# What do the flags mean in this picture of a Soviet spy ship? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-flags-mean-in-this-picture-of-a-soviet-spy-ship/424596 "2007-10-30T17:13:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PuddingCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@PuddingCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PuddingCat)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-flags-mean-in-this-picture-of-a-soviet-spy-ship/424596/1 "2007-10-30T17:13:34Z")
Hi. At the link is a photo of a Soviet spy ship circa 1986. I was wondering if anybody knew what the flags meant? [http://cryptome.org/ssv/ccb-514.htm](http://cryptome.org/ssv/ccb-514.htm) - 0.5MB JPEG They appear to be flying the flags of Japan and France which surprises me - maybe they have some other meaning in a nautical setting? cheers, tim ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-flags-mean-in-this-picture-of-a-soviet-spy-ship/424596/2 "2007-10-30T17:23:26Z")
They’re signal flags. Each flag represents a letter of the alphabet. They’re usually used to display the ship’s call sign. [Link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_maritime_signal_flags) ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-flags-mean-in-this-picture-of-a-soviet-spy-ship/424596/3 "2007-10-30T17:23:30Z")
[International maritime signal flags](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_maritime_signal_flags): What looks like the French flag is the letter “T”. What looks like the Japanese flag is the numeral “1”. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-flags-mean-in-this-picture-of-a-soviet-spy-ship/424596/4 "2007-10-30T17:26:19Z")
I’m pretty sure they’re [signaling flags](http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/flags.htm); the flags are R, T, 2 on the left; Y, V, 1 in the center; and what might be 9 on the right. Don’t ask me what these combinations of letters & numbers actually mean, though. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-flags-mean-in-this-picture-of-a-soviet-spy-ship/424596/5 "2007-10-30T17:47:26Z")
That’s a Soviet spy ship? It looks like a bunch of refugees who stole an old fishing trawler. Maybe that was the idea… ---
**Author:** ![PuddingCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@PuddingCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PuddingCat)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-flags-mean-in-this-picture-of-a-soviet-spy-ship/424596/6 "2007-10-30T21:35:17Z")
[QUOTE=Absolute] That’s a Soviet spy ship? It looks like a bunch of refugees who stole an old fishing trawler. [/QUOTE] I believe it is - it’s from [Cryptome.org](http://Cryptome.org) and if you hit the main page [http://www.cryptome.org](http://www.cryptome.org) there are pics of more. I believe the pic is originally from the DoD. tim ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-flags-mean-in-this-picture-of-a-soviet-spy-ship/424596/7 "2007-10-30T21:47:38Z")
[QUOTE=MikeS] I’m pretty sure they’re [signaling flags](http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/flags.htm); the flags are R, T, 2 on the left; Y, V, 1 in the center; and what might be 9 on the right. Don’t ask me what these combinations of letters & numbers actually mean, though. [/QUOTE] It may be a call sign, as suggested. Russian call signs begin with R. Does RT2YV19 make sense as a call sign? ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-flags-mean-in-this-picture-of-a-soviet-spy-ship/424596/8 "2007-10-31T02:46:52Z")
In the [International Code of Signals](http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/pubs/pubs_j_show_sections.html?dpath=ICOS&ptid=7&rid=1466), the signal hoist “R T 2” is not defined, and the code “Y V 1” means "The ```auto groups which are to follow are from the local code." Code signals you really never want to see include "A D" which means "I am abandoning my vessel which has suffered a nuclear accident and is a possible source of radiation danger," and "M I P" meaning "Patient has diarrhea with frequent stools like rice water." ``` ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-flags-mean-in-this-picture-of-a-soviet-spy-ship/424596/9 "2007-10-31T03:11:51Z")
[QUOTE=Absolute] That’s a Soviet spy ship? It looks like a bunch of refugees who stole an old fishing trawler. Maybe that was the idea… [/QUOTE] If that was the idea they are not really fooling anyone. Just look at the bewildering array of antenna on that ship not to mention the guys on the bridge peering through binoculars and at least one snapping photos.