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Busselton Historical Society > Records

Flag (maritime) - "In Distress"

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(creator unknown)

Subcollections

Overview

Two fabric flags:

(a) Blue and white checkered flag (H: 736mm W: 939mm)
(b) Blue, white and red striped flag (H: 711mm W: 939mm)

Historical information

An internationally recognized method is the International Code of Signals (ICS) combination of the N (November) and C (Charlie) flags, which explicitly communicates "I am in distress and require immediate assistance"

A distress flag is an internationally recognized visual signal used on boats or ships to indicate serious or imminent danger and request immediate help.

Details

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-124-2026.235

Item type

Flags

Themes

Material

Fabrics

Inscriptions and markings

(none)

Contextual information

Under the alphabetical combination of International Maritime Code:

When both Flags N & C are displayed, it means distress, request for assistance.

When they are displayed on their own, N means negative; C means affirmative.

Keywords

Maritime Flags Collection

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance

Scientific or research significance

Last modified

Tuesday, 18 August, 2026

Completeness

83

Busselton Historical Society

Busselton Historical Society

Other items by (creator unknown)

Other items from Busselton Historical Society

In Distress - maritime flag

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