Nelson & His World

I wonder if anyone can tell me more about the conventions and practice of vessels saluting men-of-war at sea?

On one occasion the Andromache pursued an Algerine corsair for several hours believing it to be an enemy frigate. Captain Mansfield recorded that when he then started to fire his bow chace guns, the corsair "hoisted a Blue Ensign at the main top gallant masthead and fired 3 guns to leeward but shew'd no colours".

I am wondering whether a Blue Ensign necessarily refers to an Engish blue ensign, and also whether this was intended as a salute? Mansfield then refers to the blue ensign as a signal, saying that at sunset the Algerine "hauled down the signal".

I have come across one other account of Algerines saluting Captain Graham Hamond's frigate the Champion: "On arriving within gun-shot they again hauled their wind, each [Algerine] Admiral hoisting an English jack, and firing three guns, the greatest number they ever gave as a salute. The Champion in return hoisted an Algerine jack, and saluted them with three guns".

What was the convention in terms of hoisting the colours or ensign of the other ship's country? Was firing guns to leeward the usual way of firing a salute?

This is from the Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea:

"salutes at sea ... took two forms, the firing of guns and the striking of topsails... (originally) gun salutes were fired on every possible occasion and were often unlimited in extent, largely due to a predilection of naval officers of all nations for loud and prolonged noise, and it was not until 1675 that regulations were introduced in Britain, and followed by other maritime nations, limiting the number of guns to be fired in salute. The immediate cause of the limitation was the need to stop the severe wastage of gunpowder, and Samuel Pepys, Secretary of the Admiralty, worked out a scale based on a minimum salute of three guns for the most junior rank ... working up at two more guns for each rank until he reached nineteen guns for Admiral of the Fleet. Two more guns were added for a salute to the monarch. Odd numbers were chosed for salutes because even numbers were fired at naval funerals ..... gun salutes were always fired with the saluting ships bows towards the ship being saluted to avoid any possibility that a salute could be construed as a hostile act...."

Thanks for the information, PhiloN.

I have also seen mentioned the dipping of flags as well as topsails, but perhaps that came later.

In this instance the Algerine frigate was still sailing away, with its stern towards the Andromache, but firing guns to leeward would clearly have been harmless, and thus perhaps have been intended to signal that her intentions were not hostile.

I wonder if hoising a British ensign was intended as a courtesy (rather than as a signal, or as a deceit) even if not a recognised convention.