Greek Maritime Signal Flags - A Modern Make Over

After the Roman Alphabet, perhaps the next most important international alphabet is the Greek Alphabet.  It is used in science and math: as with pi, theta, sigma, or delta.  Likewise astronomy uses the Greek letters to indicate brightness within a constellation.  The uses in science is nearly countless.  Consequently, this alphabet deserves its own International Maritime Flag set based upon the Greek Alphabet.

There was already an established set that was found in the signal book a Greek admiral, Yakoumakis Tombazis' flagship "Themistikles."  To the bottom-left is the original flag page.  Perhaps there were other flags for the other letters of the Greek Alphabet?

In this modern 2020 version the mono-coloured flags from Themistikles are replaced with lost signal flags that retain some of Tombazis's old colours but with an added pattern. 

 Likewise retired signal flags that were lost across the ages are resurrected from the old international maritime navies that include: Japan, France, England, Germany and no longer used signals flags of the American Navy.  Take note that old flags from Marrayts, Pophams, and Admiral Howe are reconstituted with the Modern Greek Maritime Signal Flags.  Also note that effort was taken to select flags that look a little bit like the Greek letters themselves.

November's checker pattern does not equate to Zeta  to avoid confusion with the letter 'N.'  But another blue and white flag takes Zeta's place.  Just reassigning the International Maritime Flags with Greek designations would be confusing and could easily lead to mistakes.

Most of the letters should be called out as they are, except for Alpha.  Since Alpha already is used in ICS ABCs, Athena is the name of Alpha. Likewise Delta is called Demeter, since Delta too is in ICS ABC International Maritime flags.  Mu and Nu also get different designations, since they sound so much alike.  Mu's name is Metis and Nu's name is Nike.  Finally to bring clarity between Epsilon and Upsilon, Epsilon is Electra.



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