In the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich there are several examples of accurate delineation of signals, oddly enough rather the exception, as a great many other paintings are extremely defective in the matter of flags. For instance, it is common knowledge that at the Battle of the Nile, one of Lord Nelson’s spectacular victories, all the English ships went into action flying the White Ensign. While this is shown correctly in various paintings, there is another by the celebrated artist Thomas Luny depicting all the English ships under the Blue Ensign. Incidentally this picture of Luny’s is additionally incorrect in that the English fleet is shown as being engaged on the wrong side.
The first of the paintings *here reproduced represents a minor action off Havana on October 1, 1748, between a Spanish squadron and an English squadron under Rear Admiral Sir Charles Knowles. The English ships wear the Red Ensign and in the center is the flagship flying a large red flag both at the fore and mizzen mastheads. That at the mizzen is the personal flag of Knowles, who was a rear admiral of the Red. The red flag at the fore is explained by the following extract from the contemporary Fighting Instructions, article XIII:
As soon as the Admiral shall hoist a Red Flag on the Flagstaff at the Fore-top-mast-head, and fire a Gun, every Ship in the Fleet is to use their utmost Endeavour to engage the Enemy in the Order the Admiral has prescribed unto them.
For many years this was known as the “blood-red” or the “bloody flag of defiance.” It was discontinued later on account of its confusion with the flags of the vice and rear admirals of the Red, that of the vice admiral indeed being properly hoisted at the fore. By 1799 another flag had been designed to take the place of the plain red piece as a signal flag.
The next painting is a well known one, from the brush of Peter Monamy who died in 1749. The occasion must therefore relate to some year prior to 1749. Confusion has been caused because the striped flag at the ensign- staff of the vessel in the center looks very much like a national ensign, and it is not understood that a signal flag could be displayed in such a position. Article XX of the Sailing Instructions, however, makes everything clear:
When the Admiral would have the Fleet prepare to Anchor, he will hoist an Ensign, strip’d Red, White, and Blue, on the Ensign-staff, and fire a Gun; then every Flag-ship in the Fleet is to make the same Signal.
The third picture reproduced was painted by Dominic Serres in 1787, the subject being HMS St. George and other English men-of- war. It shows the flagship, or senior officer (the exact incident is not specified) displaying a plain blue flag in the mizzen rigging which indicates “particular ships” to chase to leeward. The appropriate purport is found in article XXIV of the Sailing Instructions:
When the Admiral would have any particular Ship to . . . Chase to the Leeward, he will make the Signal for speaking with that Ship he would give Chase, hoist a Blue Flag in the Mizen- shrowds, and fire a Gun.
Signals for speaking with particular ships were made by different colored pennants displayed in different parts of the masts and spars, so that by using various combinations quite a large number of individual ships could be pointed out. There is an example of this contained in some orders issued by Admiral Hugh Bigot, commander-in-chief on the West Indies station, dated July 13, 1782, entitled “Signal Pendants for speaking with officers.” There are six pennants, colored as follows: Red, White, Blue, striped Red and White, striped Blue and White, and Red and White “couple." A coupee pennant meant that two or more vertical bands were “cut out” of the basic field, and in the case quoted the piece would be identical with the “Answer” of the modern International Code. The places at which the pennants were to be displayed were likewise six in number, the Main, Fore and Mizen top-mast-heads, and the Main, Fore and Mizen topsail-yardarms. Thus thirty-six vessels could be catered for. Unfortunately the SI. George is not included in the list of ships in Pigot’s orders.
In the picture the St. George has a red pennant at the starboard fore topsail yard, a blue pennant at the starboard mizzen topsail yard, and a white pennant at the main top- masthead. A man has been sent up to each of these positions and holds the piece of bunting in place. No halyards are being used. Thus three particular ships are being addressed, and are intended to be those which are to chase to leeward.
In 1787 the positional method of making signals was on the wane, and the numerical system which was independent of positions in the rigging or spars was beginning to come into use. The picture may therefore represent one of the very last occasions on which the old type of signal was being employed in the Royal Navy.
The last picture refers to something far more modern. It shows the ships taking part in the naval review at Spithead for the Coronation of King George V in 1911. The fleets are in the process of taking up their anchoring positions. In the center is the flagship HMS Neptune making signals to the four ships comprising her division of the Home Fleet. Other units have yet to come in and moor ship ahead of the two columns of men- of-war. The Neptune's signals are: Flag-2 pennant-1 RH, meaning “First Division, Let the fires die out”; and Flag-2 pennant-1 E meaning “First Division, message by semaphore.” There was a question as to whether this painting referred to an incident before or after the review; it is clear from the order to let the fires die out, that the ships have just arrived, a few days prior to the day of the review itself, which took place on June 24, 1911. There were eighteen foreign men- of-war present. The USS Delaware (Captain C. A. Gove) represented the United States, but is out of the picture, away to the left. The artist was Mr. A. Cull.
* Commander Mead was editor of The Mariner's Mirror (Quarterly journal of the Society for Nautical Research), 1947-1953 inclusive.