Log in

Blessing: Upside down banner signals distress

Posted

This letter is in response to a letter (“Resident upset with inverted U.S. Flag”) relating to our flag being flown upside down.

It very well may be that the resident was in compliance with a long-time tradition of the sea. Almost all vessels will respond to a vessel in distress.

The visual signal for a vessel in distress is a flag flown upside down.

Without disrespect to the flag, it may be that the resident was indicating his distress. There is a lot of that going around out there.

Wilfred Blessing
Captain, U.S. Navy (ret.)
Sun City West