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Semaphore

Last modified: 2024-06-15 by rob raeside
Keywords: semaphore | oscar |
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About semaphore

“Flag language”, or “semaphore” — a convention to convey (latin) letters by means of two flaglets, held in each hand, and several positions of both arms. This is not a “language”, of course, rather an “alphabet” (the same way Morse or Braille are alphabets — they’re actually cyphers).
António Martins, 27 Jul 2003 and 07 May 2005

As a noun the word "semaphore" (from the Greek "σημια", "sign", and "φορος", "bearing") is the name given to the system of sending messages by holding the arms, two poles or two flags in certain positons according to an alphabetic code, or a mechanical device for signalling in the same way. As a verb it means to signal in by these means. The person who does the “semaphoring” is a signaller.
Christopher Southworth, 27 Jul 2003

Nautical signal and semaphore flags, storm flags, I suggest, are a special sort of occasional flag
Bill Dunning, 29 Aug 2003


Flags used in semaphore

Question: What colour flag should I use for semaphore signalling?
Answer: The design is irrelevant.
Dean McGee, 28 Jul 2003

There is no symbolism on these semaphore “flags”, which may be a colored paddle.
Albert Kirsch, 31 Aug 2003

The actual flags used were (and are) entirely irrelevant to the system.
Christopher Southworth, 27 Jul 2003

What gives semaphore flags content is not their design at all, but rather their position! A signalman without flags could still just wave his arms and get his message across; the “flags” just add visibility.
Albert Kirsch, 29 Aug 2003

Did the Armies of the various countries in Europe and the USA use different and distinctive patterns for the semaphore flags of their artillery corps? At the Suffolk Regimental Museum in Bury-St Edmunds, in Britain, former colleague of mine was shown a flag picked up by a member of the regiment on the battlefield of Paardeberg (Feb 17 to Feb 27 1900 - Anglo-Boer War): It was a square red flag with a white square at the centre. At the Artillwry section of the War Museum of the Boer Republics in Bloemfontein, South Africa, former capital of the Orange Free state Republic, the curator identified it as a semaphore flag of the OFS State Artillery. He also told me that the same design was the used by the British Royal Artillery. He had another semaphore flag, white with a narrow blue cross, in his collection which was used for semaphore signalling by the ZAR (Transvaal) State Artillery. This was apparently the pattern used by the German Army’s artillery corps.
Andre Burgers, 04 Apr 2005

US Army used red with a white rectangle (when signaling with a light colored background behind the sender) or
white with a red rectangle (when the background was dark). US Navy uses (still) the ICS OSCAR flag, divided diagonally yellow and red. I seem to recall that the [British] Royal Navy once used a horizontally triband, either white-blue-white or blue-white-blue depending on background, but may be mistaken.
Joe McMillan, 01 Jul 2003

In the South African Navy and, I believe the British Royal Navy and possibly also throughout NATO, the semaphore signal flags were square Flags OSCAR, presumably because the red and yellow diagonal design had high visibility at sea.
Andre Burgers, 28 Jul 2003

B  B images by António Martins-Tuválkin, 12 May 2024

I had seen the red/white US Army flags in the 1917 Nat’l Geo [gmc17]. And I remembered seeing a badge from a Canadian Forces signal unit that included crossed blue/white flags. I found a couple of examples like this site in Canadian, Australian, and British Army units. The symbol is a white-blue-white triband crossed with a plain blue flag. And this site seems to show the plain blue flag in use in the Zulu war, 1879 (but the pic is small: it may be a regimental flag or some such).
Dean McGee, 01 Aug 2003

The [British] Royal Navy stock item for a semaphore flag is 8345-99-571-5926 and consists of a 46×46 cm flag mounted on a stave. The stave is made of British Colombia Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and is 1070 mm long and 19 mm in diameter. The [British] Army have a separate stock item, 8345-99-125-0604, which is a self pocketed flag, 46×46 cm, with two 20 cm tapes at bottom. Basically this means that it has a pocket for a stave to go into, but its a case of supply your own stick!
Graham Bartram, 15 Aug 2006


Usage of semaphore

From a book called The schoolboy’s Pocket Book by Carlton Wallace (first published in the 1950s):

Before a semaphore transmission begins, it is usual to hoist the letters VOX [victor oscar x-ray] or simply J [juliet] in the International Code flags from a convenient flagstaff.

The signaller then gives the Semaphore alphabetical sign (identical to the signal for the letter J) and waits until the person receiving the message replies with the letter C.

If numbers are to be sent, the signaller makes the numerical sign; he makes the alphabetical sign again when going back to ordinary letters.

When receiving, the signaller stands at the “ready” position with the two flags crossed in front of the legs.

James Dignan, 07 Jun 2005


Letter semaphore signals

AA BB CC DD EE FF GG HH II JJ KK LL MM NN OO PP QQ RR SS TT UU VV WW XX YY ZZ 

A signal

Aimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

B signal

Bimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

C signal

Cimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

D signal

Dimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

The peace symbol originated from semaphore for "N" (the two diagonal lines) and "D" (the two vertical lines). Later the symbol was adopted as a general peace sign.
T.F. Mills, 09 Oct 1996

 

E signal

Eimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

F signal

Fimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

G signal

Gimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

H signal

Himage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

I signal

Iimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

J signal

Jimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

K signal

Kimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

Zero is the same combination as letter K.
James Dignan, 07 May 2005

 

L signal

Limage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

M signal

Mimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

N signal

Nimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

The peace symbol originated from semaphore for "N" (the two diagonal lines) and "D" (the two vertical lines). Later the symbol was adopted as a general peace sign.
T.F. Mills, 09 Oct 1996

 

O signal

Oimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

P signal

Pimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

Q signal

Qimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

R signal

Rimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

S signal

Simage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

T signal

Timage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

U signal

Uimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

V signal

Vimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

W signal

Wimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

X signal

Ximage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

Y signal

Yimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

Z signal

Zimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

Digit semaphore signals

0: 0 1: 1 2: 2 3: 3 4: 4 5: 5 6: 6 7: 7 8: 8 9: 9

The number signals are identical to ten of the letters.
James Dignan, 07 May 2005

 

0 signal

0image by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

Zero is the same combination as letter K.
James Dignan, 07 May 2005

 

1 signal

1image by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

2 signal

2image by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

3 signal

3image by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

4 signal

4image by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

5 signal

5image by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

6 signal

6image by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

7 signal

7image by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

8 signal

8image by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

9 signal

9image by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

 

Other semaphore signals

start letters: start letters start numerals: start numerals ready: ready acknowledge: acknowledge annulate/cancel: annulate/cancel error: error

As far as I know, there are no punctuation marks in the system.
Terence Martin, 06 May 2005

 

Start letters signal

start lettersimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

The signaller makes the alphabetical sign when going back to ordinary letters, after having sent numbers (introduced by the numerical sign). The Semaphore alphabetical sign is identical to the signal for the letter J.
James Dignan, 07 Jun 2005

 

Start numerals signal

start numeralsimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

If numbers are to be sent the signaller makes the numerical sign; he makes the alphabetical sign again when going back to ordinary letters.
James Dignan, 07 Jun 2005

 

Ready signal

readyimage by James Dignan and António Martins, 13 Jun 2005

When receiving, the signaller stands at the “ready” position with the two flags crossed in front of the legs. This signal may have been used for breaks between words.
James Dignan, 07 Jun 2005

 

Acknowledge signal

acknowledgeimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

The person receiving the message must acknowledge, before start, with the letter C.
James Dignan, 07 Jun 2005

 

Annulate/Cancel signal

annulate/cancelimage by James Dignan, 12 Jun 2005

This flag means correction; it is sent following any mistaken signal.
James Dignan, 07 Jun 2005

 

Error signal

errorimage by James Dignan and António Martins, 13 Jun 2005


 
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