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Soviet sea rescue flags

Last modified: 2021-08-26 by rob raeside
Keywords: rescue | red cross | cross: coupe (red) | anchors: 2 | anchors: saltire | anchor (blue) | cccp | sssr | osvod | canton: national flag | canton: subnational flag |
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Water-rescuing flag and ensign

As of 1925

soviet rescue flag 1924
image by Željko Heimer, Apr 2000

This flag was published in 1925 in Album of flags and pennants of USSR [urs25]. Officially it was an «ensign for water-rescuing ships and flag for water-rescuing institutions». This flag was not a flag for Society of Red Cross and Red Crescent — founded in 1925 too.
Victor Lomantsov, 16 Apr 2000

This one must surely be related with a similar previous Russian flag of the same purpose, that replaced the four letter "CCCP" in each end of the cross with crown…
Željko Heimer Heimer, 18 Jun 2000

As of the 1970’ies

soviet rescue flag 197x
image by Željko Heimer, 25 Nov 2000

Later (in magazines of 1970ths) I saw analogous flag for rescuing-ships but with USSR-flag in canton. I don’t know details of adoption…
Victor Lomantsov, 16 Apr 2000


SSR’s Societies of Water Salvation

Societies of Water Salvation, in Russia, Belorussia and other republics of USSR, had their own flags: the Society of Water Salvation of RSFSR had light-blue flag with small RSFSR-flag in canton and emblem in the centre. Emblem: red cross, two crossed blue anchors inside white-orange life-buoy with inscriptions: "OSVOD" (orange letters on white half of life-buoy) and "RSFSR" (white letters on orange half). This flag described in the Statutes of 1970.
Victor Lomantsov, 16 Apr 2000