🔍 Key Concepts

• International Code of Signals (ICS) single-letter flags and their meanings • Difference between a vessel being disabled, needing medical assistance, and requesting free pratique (health clearance) • How a vessel would normally communicate medical emergency or distress versus routine status information

💭 Think About

• Think about where you would normally see a flag indicating that a vessel is healthy and requesting free pratique, and which letter that flag usually is. • Consider which situations (disabled, medical emergency, stopped) are usually communicated by radio, by flags, or by both. • Ask yourself: if a vessel hoists flag 'W', what specific message is it sending according to the International Code of Signals—not just what might seem logical from the choices?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify the exact meaning of signal flag 'W' in the International Code of Signals, not by guessing. • Confirm which flag is associated with free pratique / healthy status, and notice that it is a different letter from 'W'. • Check whether being stopped or disabled is normally indicated by a single-letter ICS flag, or if other shapes/lights/sounds are used instead.