unforum

[Gibbet]

#225 - Silver - [IVY SET] - Broadside

[webrat_jen]

my naugtical knowldge is pretty poor, but from what i've gathered from google, some of the flags represent letters, or letter and numbers, but then, some don't seem to exsist as part of boating flag code.

stupid silvers...

also, there are too many flags for there to be a simple 'distress' message. (generally one or two flags are used)

when typing in the code, you are asked 'what is the answer?'
no clues there.

[hturan]

Judging from the picture, there seem to be flags from different countries aswell (maybe the first letter?). At least we've got something else to do now except Riemann, Shuffled and The 13th Labour!

[locard]

I am thinking it may be the signalling system devised by Captain Sir Home Popham in 1800 and used by Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar.

[fretty]

There is definitely a connection with this as Broadside is well known with trafalgar

[GasparLewis]

Ah, but Popham's code, as far as I can tell, was numerical.

Three-digit numbers corresponded to words in a handbook.

And there's more than ten flags, I dare say.

It's a mish-mosh of countless codes, from what I can discernconsidering they've used the NATO numerical flag for 0 and the standard triangle flag 3.

(Thank you Wikipedia?)

[locard]

what is the answer box like when ready to solve?

[Guin]

it says "what is the answer" - sorry no pic on laptop as have mates over and they are asleep in the computer room

My father-in-law is into this sort of stuff and im seeing him in a week i will let him look it over - never know.[/img]

[Loric]

Ow, my head...

[Scott]

oh neato -- I used to play with these fFlags a bunch in boy scouts. The boy scout handbook was rife with the makings of codes: semaphore, braille, nautical fFlags ... I'll dig out my old book and see if it's any help.

[GasparLewis nli]

What I get, wotking off what Loric said:

[fretty]

Hey, I found this:

http://www.royal-signals.org.uk/flagwaving.php

Try figure 21. It's slightly different but contains some of the flags which didn't exist on the other signals. I think that the answer is in a historical signal pattern other than todays signals.

[EvilGenius]

Someone has to try this, just to get it out of the way:

[GasparLewis]

Alright, using the new set that fretty spotted once included, I get:

1- ICS 5/ R37
2- ???
3- MAR 3R (repeat itself?!) / R37
4- ???
5- ICS W / R37 B
6- ICS X/ HOW 1/ POP 1/ R37 2
7- ICS P/ HOW 2/ POP 2/ R37 0
8- USN 0/ R37 No
9- ICS 3 / R37
10- POP 6/ HOW 6/ R37 4
11- POP 8/ HOW 8
12- ???
13- ???
14- R37 K
15- HOW 4
16- USN Turn
17- ???

ICS = Internation Code Signals
USN = U.S. Navy
POP = Popham
HOW = Howe
MAR = Marryat
R37 = Royal Navy, 1937 (the new set)
??? = Don't Look At Me, I'm Stumped

Column 1: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 = 7 total
Column 2: 4,6,8,9,6,10,11,12,9,10,13,7,8,2 = 14 total
Column 3: 4,7,14,17,10,7,15,14,16,6,14,13 = 12 total

(5/!) ? (!/!) ? (W/B) (X/1/2) (P/2/0)
UK ? (X/1/2) (0/No) (3/!) (X/1/2) (6/4) 8 ? 3 (6/4) ? (P/2/0) (0/No) ?
? (P/2/0) K ? 6 (P/2/0) 4 K Turn (X/1/2) K ?

Of course, the picture quality is so miserable I can't read any of the flag descriptions, so I'm only denoting where an alternate exists or where what the flag means is clear enough to read.

Maybe if we can get a time period for the boat, we can discern what time period the flag system we want is in.

[Hunting4Treasure]

EvilGenius, I was thinking the same thing... But that phrase has 39 characters, and we have 33 flags. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try and at least eliminate the possibility!