Russian Navy Code of Signals
The Russian Navy Code of Signals is a collection of flaghoist signals, which is used together with semaphore alphabet for the transmission of information between the ships of the Russian Navy and also with the shore. Its use resembles that of the signals of other navies but it is only used within the Russian fleet. For communication with foreign or civilian vessels the International Code of Signals is used.[1]
The Russian Navy Code of Signals originates from a similar code of signals used by the Imperial Russian Navy. It was used by the Soviet Navy and with mostly insignificant changes remains in use by the Naval fleet of the Russian Federation.[1]
The complete set of flags consists of 59 flags: 32 flags correspond to the letters of Russian alphabet, 10 flags correspond to numbers, 4 flags are substitutes and 13 have special values.[1]
The flag used by the Soviet Navy for the third substitute was based on the jack of the Imperial Russian Navy. Now that the Russian Federation is again using the old imperial jack, a new flag design is used for the third substitute.[2]
The 32 Letters
| Flag Name | Transliteration | Meaning | Description | International Use |
| А, Аз | Az | Negative Answer | red swallowtail with white rectangle vertically centered at the hoist | |
| Б, Буки | Buki | “Hoist anchor”, “full speed” | white pennant with red disk | ICS Number 1 |
| В, Веди | Vedi | “Your course leads to danger” | red pennant with blue white-fimbriated triangle set to the hoist | |
| Г, Глаголь | Glagolʹ | “Enemy in sight” | blue pennant | |
| Д, Добро | Dobro | | yellow flag. | ICS "Quebec" |
| Е, Есть | Estʹ | Positive answer, “to act independently or according to instruction” | blue pennant with yellow triangle set to the hoist. | ICS first substitute |
| Ж, Живете | Živete | “half speed” | white flag with red lozenge | ICS "Foxtrot" |
| З, Земля | Zemlâ | “motion astern” | checkered blue and white flag. Identical to the | ICS "November" |
| И, Иже | Iže | “Anxiety”, “the alert” | yellow over red horizontal bicolor pennant | ICS Number 7 |
| Й, И краткое | I Kratkoe | “found mine” | white swallowtail flag with black disc | |
| K, Ка | Ka | “I am going out of order”, “I am not under control” | blue over red horizontal bicolor flag | ICS "Echo" |
| Л, Люди | Lûdi | “I turn to the left” | white flag with red cross throughout | England |
| M, Мыслете | Myslete | “slow speed” | checkered red and white flag | |
| Н, Наш | Naš | I "conduct fire”, I " load ammunition” | red swallowtail | ICS "Bravo" |
| O, Он | On | “To follow me”, “I request permission…” | yellow pennant with vertical red stripe | ICS Number 0 |
| П, Покой | Pokoj | “To turn to the right” | yellow and blue vertical bicolor | ICS "Kilo" |
| Р, Рцы | Rcy | | horizontal triband of blue, white and blue | ICS "Juliet" |
| С, Слово | Slovo | “All stop (engines)” | blue flag with white saltire | ICS "Mike" |
| T, Твердо | Tverdo | “To have a motion… of units” | yellow and black quartered flag | ICS "Lima" |
| У, Ухо | Uho | I "suffer calamity” | red pennant with two white vertical stripes | ICS answering pennant |
| Ф, Ферт | Fert | “Cancellation” | yellow flag with black disc | ICS "India" |
| Х, Ха | Ha | “The end of the exercise” | white flag with red couped cross | Red Cross |
| Ц, Цепочка | Cepočka | “To return to its connection” | red, yellow and blue horizontal triband | |
| Ч, Червь | Červʹ | “Person(s) overboard” | blue flag with small yellow lozenge | |
| Ш, Шапка | Šapka | “full speed” | white flag with five blue rectangles, spaced evenly and set per saltire | |
| Щ, Ща | Ŝa | | white pennant with red Scandinavian cross throughout | ICS Number 8 |
| Ъ, Твердый знак | Tvôrdyj Znak | | black over white triangular flag, divided horizontally in two equal parts. | ICS Number 6 |
| Ы, Еры | Ery | | black flag with white ascending diagonal stripe | |
| Ь, Мягкий знак | Mâkhkij Znak | | blue and white pennant, divided vertically | ICS second substitute |
| Э, Э оборотное | È Oborotnoe | | flag with five horizontal stripes, of blue, white, red, white and blue. | ICS "Charlie" |
| Ю, Юла | Ûla | | white flag with red saltire | ICS "Victor" |
| Я, Яко | Âko | “dead slow” | red flag with yellow cross | ICS "Romeo" |
The 10 Digits
| Flag Name | Transliteration | Meaning | Description | International Use |
| 1 единица | edinica | Decimal Digit 1 | White beside blue vertical swallowtail bicolor. | ICS "Alpha" |
| 2 двойка | dvojka | Decimal Digit 2 | Blue triangular pennant with white disk | ICS Number 2 |
| 3 тройка | trojka | Decimal Digit 3 | Pennant divided vertically into red/white/blue. | ICS Number 3 |
| 4 четверка | četverka | Decimal Digit 4 | Red pennant with white Scandinavian cross. | ICS Number 4 |
| 5 пятёрка | pâtërka | Decimal Digit 5 | Pennant divided vertically into yellow beside blue. | ICS Number 5 |
| 6 шестёрка | šestërka | Decimal Digit 6 | Red over yellow divided per bend dexter (from top-left to bottom-right) | ICS "Oscar" |
| 7 семерка | semërka | Decimal Digit 7 | Red/white/blue vertical triband | ICS "Tango" |
| 8 восьмёрка | vosʹmërka | Decimal Digit 8 | Red/White counterchanged quarters per cross | ICS "Uniform" |
| 9 девятка | devâtka | Decimal Digit 9 | White with blue cross | ICS "X-ray" |
| 0 ноль | nolʹ | Decimal Digit 0 | Four colors divided per saltire consisting of yellow/blue/red/black | ICS "Zulu" |
 |
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The 4 Substitutes and 13 Special Flags
| Flag Name | Transliteration | Meaning | Description | International Use |
| 1-ый дополнительный | 1-yj dopolnitelʹnyj | 1st substitute | red rectangle with the white border against the dark-blue background | ICS "Whiskey" |
| 2-ой дополнительный | 2-оj dopolnitelʹnyj | 2nd substitute | red slanting strips against a yellow background | ICS "Yankee" |
| 3-ий дополнительный | 3-ij dopolnitelʹnyj | 3rd substitute (Soviet era) | Russian navy jack with white border | |
| 3-ий дополнительный | 3-ij dopolnitelʹnyj | 3rd substitute (modern) | white over black flag divided per bend dexter (from top-hoist to bottom-fly) | |
| 4-ый дополнительный | 4-yj dopolnitelʹnyj | 4th substitute | Pennant quartered white, black, red and yellow. | ICS Number 9 |
| Гюйс | Gûjs | Soviet Navy Jack | red flag with white hammer and sickle surrounded by white outline of a star | |
| Газ | Gaz | poison gases | black flag with the white-bordered red triangle | |
| Дым | Dym | smoke screen | white pennant with the black horizontal stripe | ICS 3rd Substitute |
| Телеграфный | Telegrafnyj | telegraphic code | yellow and blue vertical strips | ICS "Golf" |
| Шлюпочный | Šlûločnyj | lower boats | dark-blue flag with the white rectangle in the center | ICS "Papa" |
| Воздушный | Vozdušnyj | airplanes | white flag with the blue rectangle in the center | ICS "Sierra" |
| Норд | Nord | North | white flag with red inverted triangle | |
| Зюйд | Zûjd | South | white flag with black triangle | |
| Ост | Ost | East | white flag with black lozenge | |
| Вест | Vest | West | Red/white quarters divided per saltire | |
| Вопросительный | Voprostelʹnyj | interrogative flag | yellow, blue and yellow horizontal stripes | ICS "Delta" |
| Ответный | Otvestnyj | reciprocal flag. Raised to half mast when a signal is noticed. Raised the rest of the way up when the signal is deciphered. | red pennant with white disk | |
| Исполнительный | Ispolnitelʹnyj | executive | vertical bicolor white and red | ICS "Hotel" |
References
- 1 2 3 Флаги военно-морского свода сигналов СССР http://www.hrono.ru/heraldicum/signalUS.htm
- ↑ Флаги военно-морского свода сигналов Российской Федерации http://www.hrono.ru/heraldicum/signalRU.htm
External links
