What is the flag on the ship. Yellow flag on the ship

Sailors, like everyone else, have " language', but it's unusual. It is classified as signaling.

Visual signaling means are divided into:
- on object signaling means: signal flags, figures, flag semaphore; - on means of light connections And signaling: signal lights, searchlights, gate and signal lights;
- for pyrotechnic means of signaling: signal and lighting and signal cartridges, rockets, torches.

The means of sound signaling are: sirens, megaphones, typhons, beeps, etc. I bring to your attention - flag semaphore. With the help of it, messages are transmitted and received between within line of sight. It is used in case of failure of radio equipment. Knowledge of this language will help and not only at sea. Knowledge of English is required.

International Code of Signals- signal books containing a list of individual words and sentences most frequently encountered in maritime practice, with their corresponding symbols in the form of short combinations of numbers and letters. Symbols intended for negotiation ships, courts and coastal posts of communication and observation with foreign ships and coastal posts with the help of visual and technical means of communication.

The semaphore or flag alphabet has been used by the Navy since 1895. It was designed by Vice Admiral Stepan Makarov. The Russian flag alphabet contains 29 alphabetic and three special characters and does not include numbers and punctuation marks. The transmission of information in this type of communication is word by letter, and the transmission speed can reach 60-80 characters per minute. The signalman is responsible for the transmission of information by semaphore alphabet on the ship; this specialty in the Navy was introduced in 1869.

international maritime signal flags and pennants

The flags of the International Code of Signals were designed in 1857. They are used on fleet to send messages between all ships. Before 1887 vault called " Merchant Marine Code Signal System". Initially, the set consisted of 18 flags. On January 1, 1901, all maritime states adopted this code. In 1931, an international commission from 8 countries modified signal system.

naval code of signals flags

The order in which flags are signaled.

International Code of Signals.
The International Code of Signals (ICC) is intended mainly for communication with foreign ships and vessels in an environment caused by the need to ensure the safety of navigation and the protection of human life at sea, especially in cases where language communication difficulties arise. The code allows signal production by all means of communication, including radiotelephone and radiotelegraph. It is built on the principle that each signal has a complete semantic meaning. In some cases, digital additions are used to expand the value of the main signal. As a general rule, only one flag signal should be raised at a time. Each signal or group of signals must remain raised until a response is received on the receiving ship.

Ship call.
The call signs of the called vessel should be raised at the same time as the signal on a separate line.
If the callsigns are not raised, then this means that the signal is addressed to all ships located within the visual range of the signals. If it is not possible to establish the call sign of the vessel to which you want to signal, then you should first raise the signal VF - "You must raise your call sign" or CS - "What is the name or call sign of your ship?". At the same time, the transmitting vessel raises its call signs.
response to signals.
All vessels to which signals are addressed or which are indicated in the signals, as soon as they see them, must raise the "Response Pennant" to half, and immediately after parsing the signal - to the place; The "response pennant" should be lowered to half-mast as soon as the transmitting station lowers the signal, and again raised to its place after parsing the next signal.
End of signal exchange.
After lowering the last flag signal, the transmitting vessel shall separately raise
"Answer pennant", indicating that this signal is the last one. The receiving vessel should respond to this in the same way as to all other flag signals.
Actions if the signal is not clear.
If the receiving vessel cannot distinguish the signal transmitted for it, then it shall keep the "Reply Pennant" raised to half. If the signal is distinguishable but its meaning is not understood, then the receiving vessel may raise the signal: ZQ - "Your signal appears to be encoded incorrectly. You should check and repeat the entire signal" or ZL - "Your signal was received but not understood."

Use of replacement pennants.
The use of replacement pennants allows the same letter flag or digital pennant to be repeated one or more times in the same group if the ship has a single set of flags. The first replacement pennant always repeats the highest signal flag of the first signal combination; the second substitute always repeats the second one, and the third substitute always repeats the signal flag third from the top. A replacement pennant may never be used more than once in the same group. The "replying pennant" when used as a decimal sign shall not be taken into account in determining which substitute is to be used.
Spelling transmission.
The names of ships or geographical objects in the text of the flag signal should be transmitted in letters of the Latin alphabet. With non-military vessels, the military can exchange messages using the International Code of Signals. In this case, the ship raises the red and white pennant of the International Code of Signals.

Vault signals, with the exception of those indicating the action of the ship, are transmitted by flag
signaling in the following order:
- The flagship transmits signals over the connection without call signs of the addressee and sender;
these signals are rehearsed by the flags of all ships of the formation;
- The flagship sends signals to the address of one ship or several ships only with the call signs of the addressee (s); these signals are rehearsed by the flags of the ships located at the shortest distance between the sender and the addressee;
- Ships connecting signals to the address of one ship (including the flagship) or
several ships are transmitted with the call signs of the addressee and sender; these signals
ships that are at the shortest distance between the sender and the addressee rehearse with flags;
- The ships of the formation transmit signals, which are a report to the flagship and at the same time an alert to the ships of the formation, transmit only with their call signs; these signals are rehearsed by the flags of all ships of the connection.

Signal rehearsal.
The signal is rehearsed with flags in the following sequence:
- the ship-sender raises the signal to the place;
- ships rehearsing a signal raise it to half;
- the destination ship raises the signal to the place; following this, the ships rehearsing the signal,
lift it up as well.
The signal is sent down by all ships, following the actions of the flagship.
The order of transmission of signals showing the actions of the ship.
Signals showing the actions of the ship are transmitted without the call sign of the sender and are not
are rehearsing.

Raising and lowering the coloring flags.
During the ceremonial hoisting of the Naval ensign of Russia, topmast flags and coloring flags are hoisted. Topmast flags are hoisted on the topmasts of all masts; at the same time, the flags of officials raised on them should be located below the topmast flags. The coloring of ships with flags is carried out between the masts of the masts and from the latter to the posts of the ship. Triangular flags are hoisted from the stem to the fore mast clod, rectangular flags are raised between the masts clots, triangular and rectangular with pigtails from the masts, mainmast or mizzen mast to the sternpost.

When coloring are not used:
- State flag
- flags of auxiliary vessels and ships of the border troops;
- guis;
- flags and braid pennants of officials, pennant;
- foreign national, military, trade flags and flags of officials;
- flags of the signal set, having the same design with foreign national
flags; these flags currently include flags: B, K, N, R, X, C, E
Executive, 3, 4, 7, 9.
A set of flags to be raised during coloring should be made in such a way that the raised flags or their individual signals do not form any phrases or words with their letter values. Coloring flags are raised on halyards specially prepared for this purpose.

Original entry and comments on

Being on various kinds of ships and in order not to offend the members of the ship's crew, it is customary to communicate using marine words and expressions. And for a diver, knowledge and use of marine terminology is a sign of good taste.

Longboat- a cargo boat on a ship, designed to transport personnel and cargo.

Tank- prow of the ship

backboard- the left side of the vessel. It is customary to highlight the backboard with red light.

Jar- a bench in the boat. Banks are also called stools in the cockpit. And also jar there may be a shoal or a shoal in some water area or fairway.

Berbaza- coastal base, a supply complex for ships parked near the coast.

BZZH- the struggle for survival.

Breakers- a wave with a foamy crest over pitfalls, near the rocks. On this basis, sailors learn about the existing reefs and shoals.

Bay- in addition to the encyclopedic concept, this is also called a coil of rope, rope, steel cable or cable.

Pick up the slack- if literally, then pull the cable or rope.

Displacement- a characteristic of the size of the vessel.

latrine- toilet.
Tack- the direction of the ship.
Jack- flag of the ship.

Drifting- deviation of a moving vessel from the course under the influence of wind or current, drift of the vessel to the side when anchored.

Wrap flippers- die.

Cable- a unit of length equal to 185.2 meters 1/10 of a nautical mile.

Cabin- a dining room and a place of rest for the command staff of the ship.

caisson- decompression sickness, which can occur in divers due to improper ascent from depth.

Wake- the trail left by the ship (to follow in the wake - to follow) (to follow in the wake - follow on the heels, breathe into the back of the head).

keeling- tilting the vessel on its side so that the keel is out of the water (for repair, cleaning or painting the underwater part of the vessel). A punishment in the era of the sailing fleet, which consisted in dragging a person from side to side under the bottom of the ship. This punishment often resulted in death.

kingston- a hole with a valve in the outer skin of the underwater part of the vessel for receiving or removing water.

Klizmostavy- ship's medics.

Hawse- a hole in the board for the anchor chain.

Box- the affectionate name of the ship by sailors.

Stern- rear end of the vessel.

Fender- a device that serves to protect the ship's side from impacts and friction against a berth or other vessel. Now sailors often use unusable car tires instead of fenders.

Cranking– keeling with a lower angle of inclination (without leaving the keel out of the water). It is used on small fishing vessels to clean the underwater part from fouling and for minor repairs to the hull plating. Most often done in tropical latitudes.

CEP- Commander of the ship

Galley- kitchen.

Cook- Cook.

End- non-metallic cable, rope.

Knecht- a heavy cast-iron pedestal on the pier, pier, to which the ship's end is attached. Jokingly yet bollard called the boatswain's head. That is why it is said that one cannot sit on a bollard.

Kubrick (kubar)- living quarters for the team.

lag- a manual or mechanical instrument for measuring the speed of a vessel.

Leer- in fact, this is a tightly stretched cable, it is used to tie sails, tighten awnings, but more often it serves as a fence along the side of the ship (storm lines). A rope attached to the sides of a lifeboat is called a lifeline.

Tench- a long thin rope.

Lot- a weight used to measure depth.

A car- engine room.

Mile- a unit of length at sea, equal to 1.852 km.

MSS- international code of signals.

Knights- (this concept still remains from the sailing fleet) ship ropes that fastened the cargo, tying it to something.

nail- tie, fasten.

Binnacle- a box or scale on which the compass is fixed.

sheathing- the outer shell of the ship's hull, providing water tightness.

compartments- internal spaces on the ship, separated by transverse or longitudinal watertight bulkheads.

teaching staff- improvised watercraft.

Raid- part of the port water area for anchorage of ships. The outer raid has no protection from wind and waves, the inner raid is protected by natural or artificial barriers from wind and waves.

Bell- ship's bell

flasks- repulsion of signals in the bell. in the navy bottle called a half-hour period. The number of bottles shows the time. Their count starts at noon. Eight bottles represent four hours. Every four hours the counting starts again. For example, at 2:30 a.m., 4 flasks were struck (2 double blows on both ends of the bell and 1 simple blow on one end). And also the vial was beaten when the anchor chain was unwound every 25 meters.

Cheekbone- part of the side in close proximity to the bow of the ship.

”He spat from the tank - it fell behind the poop!”- (laughingly) this is what they say about a ship of small displacement and modest size.

Salaga- young sailor

Samovar- a heat exchanger or more common ship water desalination plant.

Samotop- a ship or vessel with dubious seaworthiness and unpredictable state of technical means.

Herring- a regular uniform tie with an elastic band.

withdraw- leave the same place, start moving.

snotty- a sailor's uniform tie.

cut down- to remove, to remove, to destroy.

Stasik- ship cockroach.

Wall– a fixed berth equipped with mooring bollards and bits, rubber fenders, etc., a concrete mooring front of the harbor.

Degrees of intoxication(of old) - Under the trysels- slightly drunk. Under reefed topsails- more seriously, swaying slightly. Dropped anchor- everything fell off.

Stakolism- washing in close company of something.

Dry wash- a forced choice of the least dirty shirts from stale shirts in the absence of washing conditions or on a protracted business trip.

Rusk- the name of a civilian dry-cargo vessel.

gathering- leaving the ship for rest or home.

Aunt woman, wife, friend.

poison- lie, talk, tell stories. They also say so when the gag reflex (vomits) occurs. The third meaning is to loosen (tension).

Deck- the horizontal tier of the ship.

Patch- a device for temporary repair of damage in the underwater part of the ship's hull. It could be made from several layers of waterproof impregnation canvas or from several layers of boards with a canvas lining.

poison- give slack, give the opportunity to rest.

Forecastle- bow superstructure on the tank of the ship.

taban- row the oars against the normal course so that the boat moves stern forward.

Beam, ”Stand on a beam” - to be opposite some place or permanent landmark.

Ladder- ladder on the ship.

Three sisters- these are three consecutive, largest waves during a storm, hurricane. The first wave throws up, the second throws up and sharply throws under the third, the third covers.

Hold- the interior of the ship, lying below the lowest deck.

Thrumvein- "not wine, but a complete Mr."

Tyulkin fleet- small ships and vessels, as well as small fishing vessels.

Narrowness- entrance to the bay, strait, closed water area.

Knot- the speed of the ship, equal to one nautical mile per hour.

”Go under the horizon”- drown.

Iron- big heavy ship.

Us- coastal communication center.

Bulwark- fencing along the edges of the outer deck of a ship, ship or other floating facility, which is a solid wall with special cutouts for water drainage, mooring and other things.

flank- Uniform flannel shirt.

Fleet- it is correct to say serve in the navy, and not in the navy.

Naval Jew- navigator, boatswain, tankerman, dockmaster. So they call these specialties for the similarity of sound with the corresponding surnames.

Show off dinner, lunch, breakfast- manifestation of a gag reflex due to pitching.

Walk- it is correct to say walking, not swimming in the sea.

Circulate- turn, change course or walk in circles, walk around something.

Chalky- mooring lines, mooring ends. Throw chalks - moor.

Chemerges- a drink made from alcohol, infused with fruits and berries, herbs, roots, etc.

Chepa or Chapa– emergency generator, low power diesel.

Chumichka- a ladle from a set of dishes on a sailor's table.

Awl- alcohol.

Shir Hole– latitude-longitude, geographic coordinates of the place of the ship or the desired place.

nameplate- a number on the door with the name of the room on the ship.

Scupper- a hole in the deck for draining accumulated water overboard.

hose- to be lazy, to shy away from work.

Stormtrap- a rope ladder, which is thrown from the side of the ship if necessary.

Stirbort- the starboard side of the ship. It is customary to highlight it in green.

Yashka- anchor. For example, stand on the yashka, throw the yashka, give the yashka.

Flags in MSS – international code of signals.

BUT- the literal meaning of the flag "Alpha". The signal of this flag says: “I have a diver lowered; stay away from me and follow at a slow pace."

B- the literal meaning of the flag "Bravo" (in the Latin alphabet, the letter B). Signal meaning: "I am loading or unloading or have dangerous goods on board."

IN- the literal meaning of the Whiskey flag (letter W in the Latin alphabet). Means: "I need medical attention."

The Russian letter designation of the flag is "Vikta" (the Latin letter of this flag is V). The signal of the Vikta flag indicates some kind of trouble: "I need help."

G- the literal meaning of the flag "Golf" (the Latin designation is the letter G). Flag signal: "I need a pilot." But if this flag is raised by a fishing vessel in the fishing area, then it means that the vessel is choosing nets.

D- the literal meaning of the flag "Delta" (the Latin designation is the letter D). The signal means: "Stay away from me, I'm having a hard time".

The literal designation of the flag is "Juliet" (Latin letter J). Alarm signal: "I'm on fire and I have dangerous cargo on board, stay away from me."

E(E) - the literal meaning of the flag "Eco" (the Latin designation is the letter E). The signal means: "I am changing my course to starboard." Particularly useful in harbors, where ships need to know about each other: which one is going to go where.

Z- designation of the flag "Zulu" (Latin letter Z). The signal says: "I need a tugboat." And fishing vessels in the fishing area raise this flag when they cast their nets.

AND- the letter designation of the flag "India" (Latin letter I). The raised flag means: "I am changing my course to port."

TO- the letter designation of the flag "Kilo" (Latin letter K). The signal says: "I want to connect with you."

The literal designation of the flag is Keback (Latin letter Q). The flag signal says: "My ship is uninfected, please allow me free practice."

L- literal designation of the flag "Lima" (Latin letter L). The signal of this flag requires: "Stop your ship immediately."

M- the letter designation of the flag "Mike" (Latin letter M). The signal means: "My vessel is stopped and is not moving through the water." This means that the ship is immobilized, but it can be carried away by the current or waves.

H- the letter designation of the flag "November" (Latin letter N). The signal of this flag is negative: "No". Or it may be a negation of the previous signal.

ABOUT- the letter designation of the flag "Oska" (Latin letter O). The signal is very disturbing: "Man overboard."

P- the letter designation of the flag "Papa" (Latin letter P). Signal: "Everyone must be on board, as the ship is about to be removed."

R- letter designation "Roumio" (Latin letter R). This flag does not have its own signal. Sometimes it is perceived as "Accepted".

FROM- the letter designation of the flag "Siera" (Latin letter S). Signal: "My cars are in reverse."

T- the letter designation of the flag "Tangou" (Latin letter T). Signal: “Stay away from me; I do pair trawling." We are talking about catching or clearing mines, as well as fishing, when the trawl is pulled by two ships.

At- the letter designation of the flag "Uniform" ("Unifrom") (Latin letter U). Signal: "You are heading for danger."

F- the letter designation of the flag "Foxtrot" (Latin letter F). The signal means: "I'm out of control, keep in touch with me."

X- the letter designation of the flag "Hotel" (Latin letter H). Signal: "I have a pilot on board."

C- the literal meaning of the flag "Charlie" (Latin letter C). The signal of this flag simply means: "Yes". And together with the "negative" flag "November" "Charlie" is the most serious signal - a distress signal.

S- literal designation of the Yankee flag (Latin letter Y) The signal of this flag is “I am drifting at anchor”. That is, you gave up the anchor, but it clings to the ground poorly, you are blown away by the wind or current.

b- the literal meaning of the flag "Exrey" (Latin letter X (ex)). The flag means "Pause your intents and watch my signals".

“The national flag of the country raised on the ship of the Navy is a symbol of state sovereignty, and the Naval flag is the battle flag of the ship,” we read in the Ship Charter. How did this wonderful and, perhaps, the most important naval tradition, legalized by the charter for a long time, come into being in the Russian Navy - to raise and wear the State and Naval flags, as well as a number of other flags?

On any ship of the Navy there is always a set of a wide variety of flags. Each of them rises to the mast under specific, precisely regulated circumstances and at clearly defined places, having a strictly defined meaning. All these flags have not only their own shape and colors, but, of course, their own history.

Ship flags appeared a very long time ago - their origin began at the earliest stages of shipbuilding and navigation.

The frescoes and bas-reliefs of Ancient Egypt have preserved for posterity the image of ship flags that existed as early as the 14th-13th centuries. BC. Over the years, decorating ships with flags has become a tradition.

The ship banners of those distant times were panels of a wide variety of sizes, shapes, patterns and colors. In ancient times, they served as distinctive external signs, symbols of the economic power of the owner of the ship. The richer he was, the more luxuriously he decorated his ship with flags, the more expensive was the fabric from which they were sewn. In the middle of the 14th century, for example, it was considered a special chic to raise a gigantic flag on a ship. For example, the Duke of Orleans (from 1498 to 1515 he was King Louis XII of France), who commanded the fleet in 1494, had a personal standard 25 meters long, made of yellow and red taffeta. On both sides of this flag, the Mother of God was depicted against the background of a silver cloud. Its painting was made by the court artist Bourdinson. In 1520, pennants and flags (and sails) were embroidered with gold on the flagship of the English King Henry VIII. There were a great many flags on the ships of that time. Sometimes their number reached one and a half dozen. They were installed on the masts, on the stern, bow and even side flagpoles. Apparently, it was considered prestigious to hang the ship from all sides with expensive bright flags. But it was hardly convenient for the crew - onboard flagpoles, for example, greatly interfered with sail control, and numerous large flags created additional, undesirable, and even dangerous, windage. Apparently, therefore, over time, only three places were allocated for them on the ship: bow, stern and masts. Here they began to raise flags, according to which, during the battles, the crews distinguished their ships from strangers, as well as the location of the admiral commanders of squadrons or flagships who had their own personal flag.

With the development of the means of armed struggle at sea, flagship, admiral, captain's flags appeared, and later flags denoting the avant-garde, corps de battalion and rear guard (parts of the battle formation in which the ships fought). Special flags marked the presence on board of a significant official.

Since ancient times, the crew also had signal flags, each of which had a literal or special semantic meaning. With a set of two, three or four signal flags, raised on a yardarm, it was possible to transmit in encrypted form almost any order, command or message, regardless of the language spoken by the correspondents.

Today, as a rule, most signal flags are rectangular in shape, but there are also triangular flags, as well as long narrow flags with two sharp-angled “pigtails”.

In our time, most ship flags are sewn from a special light woolen fabric - the so-called flag spirit.

With the formation of sovereign nation-states, national flags also appeared, and ships leaving their state had to have a flag that determined the “nationality” of the ship. When regular military fleets appeared, the flag began to distinguish not only state affiliation, but also the purpose of the ship - military or commercial.

As in other countries, ship flags appeared in Russia long before the formation of a centralized state. Ancient Greek chroniclers noted that even in the sea campaigns of the Eastern Slavs to Constantinople, the boats of the Rus, as a rule, had two flags: one rectangular and the other with an angle carved on the outside, that is, with pigtails. Such flags later became an indispensable accessory for the "seagulls" and plows, on which the Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks made brave sea voyages across the Black Sea to Sinop, the Bosporus, Trebizond and other Turkish cities.

And yet, the true beginning of the history of the Russian ship's flag should be associated with the construction of the first Russian warship "Eagle".

"Eagle" was launched in 1668. When the construction of the ship was coming to an end, the Dutch engineer O. Butler, under whose leadership the work on the slipway was going on, turned to the Boyar Duma with a request: “... to ask His Royal Majesty for a command: which one, as it is the custom for other states, to raise a flag on a ship.” The palace order replied that in practice such a circumstance did not happen, and the Armory “builds banners, banners and ensigns for military units and governors, but what about the ship's banner. The king ordered to ask him, Butler, what is the custom in his country. Butler replied that in their country they take cloth - scarlet, white and blue, sew it together in stripes and such a flag serves them to indicate their Dutch nationality. Then, in consultation with the Boyar Duma, the tsar ordered the new ship "Eagle" to raise a white-blue-red flag with a double-headed eagle sewn on it. Prince Alexander Putyatin in the article “On the Russian National Flag” writes that this was the first Russian national flag. However, some researchers tend to consider the appearance of the first ship flag of Russia not only the first national maritime flag, but also the first ship standard. How did the concept of “standard” come into being?

Approximately in the first quarter of the XVI century. in the heavy noble cavalry of the Western European armies, a square, sometimes triangular flag appeared with a smaller size of the banner than the usual banner. This flag became known as the standard . The pole of the standard had a special device made of straps to securely hold it by the rider and fasten it to the stirrup. The standard in a cavalry company (squadron) was carried by a specially assigned cornet officer. Each standard had a special color and design and served to indicate the place of collection and location of one or another cavalry unit. At about the same time, the standard appeared in the fleets as the flag of the head of state (emperor, king), raised on the main mast of the ship if these persons were on board. Initially, to emphasize the greatness and power of the monarchs, the standards were made from expensive brocade fabrics, embroidered with gold and silver, and decorated with precious stones. In the middle of the XVI century. coats of arms of states appear on the standards, symbolizing state power.

Presumably in 1699, Peter I legalized the new royal standard - a yellow rectangular panel with a black double-headed eagle in the middle and with white maps of the Caspian, Azov and White Seas in the keys and in one of the paws. When the Nyenschanz fortress was taken by our troops and the path to the Baltic Sea was opened, a map of the Baltic Sea appeared on the royal standard.

Where did the double-headed eagle come from to Russia, then appearing on the standard? Prince Putyatin, in the work we have already cited, explains the emergence and history of the State Emblem in the form of a double-headed eagle in this way.

“Russia of ancient times did not know the science of heraldry,” the author writes, “ brilliantly developed in the West in the Middle Ages. But symbolic, generic and personal signs have been known in Russia for a long time. Since the time of Ivan Kalita, the state seal has been the image of a horseman with a spear, often accompanied by the inscription: “Prince the Great with a copy in his hand.” After the Battle of Kulikovo, a serpent began to be depicted under the horseman as a symbol of "the defeat of the Basurman force by the prince."

In 1472, a significant event took place in the history of Russia - the marriage of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III with Sophia Paleolog, the niece of the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI. This contributed to the proclamation of the Russian state as the successor of the Byzantine Empire. On the rights of succession to the throne, the coat of arms of Byzantium came to Russia - a double-headed eagle. It is known that since 1497 the seal of Ivan III has changed - an image of a double-headed eagle appeared on it. Thus, the eagle was not borrowed from Byzantium, but was a logical continuation of the inheritance by the Grand Duke of Moscow of the title of governor of Byzantium.

Around the same time, in commemoration of the overthrow of the Tatar-Mongol yoke in 1480, the first monumental image of a double-headed eagle was hoisted on the spire of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. On the other towers (Nikolskaya, Troitskaya and Borovitskaya) the coat of arms was installed later.

The best forces were involved in the improvement of the coat of arms. For example, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich invited from Austria such a major master of decorative and applied arts as the Slav Lavrenty Kurelich (Khurelich), who was called "Holy Roman State Herald", who built the Russian State Emblem: a black eagle with raised wings on a yellow field with a white rider in the middle shield. Cartouches with symbolic designations of the regions were scattered along the wings. The state emblem of Russia, and later the Russian Empire, was finally formed in the 17th century. Over the next years, until 1917, it remained practically unchanged, only some of its details changed.

in the Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. There were three state emblems: large, medium and small.

The basis of all coats of arms was the image of the state black double-headed eagle, crowned with three crowns, holding in its paws the signs of state power - the scepter and orb. On the breast of the eagle is the coat of arms of Moscow depicting St. George the Victorious slaying a dragon with a spear. The shield of the coat of arms is entwined with the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. On the wings of the eagle and around it are the coats of arms of the kingdoms, grand principalities and lands that were part of the Russian state.

On the large coat of arms are also images of Saints Michael and Gabriel, the imperial canopy, dotted with eagles and lined with ermine, with the inscription "God is with us". Above it is the state banner with an eight-pointed cross on a staff.

On the middle coat of arms there was no state banner: and part of the local coats of arms. On the small coat of arms, in addition, there were no images of saints, as well as the imperial canopy and the family coat of arms of the emperor. Sometimes the small coat of arms or simply the coat of arms was called the state eagle, which has on the wings the coats of arms of the kingdoms and the Grand Duchy of Finland. The purpose of each of the coats of arms was regulated by a special provision. Thus, the large State Emblem was depicted on the large State seal, which was applied to state laws and regulations governing charters, to the statutes of orders, to manifestos, to diplomas and letters of princely and count dignity, to patents for the title of consul, etc.

The average State Emblem was depicted on the average State seal, which was applied to the letters of rights and privileges of cities, to diplomas for baronial and noble dignity, to ratification documents, etc.

A small coat of arms on a small seal was attached to patents for ranks, to letters of grant of land, to letters to monasteries. The small coat of arms was also depicted on banknotes issued by the state.

A large coat of arms was depicted on the ship's standard. So it remained until the October Revolution.

After the February Revolution of 1917, the Provisional Government did not develop a new coat of arms. It only slightly changed the old coat of arms. The double-headed eagle lost all its crowns, signs of imperial power, the coats of arms of the great principalities were removed from its wings and chest, the ends of the wings were lowered down, and under the eagle the building of the Tauride Palace was depicted, where the State Duma met.

Further events unfolded in such a way that our Fatherland was deprived of its historical relic. The Russian coat of arms, which has a long history, was replaced by the coat of arms of the RSFSR, which was based on the image of the globe and the emblem of labor - crossed hammer and sickle. With some modifications, this coat of arms still exists today. An opinion is expressed about the need to approve a new coat of arms, the basis of which is again a double-headed eagle.

Such is the history of the standard and the State Emblem; as they say, everything comes full circle. But what about the naval ensign?

Little is known about the history of the Russian Naval flag. Back in 1863, the chronicler of the Russian Navy S.I. spoke about this in his short article “Our Flags”. Elagin: “The few information published so far about our flags, not yet presenting an accurate concept of either their original form and meaning, or the time of their introduction, however, managed to draw some incorrect data.” It is not surprising that researchers of the history of the Russian flag have not come to a consensus on many issues so far. For example, even today there are different opinions about what the flags were raised on the Orel. However, based on some sources, we can assume that his colors, as already mentioned, were white, blue and red. This is confirmed by documents related to the construction of the ship, among which the following has been preserved: “Painting, what else is needed for a ship structure, besides what is now bought overseas.” This “Painting” indicates exactly how much the kindyak needs for flags and a pennant. As for the colors of these flags, they most likely reflected the colors that have long been on the Moscow coat of arms. On the red field there was depicted St. George in a blue robe on a white horse. In this regard, white, blue and red colors already under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich become a state combination.

The author of the famous “Essays on Russian Maritime History” F.F. Veselago believes that until 1700 our Naval ensign consisted of three stripes - white, blue and red. “From the colors of the materials used on the flags of the Eagle ship, and from the fact that the Dutch were the main stewards when arming it, it is more likely that the then flag, in imitation of the Dutch one, consisted of three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red, located, to distinguish from the Dutch flag, in a different order. The same three-stripe, white-blue-red, was, obviously, the pennant. There is confirmation of this - documents indicating that the tsar ordered to sew three-lane white-blue-red flags for his son Peter.

Further, Veselago expresses the opinion that the indicated flag was exclusively naval and only from 1705 became the special flag of Russian merchant ships. But another well-known historian of the fleet, P.I., does not agree with his arguments. Belavenets. In the work “Colors of the Russian State National Flag”, he refers to the famous engraving “The Capture of the Azov Fortress. 1696”, where the artist A. Shkhonebek depicted the flags in the form of a cross dividing their field into four parts.

Thus, if most historians agree on the set of colors of the first Russian Naval flag (white, blue, red), then there is still no consensus on its design. Nevertheless, it seems to us that the version of F.F. Veselago is closest to the truth.

Under such a tricolor flag of three stripes in 1688, Peter sailed on his boat - the “grandfather of the Russian fleet”, a similar flag fluttered on the amusing ships of Lake Pleshcheyevo in 1692 and on the ships of the Azov Fleet in 1696. This flag, apparently, and became the prototype of the flag with a double-headed eagle in the middle, named in 1693. "Flag of the Tsar of Moscow".

It is known that for the first time it was raised as a standard on August 6, 1693 by Peter 1 himself on the 12-gun yacht “Saint Peter” during his voyage in the White Sea with a detachment of military ships built in Arkhangelsk. This is mentioned by P.I. Belavenets in his work “Do we need a fleet and its significance in the history of Russia”. In 1699-1700. The design of the Petrine standard was changed: moving away from traditional Russian colors, Peter I decided to choose a yellow rectangular panel with a black double-headed eagle in the middle. The development of state shipbuilding in Russia and the creation of a large regular navy created a need for a single flag for all warships. In 1699, Peter I, having tried a number of options for the flag for warships that operated for a short time, introduced a new, so-called St. Andrew's Naval flag of a transitional pattern: the rays of a blue diagonal cross rested on the corners of a rectangular three-striped white-blue-red panel.

The St. Andrew's Cross, apparently, was transferred to the Naval Flag as one of the most characteristic elements of the first order of Russia, established by Peter I at the very end of the 17th century - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. According to Christian tradition, St. Andrew was crucified on a diagonal cross. Peter I explained the choice of the St. Andrew's Cross as an emblem for the flag and pennant by the fact that “from this apostle Russia received holy baptism.”

In 1700, Peter separated the sailing fleet from the rowing (galley) fleet and divided it into three general squadrons - the corps de batalia (main forces), the vanguard and the rearguard. At the same time, stern flags were introduced for the ships of these three squadrons: white, blue and red, respectively, with a blue St. Andrew's cross on a white field in the upper left corner of the flag (near the cable luff).

With the introduction of the rank of admiral in 1706, the stern flag of the squadron, raised on the mainmast (on the topmast of the mainmast), meant that the admiral was on board. If it was raised on the fore-topmast (on the foremast topmast), then the vice admiral was present on the ship, and if on the cruise-topmast (on the mizzen-mast topmast) - the rear admiral (shautbenakht). Such flags received the names of the topmast flags of the first, second and third admirals. In 1710 a new design for the stern ensign was established. In the center of the new flag on a white field, the St. Andrew's Cross was still located, but its ends did not reach the edges of the cloth, and it seemed that it was hanging in the air, without touching the flag itself. Under this flag, the first battleship of the Baltic Fleet "Poltava" began its voyage. In 1712, the blue cross on the white field of the Andreevsky flag was brought to the edges of the cloth. Such a design of the Andreevsky flag existed without changes until the October Revolution.

After the October Revolution, all the symbols of the former Russian Imperial Navy were canceled.

On November 18, 1917, the sailors, having gathered at the first All-Russian Congress of the Navy, adopted a resolution: “To raise on all ships of the All-Russian Navy instead of the Andreevsky flag, the flag of the International as a sign that the entire Russian Navy, as one person, stood up for the defense of democracy in the person of the Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies.” It was a red cloth without emblems and inscriptions.

On April 14, 1918, the State Flag of the RSFSR was established by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee - a red rectangular panel with the inscription: “Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic”. And from April 20, by order No. 320 for the fleet and the Maritime Department, a red flag was introduced on Soviet ships with the abbreviation of the RSFSR, written in large white letters in the middle of the panel. The second post-revolutionary Naval flag was approved by the people's commissars for maritime affairs and foreign affairs of the RSFSR on May 24, 1918 and legalized by the Constitution of the RSFSR adopted on July 10, 1918. in the corner is the inscription “RSFSR”, made in stylized Slavic script of golden color.

On September 29, 1920, the Soviet government approved a new design for the Naval Flag. This time it had two braids, and in the middle of the red cloth was depicted a large blue Admiralty anchor, on the spindle of which there was a red five-pointed star on a white lining. Inside the star, a blue hammer and sickle crossed, and on the anchor rod was the inscription “RSFSR”.

On August 24, 1923, another Naval ensign was introduced. On it in the middle of the red field was a white circle with eight white rays, diverging in all directions from the center to the edges of the cloth. In a white circle was a red five-pointed star with a white crossed hammer and sickle. And on November 23, 1926, a special flag was established, which was awarded to ships or formations for special distinctions. He was called Honorary Revolutionary Naval Flag and differed from the usual presence of the Order of the Red Banner on a white field in the upper left corner. The honorary revolutionary Naval flag was made of silk and presented to the ship "in a solemn atmosphere simultaneously with the Order of the Red Banner and a special diploma from the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. The cruiser Aurora was the first to receive such an award in connection with the decade of the revolution by a decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of November 2, 1927.

The ships and formations awarded with this flag began to be called Red Banner. In February 1928, the Baltic Fleet was awarded the Honorary Revolutionary Naval Flag.

On May 27, 1935, by a decree of the Central Executive Committee and the SNK of the USSR, the drawings and colors of the new flags of the ships of the navy and officials were approved. Almost all of them survived until January 1992. The same decree changed the design of the Honorary Revolutionary Naval Flag of the USSR, which became known as the Red Banner Naval Flag of the USSR.

The naval ensign of the new sample was a white rectangular cloth, in the left half of which a red five-pointed star is depicted, and in the right half - a crossed red hammer and sickle. There is a blue border along the lower edge of the cloth. The Red Banner Naval Flag differed from the usual one in that the star depicted on it was covered with the image of the Order of the Red Banner.

On June 19, 1942, by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy of the USSR, the Guards Naval Flag of the USSR was established - it was awarded to the ship at the same time as it was awarded the title of Guards for special distinctions. On the guards flag above the blue border, a guards ribbon is additionally depicted, consisting of three black and two orange stripes.

On January 17, 1992, the Russian government deemed it expedient to change the naval symbols. On July 26 of the same year, on the Day of the Navy, the warships of the former Navy of the USSR raised the Naval flag for the last time, covered with the glory of the fiery years of the Great Patriotic War. To the sounds of the anthem of the Soviet Union, the flags were then lowered and handed over to the commanders of the ships for eternal storage. Instead of them, now accompanied by the anthem of the Russian Federation, the historical St. Andrew's flags and guises introduced by Peter I were raised.

Every day at a certain time, regardless of the time of sunrise, all warships and auxiliary vessels of the Navy that are in the parking lot (at anchor, barrel or moorings) are hoisted on the stern flagpole, and at sunset the Naval flag is lowered. Together with the flag, during the stay on the ships of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd ranks, the guis descends and rises.

Being at sea, on the move, the ships carry the flag on the gaff and do not lower it day or night. But what if the ship goes to sea at night, after sunset, when the flag is lowered? Then the flag is hoisted on the gaff at the moment of transition from the “at anchor” position to the “on the move” position. When entering the base after sunset, the flag is lowered as soon as the ship anchors (on a barrel or mooring lines). “In the period of time from the raising to the lowering of the flag, - written in the Ship Charter - all servicemen at the entrance (descent) to the ship (from the ship) salute the Naval flag.

The ship charter also clearly defines the procedure for hoisting, lowering and presenting the Naval flag on warships and auxiliary ships of the fleet.

Every day at eight in the morning local time, and on Sundays and holidays an hour later, the Navy flag is raised on all ships of the Navy. Both the raising and lowering of the flag is accompanied by a certain ritual, regulated by the Ship Charter. For the first time, the procedure for this ritual was outlined in 1720 in the Peter the Great Naval Charter:

“... In the morning, first of all, you should shoot from a cannon and guns, then play a march on all ships, beat a campaign, raise a flag, and after raising the flag, play and beat an ordinary dawn ... At whatever time we raise and lower the flag, it is always necessary, both when raising it and lowering it, to beat the drums and play a march. The ritual was carried out in the same way. evening “Dawns”, when the flags were lowered.

Over the centuries-old history of the Russian fleet, this ritual has undergone many changes. Here, for example, is how the final part is described by marine painter Leonid Sobolev: the flag-raising ceremony in the novel “Major Repairs”: “... silent and quick, asking for permission, the turn of the officer on duty to the commander, allowing the touch of the commander’s fingers on the visor of the cap - and the silence of the Russian Imperial Navy ended: “Raise the flag and guis!” At the same time, suddenly, silence broke.
The bells of vials. Sharp fanfares of bugles, chosen on purpose almost in tune. The sound of oars flying vertically up above the boats. The whistle of all the pipes of non-commissioned officers. The fluttering of the ribbons of the caps plucked simultaneously from thousands of heads. Double dry crackle of rifles taken on guard: ah, two! The flag slowly rises to the klotik, playing with folds ... Then the set melody of the bugles and the air in the non-commissioned officer's lungs end. The flag comes “to the place” in silence. ... The horns screamed short and high, and the fleet, enchanted by silence and immobility, immediately came to life. The caps flew up on their heads, the guards took "to the foot", turned around, raised their rifles and disappeared into the hatches.

And in our time, the procedure for hoisting the flag is in many ways similar to Sobolev's description.

15 minutes before the hoisting of the flag, by order of the officer of the watch, the bugler plays the signal "Agenda". At 7 hours 55 minutes, he sends signalers to the halyards of the flag and guis, and then reports to the commander: “In five minutes the flag will be hoisted.” The bugler plays "Big collection". The crew line up on the upper deck. Only in cases when the ship is in combat readiness or is being prepared for a cruise, the formation of the crew according to the “Big Assembly” is not performed. However, even then, all those on the upper deck, on command, stand with their backs to the side of the ship. The commander of the ship goes upstairs and greets the personnel. When there is a minute left before the flag is raised, the officer of the watch commands: “On the flag and guis, at attention!” Then the command is: “Flag and guis raise!” The buglers play the signal "Raising the Flag" and all who are on the upper deck and nearby piers turn their heads towards the flag, which is slowly raised by the signalers in an unfolded form. Officers, midshipmen and chief ship foremen put their hands on their headgear. The rowers of the boats located near the ship (if the situation permits) “dry the oars”, their foremen also put their hand to the headgear. This is how the flag is raised daily.

There is also a solemn hoisting of the flag on ships. In this case, the crew lines up on the deck according to the “Big Gathering” in full dress or full dress uniform. Simultaneously with the flag and guis, topmast flags and flags of coloring are raised, and the orchestra at this time performs the “Counter March”. At the moment when the Naval Ensign is hoisted “to the spot”, the National Anthem is played. The days and special occasions when the ceremonial raising of the flag is carried out on the ships of the Navy are determined by the Ship Charter. One of these days is the day the ship enters service. The commander of the fleet or a person appointed by him (usually an admiral), having arrived on the ship, in a solemn ceremony announces the order for the ship to enter service. Then the ship's commander is handed the Naval flag and order. He carries the flag in his hands in front of the formation of the entire crew, and then fastens it to the halyard for lifting on the aft flagpole or on the hafel and, at the command of the senior officer on board, personally raises it “to the place”. At the same time, guis, topmast flags and coloring flags are raised. At the same time, the orchestra plays the National Anthem, and the crew salutes the raised flag with a loud, drawn-out “Hurrah!”.

The protection of the ship's banner in battle has become sacred for every sailor. “All military ships are Russian, - Peter's Naval Charter said - not must lower the flag to no one.” In our today's Ship Charter of the Navy, this is stated as follows: "Navy ships under no circumstances lower their flag in front of the enemy, preferring death to surrender to enemies."

When anchored, the flag is guarded by a specially appointed sentry, and during the battle, when the flags are hoisted on the gaff and topmasts, they are guarded by all crew members who participate in the battle at their combat posts. If the flag is knocked down during the battle, it will immediately be replaced with another one so that the enemy cannot assume that the flag on the ship has been lowered. This maritime custom is also reflected in the Ship Charter of the Navy. “Protection of the State and Naval flags in battle is an honorable duty of the entire crew of the ship,” it was said. in this document - if the State or Naval flag is shot down in action, it must be immediately replaced with another one. If circumstances do not allow hoisting a reserve flag at a designated place, it is hoisted on an emergency flagpole fixed anywhere on the ship.

The history of the Russian fleet is rich in examples of the courage and heroism of Russian sailors. In 1806, in the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Dalmatia, the Russian brig "Alexander" was attacked by five French ships that tried to capture it. Before the start of the battle, the brig commander, Lieutenant I. Skalovsky, addressed the crew: “Remember: we Russians are not here to count enemies, but to beat them. We will fight to the last man, but we will not give up. I am sure the crew of the "Alexander" will uphold the honor of the fleet!" The unequal battle lasted several hours. Three times the French unsuccessfully tried to board the Alexander. In a fierce battle, two enemy ships were destroyed by artillery fire, the third lowered the flag and surrendered, the other two fled ingloriously.

On May 14, 1829, the 18-gun brig Mercury, cruising off the coast of the Bosphorus, was overtaken by two Turkish battleships with a total of 184 guns on board. The Turks offered the Mercury to lower the flag, but the crew of the brig unanimously approved the decision of the commander, Lieutenant Commander A.I. Kazarsky to join the battle, and in case of a threat of capture - to blow up the ship. With skillful maneuvering, Khazarsky constantly positioned his brig in such a way as to make it difficult for the enemy to aim fire. Still, "Mercury" received more than three hundred damage. However, Mercury itself managed to damage the spars and rigging of enemy battleships with well-aimed fire and force them to drift. For this military feat, "Mercury" was awarded the St. George stern flag.

The heroic feat of the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" entered forever into the history of our fleet. The beginning of the war with Japan found these Russian ships in the roadstead of the Korean port of Chemulpo. They tried to break through to Port Arthur, but when leaving the bay they were met by a Japanese squadron of six cruisers, eight destroyers and several other ships. The Russian ships refused the offer to surrender and accepted the battle. From well-aimed artillery fire, three enemy cruisers were seriously damaged, one destroyer was sunk. But the “Varyag” also received several underwater holes through which water flowed. The ship tilted to the port side, a strong list did not allow firing with serviceable guns. The cruiser’s team suffered heavy losses, the ship’s commander, Captain 1st Rank V.F. Rudnev: It was not possible to break the blockade of Japanese ships, and our ships were forced to return to the roadstead of Chemulpo. Here, on the orders of the commander of the Varyag, the "Korean" was blown up. Kingstons were opened on the cruiser, and she sank without lowering her flag.

In St. Petersburg, on the Petrograd side, a bronze monument was erected - two sailors open the kingstones, flooding their ship. This happened on February 26, 1904, when the destroyer "Guarding" was attacked by superior Japanese forces. Destroyer commander Lieutenant A.S. Sergeev, having entered into an unequal battle, damaged two of the four enemy destroyers attacking him. But the “Guardian” itself lost its course, almost all of its crew and commander died.

The Japanese offered the rest to surrender - new shots were the answer to the enemy. To prevent the flag from being knocked down, it was nailed to the gaff. “Guarding” fired to the last shell, and when the Japanese sent a boat to bring a towing line to the Russian destroyer, only a few wounded sailors remained alive on it. The engine quartermaster I. Bukharev and the sailor V. Novikov opened the kingstones and went into the abyss along with their native ship.

During the Great Patriotic War, Soviet sailors also faithfully fulfilled the requirement of the Ship Charter - under no circumstances lower the flag in front of the enemy, preferring death to surrender to the enemy.

On August 10, 1941, in an unequal battle with Nazi destroyers, a flagpole was shot down on the patrol ship Tuman. The wounded sailor Konstantin Semenov rushed to the flag and raised it high above his head, but was wounded a second time by a fragment of an enemy shell and fell to the deck. Radio operator Konstantin Blinov came to the aid of Semenov. Under enemy fire, they raised the naval ensign. Without lowering the flag, "Fog" disappeared under the water.

Sailor Ivan Zagurenko performed a similar feat on the destroyer "Savvy" in battle. This happened in May 1942 when the ship returned to Novorossiysk from the besieged Sevastopol. The destroyer was attacked by fascist torpedo bombers and bombers. The flag halyard was broken by fragments of a bomb that exploded near the side, and the banner of the ship's banner slowly slid down. Zagurenko climbed up the mast to the gaff, picked up the Naval ensign and raised it over his head. The sailor held him until the end of the battle, and not a single bullet, not a single fragment touched the brave man.

On August 25, 1942, armed with only a few small cannons, the icebreaking steamer "Alexander Sibiryakov" was overtaken in the Kara Sea by the fascist heavy cruiser "Admiral Scheer". Not doubting an easy victory, the Nazis raised the signal: "Lower the flag, surrender!" The answer came immediately: the State flag was hoisted on the fore-mast, and two 76-mm and two 45-mm guns of the ship immediately hit. This was so unexpected for the Nazis that at first they were confused. For several minutes the German raider was silent, and then the guns of his main caliber rumbled at once. The commander of the Sibiryakov, Senior Lieutenant Anatoly Kacharava, skillfully maneuvered, fired back, dodging direct hits. But the forces were too unequal. Shell after shell exploded in the superstructures with a deafening roar, they pierced right through the side, torn on the deck. Until the last minutes, "Sibiryakov" fired back. In an unequal battle, the ship died, but did not lower the flag in front of the enemy.

Many such examples, when sailors died along with the ship's banner raised on the masts, were given to us by past wars.

In addition to the Naval flag, which we talked about, there are two more flags that play an important role in the life of the ship and its crew.

If, in terms of its technical condition and the level of preparedness of the crew, the ship is able to successfully solve its combat missions, a pennant is raised on the mainmast (with one mast on the foremast). This means that the ship is in the campaign and until it is completed, it will not lower the pennant day or night.

The appearance of long and narrow flags - ship pennants - rather like a colored ribbon curling among the spars and rigging, goes into the distant past of the fleet. Once upon a time, such narrow strips of fabric, attached to the tops of the masts, and even on the shrouds, served as a simple instrument for determining the direction and strength of the wind.

A completely different purpose, by no means connected with the practical needs of navigation, was received by pennants already in the days of the sailing fleet. The purpose of the pennant was that it served as a distinction between a warship and a merchant ship, especially in those countries where naval and merchant flags were the same. Pennants were raised on the main-bram-topmasts of all warships, except for flagships. It was a narrow panel up to ten meters long, 10-15 centimeters wide.

The pennants of the first Russian warships were tricolor, white-blue-red, with two pigtails. In 1700, Peter I established a new design for the pennant: a blue St. Andrew's cross was placed on a white field adjoining the halyard, followed by two braids of white-blue-red color. Later, in accordance with the colors of the flags for the divisions, white pennants were installed for the first division, blue for the second and red for the third division. Since 1865, Russian ships began to wear a single white pennant, except for ships awarded the St. George flag, which carried the corresponding pennant.

The warships of the USSR Navy wore a pennant, which is a narrow red cloth with pigtails, having an image of the Navy in the “head”. In addition to the usual narrow (“ordinary”) ship pennants, the Navy also adopted wide ones (the so-called braid pennants), assigned to commanders of warship detachments with a rank below rear admiral. According to the drawing, the braid pennant does not differ from the usual pennant. The color of the plaits of the braid pennant depends on the position of the chief to whom it is assigned, namely: the commander of a brigade of ships is red, the commander of a division is blue.

Merchant ships also have pennants - these are triangular flags of various colors, sometimes with a pattern, letters or numbers indicating that the vessel belongs to a particular shipping company, sports club, trading company, etc. Similar pennants are raised on the mainmast when entering and leaving the port. When moored in a port, such a pennant is raised and lowered simultaneously with the raising and lowering of the State Flag.

On warships, the pennant is lowered only when the ship is visited by the formation commander or other higher commanders who have been assigned their own official flags. The pennant descends at the moment when the hoisted official flag reaches “the place”. It rises again with the departure of this person from the ship and with the lowering of his official flag.

The presence of a pennant on a ship testifies to its completeness and combat readiness. There is even such an expression in the fleet: a squadron (or fleet) consisting of so many pennants. The word "pennant" in this case means a warship that is in the voyage and ready for combat operations.

We have already mentioned that on modern large warships, when they are anchored, on a barrel or at a pier, a special flag-guis is raised on the bow flagpole.

In ancient times, the same flags were constantly or temporarily hoisted on the bowsprit of warships as on the stern, only somewhat smaller. On the ships of the Russian fleet, a special bow (or bowsprit) flag, called a guis, was introduced in 1700. The drawing of the first Russian guis was quite complex - there were three crosses with a single center on the red field: straight - white, oblique - also white and on it blue Andreevsky. From 1701 to 1720, it was raised only in seaside fortresses, and only after the introduction of the Charter of 1720 did it begin to be raised on the bowsprit of warships. Until 1820, the ships carried it not only in the parking lot, but also during the voyage. The guis was always smaller in size than the stern flag.

Initially, the guis on Russian ships was called geus, which in Dutch means flag , and since 1720, the name “guis” was legalized by the Peter the Great Naval Charter. The word is also Dutch. (geuzen) and comes from French gueux- beggars. At the beginning of the Dutch bourgeois revolution, the Spanish aristocracy called the Dutch nobles, who had opposed the Spanish King Philip II and his government since 1565, and then the popular partisan rebels, who on land and at sea waged an armed struggle against the Spaniards. The Gueuze uprising marked the beginning of the creation of the Dutch navy. Then, on the bowsprit of the warships, they began to raise a special flag, repeating the colors of the coat of arms of the Prince of Orange, who led the uprising of the Gozes. This flag was soon given the name “Göz”, or “Geus”.

The guis, introduced by Peter I, remained in the Soviet Navy until August 28, 1924. The pattern of the new guis differed from the old one by the presence of a white circle in the middle of the cloth with a red five-pointed star with a white crossed hammer and sickle in its center. On July 7, 1932, a new guis was approved. It was a rectangular red cloth, in the middle of which a red five-pointed star with a hammer and sickle in its center is depicted in a white edging.

The guis is hoisted daily in the bow of warships of the 1st and 2nd rank on a special guisstock simultaneously with the hoisting of the stern flag. It is also raised on the masts of coastal batteries or at salute points of seaside fortresses when returning salutes to foreign warships. Guys, raised on the masts of seaside fortresses, is the flag of the fortress. Whether a ship's standard will be introduced, time will tell.

• 1st additional- a red rectangle with a white border on a blue background;
• 2nd additional- red oblique stripes on a yellow background;
• 3rd additional- according to the drawing, it repeats the guis of the Russian fleet, has a white border;
• 4th additional- a four-part white-black-red-yellow triangular flag;
• - repeated the guis of the USSR Navy (in the Russian Empire, of course, the imperial guis was used. In the table of 1901, it is assigned the meaning "I'm going by special order. I'm cutting through the line. The court of a special commission");
• - a black flag with a red triangle with a white border;
• - a white triangular flag with a black horizontal stripe;
• - a flag of yellow and blue vertical stripes. Actually, the "telegraph flag" is already in the tables of 1901 and 1911, but there it is a blue cloth with 4 horizontal white stripes; This flag meant that the row of signal flags following it transmitted the phrase "by telegraph", i.e. one flag corresponds to one letter. If the "telegraph" flag was hoisted with some signal at the same time, but on a separate halyard, this meant that the entire signal must be read letter by letter. In the "Signalman's Handbook" N.S. Serebryany and B.B. Zhdanov (1983) said that the "telegraph" flag was also the first replacement flag.
• - a blue flag with a white rectangle in the center (already in the table of 1901); The flag is used to indicate that the ship is using Boat Signal Book signals. He, along with another flag, is the call sign of the boat. In the "Signalman's Handbook" N.S. Serebryany and B.B. Zhdanov (1983) states that the "boat" flag is also the second replacement flag.
• - a white flag with a blue rectangle in the center; In the "Signalman's Handbook" N.S. Serebryany and B.B. Zhdanov (1983) states that the "air" flag is also the third replacement flag.
• - a white flag with a red triangle on top;
• - a white flag with a black triangle below;
• - a white flag with a black diamond;
• - a flag divided by an oblique cross into red and white triangles;
• - a flag of yellow, blue and yellow horizontal stripes; In the Russian Empire (data from 1911), the interrogative flag was different - a long blue pennant with a white circle at the luff. The interrogative flag is raised at the same time as the signal, but on a separate file, used to give the signal an interrogative form
• - red trapezoidal pennant with a white circle;
  the return flag is hoisted by the ship to half, if the signal intended for it is seen. When the signal is deciphered, the response flag is raised "to the place." If the destination ship receives several signals from different ships, then it raises a response pennant together with the call signs of the ships that sent the signals. The return flag raised by the ship transmitting the signal also indicates that the signal has ended. A separately raised single flag indicates the end of the connection.
• - a flag divided vertically into white and red halves;

  In the fleet of the Russian Empire, the signal flags also included the so-called. "pilot flag"- national tricolor flag with a white border. Used to call a pilot.
  Flag - "Yes"- yellow-blue pennant (available in the table of 1911);
  Flag - "Not"- a rectangular white cloth with a black vertical stripe (available in the table of 1911);
  "compass flag"- a long yellow pennant with two blue triangles (available in the table of 1911);
  "Duty Flag"- green triangular flag (available in the table of 1911);
  "Cancellation Flag"- a long pennant of white and black halves (available in the table of 1911);
  "Prayer Flag"- a white flag with two braids and a yellow Orthodox cross (available in the table of 1911).

  Boat signals

  
  

  For the negotiations of warships with their boats, warships among themselves, boats for pre-conscription training, Osoaviakhim ships (when they existed), and later DOSAAF ships, signals were used "Boat signal book"(first a 1939 book, then a new edition of ShSK-70). Signals according to the Boat Signal Book were made in accordance with the Rules for the Signal Production of the PNS No. 2-39, later - in accordance with the Rules for Visual Communication and Signaling of the Navy (PZS-69). To show that negotiations are being conducted according to the Boat Signal Book, a boat flag is raised on one of the ship's bows. This flag is not flown on boats, since they can only give signals according to the "Boat Signal Book". The boat flag hoisted on a ship can also mean:
  - together with one letter flag raised above the boat flag on one halyard - the call sign of the boat. A lifeboat's call sign raised on a ship indicates a request for a lifeboat to approach the side on which the call sign is raised. If the boat belongs to another ship, then along with its call sign, the call sign of this ship also rises.
  - before the signal with flags, without call signs - "the signal is for all boats".

  Below are the meanings of single flags according to the Boat Signal Book:
  A - "I do not agree, I do not destroy"
  B - “More move. row harder. Add sails. Get out of the drift."
  B - "The course leads to danger"
  G - Brandvahtenny
  D - Yes. Agree. I allow"
  E - "What happened?"
  F -
  Z - “I have a reverse gear. Drifting me. Give back. Tap"
  AND -
  K - "I can not control"
  L - "Keep left"
  M - “Less move. It's easier to paddle. Lower the sails"
  H - “I have a cargo or have a combat reserve”
  ABOUT -
  P - "Keep right"
  R -
  S - "Stop the car. Sushi paddles. Get drifting."
  T - "keep it up"
  U -
  F - Cancellative
  X - "The end of the teaching or class"
  Ch - "Man overboard"
  W -
  SCH -
  Kommersant - "Flagship (commander) shows the course"
  Y -
  b -
  E -
  YU -
  I -
  Numbers - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
  0 - "Start of Boat Races"
  "Nord" - Rumb nord
  "Zuid" - Rumb Zuid
  "Ost" - Rumb ost
  "West" - Rumb West
  "Telegraph" - "I have an important assignment"
  “Reply pennant” - “I see clearly. Understood"
  “Boat” - “I am talking about the boat book. Race callsigns»

  The "Boat Signal Book" also lists and deciphers many signals from two flags (alphabetic or digital).

  Source - "BOAT SIGNAL BOOK OF THE NAVY OF THE UNION OF THE SSR", Ed. quartermaster 1st rank A. Clafton. State. naval publishing house of the NKVMF, Moscow, Leningrad, 1940