Signaling

[AllByMeOnesies]

Does anyone have a good resource for information on how ships in the late 17th/early 18th century signaled each other? Much obliged, mates.

[Duchess]

Does anyone have a good resource for information on how ships in the late 17th/early 18th century signaled each other? Much obliged, mates.

Hmm. Patrick O'Bryan talks of flags, latterns and guns. And since he's been so damned thorough in other historical aspects, I'd tend towards trusting him in this as well.

The Duchess

[the Royaliste]

'Ships ans Seamen of the American Revolution' gives very good evolution of signaling by various countries leading up to standardization.

[JoshuaRed]

I'm just guessing here, but probably by whatever means it took to get the attention of a passing ship. Flags, lanterns, guns, signal mirrors, etc? Banging pots and pans? And of course the speaking horns....

[Fox]

Royal Navy flag signal books from the late 17th century are still extant. Here's a page from the 1672 book:

The only record of pirate signalling that I can think of off the top of my head is a description from the possibly fictional George Roberts account which speaks of Low hoisting a green flag with a yellow figure caryying a trumpet to call his men to a council.

[AllByMeOnesies]

Does anyone have a good resource for information on how ships in the late 17th/early 18th century signaled each other?  Much obliged, mates.

Hmm. Patrick O'Bryan talks of flags, latterns and guns. And since he's been so damned thorough in other historical aspects, I'd tend towards trusting him in this as well.

The Duchess

Yes, I read O'Brian but I'm looking for the specifics. I mean, some of the stuff he talks about them spelling out is pretty elaborate.

Thanks, Royaliste, for the book title...I'll definitely check that out, especially since I'm looking at the colonial era. (Praise God for Amazon.com )

[the Royaliste]

There are a lot of copies on Ebay lately; it's also a recently discontinued hardbound school textbook......

[Fox]

The spelling out of messages by flags to be found in O'Brien books would not be authentic for the period you're talking about. I believe numeric flag codes were not introduced into the Royal Navy until 1799/1800 (the Popham code), thought the East India Company had been using them somewhat earlier.

[dasNdanger]

Does anyone have a good resource for information on how ships in the late 17th/early 18th century signaled each other? Much obliged, mates.

I thought they just flashed their boobage?? "Yo-ho!! O, FELLAS!!"

Heya, Onesies, nice to have you venturing into these waters instead of asking me for answers when I DON'T KNOW A BLOOMIN' THING!!!

sounds like you've been steered in the right direction already, but I wanted to add that signalling wasn't a perfected art, either. Signals were often misread or mistrusted...and many a ship was hit by friendly fire because of it. As late as 1799 their was restitution made to widows of men who died 'in action with pirates, or in engaging British ships through mistake'. Such a mistake would be due to a breakdown in communications, and since this was the case in 1799, image what it may have been like 100 years earlier if there wasn't a good system in place?

Can you post any additional information you find, will be interesting to learn more about this...

das