A phonetic alphabet is a list of words used to identify letters in a message transmitted by radio or telephone. It helps to prevent confusion between similar sounding letters, such as «m» and «n» when boats, yachts and ships communicate in the sea. For example, the word «EOLIA» would be «Echo Oscar Lima India Alpha» when spelled in the phonetic alphabet.
Each letter has a corresponding signal flag which also corresponds to an international sailing meaning.
Specifically, the letters, the phonetics, the signal flags and their international meanings are:
| Letter | Phonetic | Signal Flag | International Meaning |
| A | Alpha |  |
I have a diver down |
| B | Bravo |  |
I am carrying dangerous cargo |
| C | Charlie |  |
«Yes» or «affirmative» |
| D | Delta |  |
I am maneuvering with difficulty; keep clear |
| E | Echo |  |
I am directing my course to starboard |
| F | Foxtrot |  |
|
| G | Golf |  |
I require a pilot |
| H | Hotel |  |
I have a pilot on board |
| I | India |  |
I am directing my course to port |
| J | Juliet |  |
|
| K | Kilo |  |
I wish to communicate with you |
| L | Lima |  |
You should stop your vessel immediately |
| M | Mike |  |
|
| N | November |  |
|
| O | Oscar |  |
Man overboard |
| P | Papa |  |
|
| Q | Quebec |  |
Ship meets health regs; request clearance into port |
| R | Romeo |  |
|
| S | Sierra |  |
|
| T | Tango |  |
|
| u | Uniform |
|
|
| v | Victor |
|
I require assistance |
| w | Whiskey |
|
I require medical assistance |
| x | Xray |
|
|
| y | Yankee |  |
I am dragging anchor |
| z | Zulu |  |
I require a tug |
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[...] from the national flag there are many other types of flags -thoroughly described in another article here- for various navigational purposes. Indeed there are some rules and regulations governing these [...]