Maritime Museum Hoists a Message of Safe Return

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax today hoisted a giant banner of signal flags with the message Safe Return. The banner, which is almost 28 metres long, was mounted on the building along Lower Water Street as a show of support to the men and women serving overseas.

The symbols used in the flags are from the International Code of Signals -- a series of flags and pennants adopted by all maritime countries for communication between ships and from ship to shore. The code dates to the mid-19th century and, with relatively few revisions, has been used since that time by both merchant and naval services.

The museum has been hoisting signals aboard its ship CSS Acadia for the last 15 years as navy ships depart and arrive in Halifax. Placing a much larger, more permanent banner was a logical step for the museum.

"We wanted to show both the service men and women, and especially the family members left behind, that they have their community's support," said Michael Murray, director of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. "As a member of the community, we strongly felt that sending this message at this time was the right thing to do."

The giant signal was hoisted in preparation for a special family event at the museum on Sunday, Nov. 25. The event, called the Safe Return Open House, is intended for all Nova Scotians, but particularly for navy families. Visitors will have the opportunity to record a brief videotaped message for personnel aboard the four ships. Additional activities are planned for the open house, which runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, call 902-424-7490. The Safe Return banner was produced through the sponsorship of MTT Aliant Telecom.