynesia, whose flag is the tricolor of Metropolitan France.

These flags, from countries of registry that are not the same as those of ships' owners, were created beginning more than a half-century ago to lower costs by permitting the hiring of lower-wage non-British, -American, or -German nationals (to name a few) for some or all of the officers and crew, saving on corporate taxes.

At one time these "convenient" registries helped owners evade expensive inspections and regulations, often related to safety standards. Currently, the internationally accepted Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS) regulations have largely eliminated any differences with regards to safety on nearly all cruise ships that North American vacationers are likely to patronize. But if it weren't for these flags of convenience, we most certainly would not have the huge cruise industry we know today, or the affordable fares.

Sometimes the house or company flag gets translated to the funnel colors and markings, as is the case with Costa's blue C on a yellow background. But sometimes there is no relationship, such as with the yellow Cunard lion on the house flag and the Cunard red- and black-striped funnel markings.

Often, when a ship is in port, she flies a blue flag with a square white center. That's the letter "P" (Pappa, but more commonly called Blue Peter), indicating the ship is about to sail (within 24 hours). Another flag used in port is "B" (Bravo), a red banner that means: caution, the ship is fueling (and it can also mean the vessel is carrying dangerous cargo). The blue and white "A" (Alpha) hoisted while the ship is stationary means a diver is inspecting the hull; if used at sea, it indicates the ship is on speed trials.

Cruise ships are identified by four call-letters, so four flags will be mounted on the mast, spelling out the call-letters from the top down. Some ships have individual ways of using flags. United States Lines' Patriot, for instance, flies a flag at the jack staff (bow) when approaching a port to help show the captain the wind direction. But will just any flag do? Captain Buz Radican flies "R" (Romeo, and here, also for Radican).

There are flags for every letter of the alphabet, a system with British and French origins dating to the early 19th century. There were challenges and disagreements until 1856 when an international committee was set up, and additional colored flags and pennants were added to create a code of 40, comprising 26 letter flags, 10 numerical pennants (zero through nine), one answering pennant, and three substitute pennants. Universal agreement on the system did not come until 1902 (see chart on facing page).