Well... One flag per number and the end flag. It's still much less. And they made new signalling books, changing the numbers, but mostly to improve on what important messages would have a short.
I can't remember what year they switched but I have at least one of those in electronic form somewhere.
I will look it up in my signals book.
Admiral Home Popham introduced his signals book Called the Telegraph Signals or Marine Vocabulary gradually between the years 1800 to 1812. The first edition published in 1803 which was the one Nelson used. Numbers 1 to 26 were the letters of the alphabet followed by numbers up to 998 representing phrases and sentences. This was expanded to 2998 in the third edition.
Rob.
Last edited by Bligh; 02-10-2017 at 03:17.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
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