“I am taking in, or discharging, or carrying dangerous goods.”
Signal structure
Bravo is a solid red swallowtail. Its single color and cut-away fly make it legible among the more complex patterns of the international alphabet.
Display color
Screen reconstruction; material standards control productionOperational use
The signal warns other vessels and port users about dangerous cargo activity or carriage. It should be read as a defined code message, not merely as a decorative letter B.
Code context
Like Alpha, Bravo can represent its alphabetic character inside a multi-flag hoist. When flown alone it carries the single-letter meaning stated above. National port or dangerous-goods rules may add local requirements.
Source trail
U.S. Coast Guard: International Code of Signals, Publication 102 ↗
Understanding the shape and notation
Bravo is solid red with a swallowtail shape: a notch at the flag’s free end, opposite the hoist. Its Morse sequence for B is read as “dash dot dot dot”. The red displayed on this page is a screen approximation, not a manufacturing color specification.