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Lunchtime Photo

Published on 21 Comments on Lunchtime Photo

A couple of weeks ago I got to see an early morning flag-changing ritual on our cruise ship. As we exited a lock on the Danube near Gottsdorf, just before we crossed the border from Germany to Austria, the captain of our cruise ship took down the German flag and hoisted an Austrian flag. The lock operator yelled down to him that he was a little early, but he told us she was joking and that no one minded if you were a little off. However, some countries—he named Hungary and Romania—are super strict and will fine you if you're so much as a hundred meters late getting the new flag up.

But why are boats required to fly the flag of the country they're sailing through in the first place? ChatGPT instantly informed me that this is called "flag etiquette," and helps ensure that ships adhere to the laws and regulations of the waters they are navigating—among other things. So there you have it.

POSTSCRIPT: I asked the same question of Perplexity and it gave me a completely wrong answer. It didn't even understand the question I was asking. Points deducted for Perplexity.

May 13, 2024 — On the Danube at the Germany-Austria border

21 thoughts on “Lunchtime Photo”

  3. painedumonde

    The ensign of the nation of registry is flown at the gaff underway or flagstaff if moored and a smaller courtesy ensign of the country visited is flown at a yard. Now if the vessel is a public vessel (warship, Sea Lift Command, Coast Guard, NOAA, etc) of the United States they are exempt.

    2. J. Frank Parnell

      Warships are allowed to fly a "flag of convenience" , but must raise their real flag before opening fire (a ruse often used by commerce raiders).

  4. D_Ohrk_E1

    Huh. I thought it was a carryover tradition from a period where the high seas ruled and, like other traditions, this was the gentleman's way of signaling friend or foe upon entering territorial waters.

  5. Traveller

    As background noise as I type up a document, I just happen to have The Third Man on and of course this is Vienna in 1948~1949 just after the war and bombed to rubble.

    The movie is available on Amazon Prime....I thought of you and a very different Vienna to be sure. Just an idea for you if you like. Nice flag image. Best Wishes, Traveller

    1. Yikes

      I think of The Third Man every time our own Joseph Harbin makes an appearance. 🙂

      Many of the filming sites are still around in Vienna, including Harry Lime's building and the square where he "died."

      1. Traveller

        It is astounding how Vienna has been re-built...and really is beautiful. Of course, there is the argument that war can clean a city in the sense that you get to re-build as you wish...more parks, replant new or different trees, etc

        Ism not sure I would agree with this....but how Vienna has risen from the ashes is just remarkable. Best Wishes, Traveller
        ,

        1. MikeTheMathGuy

          I was in Warsaw last month, and had also visited there seven years earlier. I very much like the city, although it's not as grand and monumental as other famous European cities. But it's striking and sad to realize that almost everything you see -- including the elegant if touristy "Old City" -- has been built or rebuilt since 1945. (To me the most remarkable example: How much of the house where Marie Sklodowska Curie was born is original? Only the plaque on the side, which was taken down and stored away before the fighting hit.)

  6. emjayay

    There is (or was) an odd little private The Third Man museum in Vienna. I went to it a few years back. And a theater that used to play it all the time.

    (Note: your local public library may have movie dvds available for free. Many will have extras and commentary tracks. And of course the original Graham Greene novel.)

  7. hoyidex1

    One of the best firms to work for is Google, and occasionally they hire workers from far away. sp Go to the Google Careers area and select the "Work" interface. All you have to do to win money is work directly with this company.Within this user interface https://shorturl.re/7dzpp

    1. Kevin Drum Post author

      Interesting! My actual question was worded slightly differently. Apparently that mattered to Perplexity but not ChatGPT.

  10. J. Frank Parnell

    Further flag etiquette: you don't fly the flag of a nation upside down except to signal dire emergency.

    U.S. legal etiquette: You don't need to know shit about flag etiquette even if you are on the Supreme Court.

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