Flag Y (Yankee)
ICS · Y code word: Yankee pronounced: YANG-KEY Morse: −·−−
In short: I am dragging my anchor.
Single-letter meaning (Pub 102)
I am dragging my anchor.
Morse sign
−·−−
Dot = short sound, dash = long (three times longer). Hear it in the Morse translator.
In plain English
The anchor is not holding: the ship is drifting despite being anchored and may get in the way of others.
Where you will really see it
An anchorage in strong wind. A warning to the vessels nearby: keep clear and keep watching, the ship is moving with her anchor over the ground.
Related flags
Keep going
- All signal flags: the search box and the full grid.
- Interactive mast: build your own hoist.
- Single-letter signals cheat sheet A to Z on one page.
The single-letter meanings are quoted 1:1 from Pub 102 International Code of Signals (NGA, public domain); the plain-English explanations are our own. Flag graphics: signal-flag-images (Unlicense).