1 T Ditcham, A Home on the Rolling Main (Barnsley, Seaforth Publishing, 2013) p.89
1 L E Holland RN ‘The Development of Signalling in the Royal Navy’, The Mariner’s Mirror, 1953, 39:1, 5-26
2 Holland, ibid.
3 W G Perrin, British Flags: Their Early History and Development at Sea (C U Press, 1922) p.146
4 See David Howarth, Trafalgar, The Nelson Touch (London, World Books, 1970) p.104,
1 Henry J Rogers American Code of Signals (Baltimore, 1854) p.vii, Caird Library.
1 Perrin, p. 40
2 Ibid. p. 47
3 Ibid. p. 55
4 See Hendrick Vroom The Return of Prince Charles from Spain 5th October 1623, Royal Museums Greenwich.,
5 See see detail of Reinier Nooms, The Battle of Leghorn 1653, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam on page 6
6 Perrin, p. 68.
7 Ibid. p. 87, referencing State Papers of Henry VIII ccv, 160
1 Howarth, p.154
2 Nicolas, Sir N (Ed.) Letters and Dispatches of Lord Nelson Vol III, quoted in Perrin, p.174
3 Howarth, p.155 and Corbett J S (Ed.), Fighting Instructions 1530-1816 Publications of Navy Records Society Vol XXIX, 1905
4 K G Baker, ‘True Story of Nelson’s Famous Signal’ in Navy and Army Illustrated, October 16th 1896 (sourced from www.navyhistory.org.au)
5 Jonathan Clements Admiral Togo: Nelson of the East (London, Haus Publishing, 2010) p..45
6 Howarth, p.155
1 See Cmdr H P Read RN, US Naval Institute Proceedings No 361, Vol 59, pp.370-375.
2 W K Stewart, Brown’s Signalling: How to Learn the International Code of Signals (Glasgow, Brown Son and Ferguson, 1961)
3 J C Dobbin, Secretary to the Navy, Circular, appended to Henry J Rogers American Code of Signals (Baltimore, 1854) Caird Library 627.72(73)
4 Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle for 1840 (London, Simkin Marshal and Co, 1840) p.516
5 Rogers, Plate 5
6 Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, Supplement to International Code of Signals, 1873 Caird Library 627.724(100)
1 Andrew Gordon, The Rules of the Game, Jutland and British Naval Command (London, Penguin Books, 2015) p.599
2 Lt Cdr J K Dempsey RN, The Evolution of Signalling by Flags at Sea (https://www.commsmuseum.co.uk/)
3 Surrey History Centre Archive Ref 1226. See also http://www.holywellhousepublishing.co.uk/Tufnell.html
4 Admiralty Visual Signalling Instructions, Section II (London, HMSO, 1944) Caird Library 627.724.725
1 International Code of Signals American Edition (Washington, Hydrographic Office, 1923)
2 Lloyd’s Signal Station, Lizard Peninsula in Engineering Timelines (http://www.engineering-timelines.com)
3 Supplement to International Code of Signals, 1873
4 Frank Kitchen (1990), ‘The Napoleonic War Coast Signal Stations’, The Mariner’s Mirror, 76:4, 337-344
5 Arthur C Wardle (1948), ‘Liverpool Merchant Signals and House Flags’, The Mariner’s Mirror, 34:3, 161-168
6 Ibid. p.163. For more on the history of the Bidston Signal station go to www.bidstonlighthouse.org.uk
7 William Enfield, An Essay Towards the History of Liverpool (London, Joseph Johnson, 1774) p.68
8 Source uncertain, quoted in Wardle, p.162
1 R Harding, Seapower and Naval Warfare (London, UCL Press, 1999) p.148
2 J Corbett, Fighting Instructions 1530-1816 (Project Guttenberg, 2005: Publications of The Navy Records Society Vol. XXIX, 1895) p.111
3 B Wilson, Empire of the Deep, The Rise and Fall of the British Navy, (London, Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 2013) p.364
4 See ‘Clerk of Eldin, A Statement of Facts’, 1934 The Mariner’s Mirror 20:4, pp.475-495
5 G R Barnes and J H Owen (eds) The Private Papers of John Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty (1932-38) quoted in Wilson, p.360
6 The London Gazette Extraordinary, 25th May 1780 in Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure (London John Hinton, 1780 Google Books)
7 See Wilson, pp. 360-361 for more on Admiral Rodney’s views on his subordinates.
8 Rear Admiral C. Ekins, Naval Battles from 1744 to 1814 Critically Reviewed and Illustrated (London, Baldwin Cradock and Joy, 1824/Google Books)
9 Captain T White, Naval Researches: A Candid Enquiry into the Conduct of Admirals Byron, Graves, Hood and Rodney (London, Whittaker, Treacher and Arnott, 1830/Google Books), pp.34-49)
10 Ekins, quoted by White, p.45
11 White, p. 44
12 Ibid. p.45
13 Richard Hough, Admirals in Collision (London, White Lion Publishers 1959) quoted in Gordon, p.195
14 Letter to Secretary of the Admiralty 21st November 1891, enclosing Temporary Memorandum ‘A’: A System for Fleet Manoeuvres With and Without Signals (ADM 116/64 Vol 11)
1 Grand Fleet Battle Orders XXIII Signals in Action, ADM 137/288 quoted in John Brooks, The Battle of Jutland (Cambridge, Cambridge Military Histories, 2016)
2 See Gordon, Ch. 9
3 Battle of Jutland Official Despatches (London, HMSO, 1920), p.10
4 Gordon, p.140
1 Naval Appendix to International Code, 1935 (Admiralty Signal Department) M4343/35 in Caird Library 627.724
2 Vincil T Clark, Signalman 3 & 2 (NAVEDTRA 10135-E Naval Educaation and Training Command, 1982) Fig 5.2
3 Communications Instructions Signalling Procedures in the Visual Medium (Combined Communications-Electronics Board July 2005), p.1-1
1 See Captain Barrie Kent, RN, Signal! A History of Signalling in the Royal Navy (Petersfield, Hyden House, 1993)
1 For an historical perspective on yacht racing and the rules that applied, see Dixon Kemp, A Manual of Yacht and Boat Sailing (London, The Field Offices, 1878), p.382. For a modern day equivalent see Racing Rules of Sailing (Southampton, International Sailing Federation (ISAF), 2012)
1 Charles F Partington, The Century of Inventions of the Marquis of Worcester from the Original MS, with Historical and Explanatory Notes (London, John Murray, 1825. Project Guttenberg/Apple Books, 2015)
2 Quoted in Mechanics Magazine, Vol 8, 1828 (London Knight and Lacey, 1828), p. 295
3 This story is related in two sources slightly differently: see Mechanics Magazine article, ibid., p. 294 and Russel W Burns Communications: An International history of the formative years (London, IEE, 2004) p.35
4 Ibid. p.39
5 Ibid. p.42
6 See Burns, p.52 and for a detailed and near contemporary description of Edgeworth’s telegraph and others, see Abraham Rees (Ed.) Cyclopedia of Arts Sciences and Literature Vol XXV (London, Longman, 1819, www.archive.org) pp. 214-215
7 Rev. John Gamble, Essay on the Different Modes of Communication by Signals (London W. Miller, 1797/Google Books), p. 71
8 Ibid., p.89
9 Ibid., p.90
10 F Cabane, Charles Depillon (1768-1805): l’inventeur des Sémaphores côtiers (Ifremer, Plouzané, 2007) p.13
11 H P Mead RN, ‘The Story of Semaphore Part III’, The Mariner’s Mirror 20:2 1934, p. 216. Parts I to IV in The Mariner’s Mirror.
12 Ibid. p. 215
1 See Mead, ‘The Story of Semaphore Part IV’ The Mariner’s Mirror 20:3 1934, p.367
2 Nicholl’s Seamanship and Nautical Knowledge (Glasgow, Brown, Son and Ferguson), known as ‘the Manual’, was the indispensable vade mecum for all sea-going cadets covering everything from the construction of deep tanks to the Collision Regulations.
1 See Mead, ‘The Story of Semaphore Part V’, The Mariner’s Mirror 21:1 1935, pp 34-35
2 Ibid., p.41
1 For more on Myer, Wig-Wag and the early days of the US Signal Corps, see Rebecca Raines, Getting the Message Through (Washington, US Army Center for Military History, 1995)
1 See Appendix
2 to Battle of Jutland Official Despatches (London, HMSO, 1920)
1 Christopher H Sterling (ed), Military Communications from Ancient Times to the 21st Century (Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 2008)
2 John Millan, Signals for the Royal Navy and Ships under Convoy (London, J Millan, 1746)
3 The Signal Book for The Ships of War, 1799 quoted by L E Holland RN in ‘The Development of Signalling in the Royal Navy’, The Mariner’s Mirror, 1953 39:1, 5-26 p.24
4 Ibid.
5 US Patent Office, Patent No. 1647, 20th June 1840
6 Henry J Rogers, Telegraph Directory and Seaman’s Signal Book (Baltimore, F Lucas Jr., 1845)
7 Holland, p.25
8 P Colomb and F Bolton, Flashing Signals Adopted in the Navy and Army (London, Mitchell and Co., 1869), p. 3
9 Richard Hough, Admirals in Collision quoted in Gordon, The Rules of the Game, p. 186
10 Letter and enclosures from Vice Admiral Sir John Baird to Admiral Superintendent, Chatham (undated), 1889 in ADM 116/64 Case 335, Vol 10
11 Gordon, p.307
12 Timothy S Wolters, Information at Sea: Shipboard Command and Control in the US Navy from Mobile Bay to Okinawa (Baltimore, John Hopkins U.P., 2013)
13 Note appended to letter from C-in-C China to Secretary to the Admiralty 12.1.1892 in ADM 116/64
14 Memorandum: Coloured Lights for Signalling Purposes from Lt Alan Everett to Signals Committee, Devonport 6.3.1897 in ADM 116/64
15 Ibid.
16 Letter from Vice Admiral Compton Domville, President of the Signals Committee to Secretary to the Admiralty 19.3.1897 in ADM 116/64
17 Letter from Vice Admiral Sir Henry Stephenson to Secretary to the Admiralty 9.12.1897 in ADM 116/64
18 Letter to the Secretary to the Admiralty from C V Broughton, 18.4.1898
19 Memorandum from Chief Constructor, Portsmouth Dockyard to Captain John Durnford, HMS Vernon 15.9.1898. HMS Vernon was the Royal Navy Torpedo School and at that time also had oversight of new signalling equipment and W/T training
1 Martha J Coston, A Signal Success: The Life and Travels of Mrs Martha J Coston (Philadelphia, Lippincott, 1886)
2 Coston, p.43
3 US Patent Office, Patent No. 23,536, April 5th 1859
4 US Patent Office, Patent Nos. 197,339 and 674,400, 20th November 1877 and 21st May 1901 respectively.
5 Purchasing power calculator, www.measuringworth.com
6 Coston, pp.100 and 101
7 US Patent Office, Patent No. 8,677,904 March 25th 2014
1 Admiralty Fleet Order Volume 1937, Section 1, p. 148
2 Ibid. p.149
3 I am indebted to former Royal Navy Signalman David Morris and to the Francis Searchlight Company for their helpful advice on historic and present day signalling equipment
4 A record of this exchange was kindly provided by Commander Nick Messinger RNR, then 4th Officer aboard P&O’s MV Somali, on which the author also sailed as a cadet
5 Office of Naval Research in US Navy Institute News [https://news.usni.org/2017/07/19]