Turn signals

[The Chapman]

I was thinking yesterday about indicator lights, particularly after running through a staging yard. There was one other driver (from another company), and he was pulling out as I was pulling in. We both braked, made hand signals through the windshields (Oh no, after you, Alphonse!), and manuevered around each other. We just understood where and what the other was doing and going, and what we were going to do.

Now, since modern-day hauling is still called SHIPPING, I come to my point (finally).

I'm going to do my own research anyway, but what arrangement was there in period shipping for agreement of right-of-way, or directional signalling? In modern shipping, which is extremely crowded, a nautical mile is considered close, and much under that is way too close for comfort. Accounting for well-traveled lanes, dictated by wind and currents, it seems like most ships of the period would have been largely in the same general 'highway'. Were there then established or agreed-upon right/left (or left/right for the Brits) directional agreements? Which side did you pass on?

Is there much documentation of ships colliding by accident in the time period?

Also, in the general pyracy era, a lot of ships would have been avoiding well-traveled routes (although obviously the well-traveled road is physically the easiest and safest).

Anyway, just thinking about it at work. What was the procedure for signalling directional intent upon meeting another ship, either oncoming or while overtaking?

It helps to think about this stuff while I'm driving. I don't practice tying knots anymore, after inadvertently securing my left thumb to the steering wheel while speeding through Milwaukee with a load of furnaces. THAT would have been special to explain to the State Police.

[William Brand]

There were some protocols based on the hierarchy of rank. For example, a ship might be asked to strike their colors when recognizing a ship bearing someone of a higher station. Right of way becomes an issue at times when a ship of lesser 'station' must fall by the way side to allow a superior vessel to pass. William Kidd's ego was such that he sometimes did not follow these protocols of his day, often snubbing those whom he did not recognize as his 'superiors'.

Still, I don't know enough on the subject myself to offer many examples, apart from the little I have read, so I look forward to the information this thread may glean.

[Matusalem]

Some nautical basics, from experience in crowded baltimore harbour on a summer weekend:

1. Red/Right/Return (.....applies to lights)

2. Bigger vessels have Right of Way (...because they can't slow down or stop as easily as smaller vessels)

3. It's not unsusual to correct a course if approaching a vessel that is obstructing your course...usually bear to the right. I am frequently somewhere around Key bridge and fort Carroll (usually being challenged by RO-RO ships and recreational boaters.

4. Horns signals allow you to communicate to other vessels, so do semaphores.

I can't imagine things being that extroadinarily different back during GAOP, as Baltimore Harbor is pretty crowded on a July Saturday for instance. I would be more amazed how to get a sailing ship away from a pier and into a shipping lane without the use of motors. To me, that seems like quite a feat in itself. Was the average large vessel pushed away using crewmen on sweeps?

FYI, The upper Chesapeake is quite shallow if you stray outside the shipping lane designated by the US coast guard. Those channels are dredged. I found this out the hard way on my father's 37' sailboat when we tried, using a short-cut, to intercept the Sultana bound for St Michaels from Baltimore, and we ran aground. Fortunately the bay is sand,and not rocks. Of course, as history goes, Maryland shipping vessels powered by sail, such as a skipjack, were generally low in draft.

We all know the freeboard situation with pirate vessels such as the Whydah, Adventure Galley, and the Queen Anne's Revenge.

That being said, I think the bigger issue is avoiding running aground. The other big issue is trying to get out of port and into a proper tack.

....then again, the idea of a pirate vessel is to come dangerously close o other vessels, otherwise no prize.

[The Chapman]

There are rules for sailing boats arranged for general order, at least in the US territorial waters; kind of like flight approach regulations of the FAA. They have to do with yielding and such, with account taken for wind direction; For overtaking, the rule is simply 'stay well clear', whatever that means.

H. Teonage in the Mediterranean fleet in the late 1600s describes being in a fog bank, requiring the crew to ring bells, blow whistles, fire muskets, etc. to establish their presence to others. And there have been protocols or polite behaviors since the first Homo Sapiens shoved his hollowed-out log into the river as far as warning against collisions; but still, there must have been an arrangement for the stereotypical 'ships passing in the night'.

Watches would have established the presence of other ships. I guess I was just wondering if the idea of establishing what the other pilot is going to do had some structure, or was based on observation and mutual unspoken agreement (see my above post about the staging yard).

[The Chapman]

Oh, and Matusalem, I forgot to mention this; How did ships get into tight spaces and harbors?

Well, one word:

KEDGING!

...and I'm sure it was every bit as much fun as it sounds.

[Matusalem]

Well, one word:

KEDGING!

Well...kedging is one effective way, yes. One can only imagine the difficulty in stong winds and current as the crew is trying to actually throw an anchor for a ship the size of a brig.

Maybe my references maight be too modern but Here's some photos of a day in Baltimore harbor, check the second picture and you will see a "pilot boat" guide the cruise ship out of the harbor. We were sailing pretty close to that ship. (FYI, I'm testing out the IMG feature on this messageboard

[Matusalem]

Chapman,

The key word when looking for maritime rules is (drum roll)............Admiralty Laws, before 1789:

http://members.aol.com/dangelaw/admir2.html

When researching, just keep in mind the word Admiralty.