Nelson & His World

This is an old report of the closure in 2001 of the factory that made the flags for Nelson's Trafalgar signal. I didn't know, though, that a signal using Popham's code was used the previous day to alert the fleet to the news that the Combined Fleet was out:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... loses.html

(Scroll down to the end.)

Anna,

Captain Home Popham's 'Telegraphic Signals or Marine Vocabulary' actually came out in 1803, so it was obviously in use before Trafalgar.

Kester:

Sorry - I didn't make myself clear - it was the fact that this signal was sent the day before that surprised me - I've never seen it referred to anywhere else - though this is a newspaper report and we've learned to be wary of them when they mention Nelson and his navy!

Anna, I’m not surprised you hadn’t heard of the specific signal quoted in the article in the Telegraph, as it is pure fiction – or rather, it is a dramatic embellishment of the many much more detailed and prosaic telegraph signals made by Blackwood in the Euralyus to Nelson and repeated by the line of frigates, and which you commented on in the Telegraph Signalling thread.

The wording of the signal in the Telegraph article seems to originate from a children’s book ‘Battles of the Nineteenth Century’, (1897) by Archibald Forbes, George Alfred Henty, Arthur Griffiths, et al. The chapter on Trafalgar is by C J Cutcliffe Hyne, and is full of invented dialogue. It even has Nelson running along the deck laughing while giving eager orders to the officers in command of the sail-trimmers. Apparently C J Cutcliffe Hyne is better known for ‘The Adventures of Captain Kettle’ and ‘The Lost Continent: The Story of Atlantis’.

Examples of telegraph signals between Blackwood and Nelson include:

’19 under sail – all the rest top yards hoisted except rear(?) admiral and one line of battle ship’

‘notwithstanding little wind many of enemy persevere to get outward – the rest except one line ready yards hoisted’.

’13 ships without port – rest yards hoisted – enemy cannot see enemy fleet – all the rest coming out with expedition – the Spanish commander in chief coming out’

‘The enemy appears determined to push to westward; 30 ships’

Anna,

Apologies for the confusion.

However, I have never heard of this either and agree it must be a fabrication!

The introduction of Popham’s Code was a landmark in ship-to-ship communication by means of flags. Did it contain any instructions about signalling at night?

This letter, written by Nelson from Victory on 15 October 1805 indicates that night signalling still presented difficulties at the time of Trafalgar:

Sir,

I am much obliged by the perusal of your book of Night Signals which in many respects are very ingenious, but I fear the Multiplicity of Guns & false & rockets [sic] repeated by three Admirals and then repetitions of false fires 7 Rockets as second parts of the Signals together with the ansrg: Signal Lights of the fleet would create much confusion. The difficulty of making Night Signals perfectly distinct is perhaps impossible and several of yours I think might be adopted with much advantage but it is not in the power of any admiral to alter the Signals issued from the Admiralty.

I am Sir with Great respect Your Very Faithful & Obt: Servant

Nelson & Bronte

Lieut: Roskruge
HM Ship Britannia

Quoted in Colin White's 'Nelson: The New Letters' (Boydell Press with National Maritime Museum 2005)

Lt Roskruge was killed in action at Trafalgar. Incidentally, is anything known about him? His name sounds Danish or Norwegian.