Nautical Flags at Clasky Common

Nautical flags were originally used for communication among comrades during military entanglements. What started as a limited communication system has evolved over centuries into a comprehensive, internationally-recognized signaling system used for military and non-military purposes. Recreational vessels also use nautical ship flags, as well as code signal flags, to identify themselves and to communicate with other ships. In 2019, New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks!, along with their project partners, introduced Courting the Sky to Clasky Common in New Bedford.  The artist, Maria Molteni, and local kids created the design, which includes messages made with nautical flags.  Can you decode the messages using the alphabet key below?  Learn more about Courting the Sky here.

There are various methods by which the flags can be used as signals:

• A series of flags can spell out a message, each flag representing a letter.
• Individual flags have specific and standard meanings; for example, diving support vessels raise the “A” flag indicating their inability to move from their current location because they have a diver underwater and to warn other vessels to keep clear to avoid endangering the diver(s) with their propellers.
• One or more flags form a code word whose meaning can be looked up in a code book held by both parties. An example is the Popham numeric code used at the Battle of Trafalgar.
• In yacht racing and dinghy racing, flags have other meanings; for example, the P flag is used as the “preparatory” flag to indicate an imminent start, and the S flag means “shortened course”