Flag semaphore

Flag semaphore

Flag semaphore (from the <a href="/en/Ancient_Greek" title="Ancient Greek" class="wl">Ancient Greek</a> σῆμα (sêma) 'sign' and -φέρω (-phero) '-bearer'<a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;">[1]</a>) is a <a href="/en/Semaphore" title="Semaphore" class="wl">semaphore</a> system conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags, rods, disks, paddles, or occasionally bare or gloved hands. Information is encoded by the position of the flags; it is read when the flag is in a fixed position. Semaphores were adopted and widely used (with hand-held flags replacing the mechanical arms of <a href="/en/Semaphore_line" title="Semaphore line" class="mw-redirect wl">shutter semaphores</a>) in the maritime world in the 19th century.<a href="#cite_note-HistUk-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;">[2]</a> It is still used during <a href="/en/Underway_replenishment" title="Underway replenishment" class="wl">underway replenishment</a> at sea and is acceptable for emergency communication in daylight or using lighted wands instead of flags, at night.[<a href="/en/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" class="wl">citation needed</a>]

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">System to transmit information by hand</div>

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<figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:US_Navy_051129-N-0685C-007_Quartermaster_Seaman_Ryan_Ruona_signals_with_semaphore_flags_during_a_replenishment_at_sea.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:US_Navy_051129-N-0685C-007_Quartermaster_Seaman_Ryan_Ruona_signals_with_semaphore_flags_during_a_replenishment_at_sea.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/US_Navy_051129-N-0685C-007_Quartermaster_Seaman_Ryan_Ruona_signals_with_semaphore_flags_during_a_replenishment_at_sea.jpg/290px-US_Navy_051129-N-0685C-007_Quartermaster_Seaman_Ryan_Ruona_signals_with_semaphore_flags_during_a_replenishment_at_sea.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="2100" data-file-height="1368" data-file-type="bitmap" height="189" width="290" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/US_Navy_051129-N-0685C-007_Quartermaster_Seaman_Ryan_Ruona_signals_with_semaphore_flags_during_a_replenishment_at_sea.jpg/435px-US_Navy_051129-N-0685C-007_Quartermaster_Seaman_Ryan_Ruona_signals_with_semaphore_flags_during_a_replenishment_at_sea.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/US_Navy_051129-N-0685C-007_Quartermaster_Seaman_Ryan_Ruona_signals_with_semaphore_flags_during_a_replenishment_at_sea.jpg/580px-US_Navy_051129-N-0685C-007_Quartermaster_Seaman_Ryan_Ruona_signals_with_semaphore_flags_during_a_replenishment_at_sea.jpg 2x" alt="US_Navy_051129-N-0685C-007_Quartermaster_Seaman_Ryan_Ruona_signals_with_semaphore_flags_during_a_replenishment_at_sea.jpg"></a><figcaption>A <a href="/en/US_Navy" title="US Navy" class="mw-redirect wl">US Navy</a> crewman signals the letter 'U' using flag semaphore during an <a href="/en/Underway_replenishment" title="Underway replenishment" class="wl">underway replenishment</a> exercise (2005)</figcaption></figure>

Flag semaphore 'sign' and -φέρω '-bearer' 