ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

International inspection pennant

Imagine you're playing a game with your friends and you want to show them that you're doing really well. You might wave a flag to show everyone that you're winning or that something special is happening. That's kind of like what the international inspection pennant is for boats!

When ships are out on the ocean, sometimes other boats or officials need to come and check on them to make sure everything is okay. But it's not always easy to see which boat needs to be inspected, especially if there are a lot of boats around. So, the international inspection pennant is a special flag that ships can fly to let other boats and officials know that they are ready to be inspected.

The inspection pennant is usually made up of several stripes in colors like blue, yellow, and red. It's flown from a special place on the ship, like the top of a mast or a flagpole. When other ships or officials see the inspection pennant on a boat, they know that they should send someone over to check everything out.

Overall, the international inspection pennant is a way for boats to let others know that they are ready and willing to be inspected to make sure they're following all the rules and staying safe on the water.
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