Can you make gold out of lead? How?
There's a FFormula for alchemy.
3rd Substitute Penant (called 3rd Sub) is used in port to indicate that the Commanding Officer is not onboard. It's a quick-reference signal to sailors, especially other captains in the port, to know whether the CO of a ship is present. 1st and 2nd Sub have similar meanings for CO's of embarked higher commands.
In fact, 3rd Sub is frequently called the Captain's Absentee Pennant