Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-10-24
SIGNALING AT SEA,
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION re.
TWEEN SHIPS OF ALL NATIONS

=
quits Plain Square Blue Flag.
Tho use of signals between ships at
sea must have originated with the for.
nation Of sQuadrons and fleets of boats
or vessels sailing in company. and
doubtless the first devices made use Of
wore exceedingly crude, developipg
gradually with the lapse of time and
evolution Of naval architecture The
origin Of marine signals is buried in oh.
sourity, although it is stated that the
"nclents made use of columns and puffs
Ct smoke to convey their ideas 1t is
well authenticated that the Greek and
Persian fleets exchanged messages by
means of their sails, certain meanings
being conveyed to the loosing or partly
furled state Of the material Grouns of
men at arms, with shields and pennants
affixed to lances, had certain signifi.
cance. Flag signals had an existence in
the thirto1ntl century, anl the fact is
II n;ioucd in the Laws Of Char3p. )"
which provide that vessel de riIr. to
tow or receive pilot shall hoist her en-.
sign.
The earliest authentic notice of reg
ular signal code used by the British
navy Is found Ill the fighting instruc
tlons for the English feet fitted out
under Queen Elizabeth in the expedi
ton against Cadiz. The plain, red en-.
sign of England appears to have been
ono of the earliest symbols made use of
Il maritime history for the double pur-
pose of denoting the presence of the
chief and directing the conduct of his
fleet, for we read that it was hoisted
to the right or left as the admiral wish
ell the vessels to engage in either direc-
tion.
Tho flags of the British navy were at
one time severally on "a red, white or
blue field and were displayed from the
top OF the royal pole of the main, fore
or mizzen mast according to the rank
of the admiral. This diversity of color
has long been done away with. The
white field with the red st. George
cross and the sinister upper corner oc-
cupied by the union, is now alone used
in the British navy, the blue being as
signed to the reserve and the red to the
mercantile navy.
An admiral displays his flag exclu-
sively at the main truck, vice admiral
at the fore, a rear admiral at the nlizzen
The first flag of Importance is the
royal standard of Great Britain and Ire
land, hoisted only when the king or
queen is on board. The second is the
anchor of hope, for the lord high ad-
miral or the lord commissioners of the
admiralty. This is emblazoned with an
anchor argent, gorged in the arm with
a coronet and cable through the ring
and fretted in true lovers knot with
the ends pendent. Thus it was carried
by the Earl of Southampton in the
reign Of King Henry VIII The last
time it was displayed ahoat was ON the
occasion Of Sir George Rookie command
ing the combined feet of England and
Holland in 1903
When council Of war is held at sea,
if it be on board the admiral's ship, a |
flag is hung in the main shrouds; if the |
vice admiral's, ON the fore shrouds, and |
if the rear admiral's ON the mizzen |
shrouds.
Until 1869 there We're no officers in |
the United States navy Of higher rank |
than captain, except in 1859, when !
Charles Stewart was commissioned /
"senior flag officer. On July 10, 1862,
David f. Farragut was made rear ad-
miral, and the act provided for 'the !
three senior rear admirals TO wear a
square blue flag at the mainmast head,
the next three at the foremost head and
all others at the mizzen. Ii was with
his plain, blue square flag at the main
mast head OF the Hartford that Farragut
passed the forts on the Mississippi and
captured New Orleans, FarTagut re-
ceiYed his commission Aug ", 1862,
and tho next morning on the hOisring of
the oolors his flag was run up for tho
first time at tho main, when it was sa-
luted by the whole squadron. This was
tho first salute over received by FarTa'
CUTS flag subsequently baHagut oar
riod bis flag at the mizzeni as vice ad
miral it flow % tho fore, aud on July
49, 1866 as full admiral, u hoAled
over tho main.
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States visits q mau-of war the Amrl
loan eudg is holslpd al thu main and
remains until lAu distinguished guaat
takes bis departure The president also I
has a standard clnslstingui ihe c1al ~
arms VI tAp United hlatw op pias
aeld, and 81 Was hIsl displayed al iAs
main hy President AHAw op lAg prusi /
dental yaohf D.spaloh Tho standard
Nas adopted lu 1852
Tho secretary " fhe navy hAs . as
upouYe dag NJ blpr Nilh % whlie iNul T.
anchor aud fuw NAile stare up lul} T.
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displsyed uu ihe emiY VI iAe dome "
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and pndef tAe ieei W ihp Statue " llp
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ifuduold luio ihe hnilsH pafJ ~ lt4a .
HoWp's eoao m iipg POM eolHl hlp /
uaed nd bIuf yalnH api NNlh
thplD ltinH hH $50 WIH ~ fHaN naf
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