"Mike Keown" wrote in message
...
Heard a curious conversation on a late night talk show.
One of the speakers said: " If you ever see a warship
flying its national ensign (flag) upside down it means that
the crew has mutinied and taken over the vessel..." Is that true? If so,
is
it a international sign known to all sailors
and what mutiny originated it?
Mike

This (flying of a national standard upside-down) is an estblished
international practice at sea--and on land--designed to indicate that
despite appearances to the contrary, all is not well aboard ship or within
an encampment.

At sea, it is unlikely that mutineers would know so little about proper flag
display that they'd allow an ensign to fly upside down and hence draw
unwanted attention to their deed.

However, in the days of sail, a pirate might gain control of a merchant;
then, to disguise the change of ownership and avoid arousing unwanted
attention, he'd allow "normal" display of flags. Here an alert crew could
turn the tables by hoisting the ship's flag, only upside down. To a
poorly-educated pirate, it might not be crystal-clear that the ships'
ensign/flag can only be flown one way under "normal" circumstances or that a
flag being flown upside down was an indication of other than normal
circumstances, or distress, aboard ship.

I am not sure that a mutiny at sea inspired the practice. Instead it appears
to have begun with early merchant sailors (as early as or before the
Carthaginians, perhaps even as early as the Phoenicians), who learned to be
yary at the approach to any proximity on the high seas of any other vessel,
unless there were positive means of identification of the ship closing the
range; shape of the vessel was not always conclusive, as previous capture by
a hostile entity was always possible. The practice developed of a display of
signal flags. Any time a signal flag (including an identifying national
ensign) was improperly displayed constituted a warning that all was not well
aboard the displaying vessel and was taken as indicating that the range from
that vessel should be opened.

The same caution was indicated upon approaching a port or landing area. A
ship laden with valuable cargo wanted to be certain of who was in control of
the harbor; those in the harbor desired to have indication that any
approaching ship did not contain pirates intent on a raid or cutting-out
expedition.