A private signal is a custom-designed flag used to symbolize and identify the owner of a

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

. They generally have a swallowtail shape but may instead be rectangular or sometimes triangular. Private signal tradition is drawn from heraldry but typically does not incorporate as intricate designs as a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

Etiquette

A private signal may be hoisted while underway and at anchor, day or night, but not while racing.

Power boat A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the ge ...

s fly the owners' private signal at the top of the

main-mast The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation lig ...

head or from a short staff on the bow called a bow staff. On a

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminolo ...

the private signal is flown using a pig stick hoisted to the top of the

or mizzen-mast.

History

From as far back as 4000 BC, Egyptian captains of the Nile would identify themselves to passing ships by placing a clay figurine atop their ships’ aftermost cabin. The Romans used private signals quite often. At sea off Marseilles in 49 BC, the famous Roman Decimus Brutus hoisted his private signal during the

Siege of Massilia The siege of Massilia, including two naval engagements, was an episode of Caesar's Civil War, fought in 49 BC between forces loyal to the Optimates and a detachment of Caesar's army. The siege was conducted by Gaius Trebonius, one of Caesar's s ...

. Primary documents say the Massilians recognized his “flamboyant” signal, so his ship narrowly escaped being rammed simultaneously by two

trireme A trireme( ; derived from Latin: ''trirēmis'' "with three banks of oars"; cf. Greek ''triērēs'', literally "three-rower") was an ancient vessel and a type of galley that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean S ...

s. In the Middle Ages private signals were used extensively at sea. The Bayeux Tapestry of 1150 AD shows ''Mora'', the ship of William, Duke of Normandy, as it flew a white banner, bordered in blue and bearing a golden cross. Other knights in the tapestry boast their own private signals.

References

{{Wiktionary Types of flags Maritime culture Maritime flags

Etiquette

History

See also

References