#signal flags

The next morning, at daylight, the blue Peter was hoisted at the foremast, and the gun fired as a signal for sailing; all was bustle—hoisting in, clearing boats of stock, and clearing the ship of women and strangers.

— Frederick Marryat, Percival Keene

Is he? Let’s have a look at those flags. They do seem to say “Ignorance of the ice” i.e a request for an ice report. Just another example of the details hidden in this show.

The flags look like Marryat's, which was a flag system used primarily for commercial vessels. The flags represented numbers and the numbers could correspond to ship names, geographical locations, sentences or words. These were all listed in the Marryat’s signal book (bibliography under the cut).

Note: TE stands for Telegraph, seems to indicate the start of new number sequence

Problem: The British Royal Navy used the Popham’s system which was invented in the late 1700′s and most famously used by Nelson at Trafalgar (”England Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty”). I would expect Terror and Erebus to use that system not Marryat’s. However, I could not find the revised Popham’s from the 1820′s for comparison. It definitely does not appear to be the 1806 version. Anyone with expertise here, please chime in!

Here you go!

Unfortunately, I feel this flag could be confused in bad weather with “I require a tug,” thus leading to a very bad time for some poor signal midshipman.

The barque HOLDANA of Copenhagen of København,(J. Asmussen). Laid down 1885 in Glasgow. 1318 brt. ex. PASS of LEVY.

Flying the signal flags RNV+ ? + a number (perhaps 6?). POV from the main deck looking astern to the mizzen ... on a fresh day. 1923

January 1, 2020

                                            Happy New Year!

                                          Happy New Decade!

                                         *          *          *          *

I know, I know....there’s an almost-viral debate going on about when the next “decade” actually BEGINS. Is it now....or is it January 1, 2021?

(Some blather on radio, social media, and elsewhere about Jesus....and “year zero”....and “Can’t you count?!”....Blah, blah, blah....)

(My Dad always used to profess his “KISS” principle: “Keep It Simple and Stupid!” It’ll be fine. Life.)

My take -- apply the “KISS” principle: If I’m dating credit card slips, checks, documents and greeting cards with “2020,” it’s the “2020s”....the NEW DECADE is underway....to me! IMHO!

Bob paused. There were bits of wood wedged into her hair, a gash across her shoulder, and a chip in her tusk, and she was grinning.