jbshan

I just learned that at the same time as the Cross of St. Patrick appeared on the Union Flag, 1/01/01, the fleur de lis vanished from the Royal Standard, so another way to date a painting or other source. Joel Sanborn

The best documented source I have is an illustration in 'Naval Warfare in the Age of Sail', Brian Tunstall, p. 44. It is four pages from 'Instructions for the better Ordering his Majesties Fleet, no date (c1688) MOD' One of the pages shows 'Signalls by which the Generall calls the Capitall Officers &c. on board his Ship.' The third signal is 'If ye Standard be put in ye same place [that is in the mizzen shrouds] then ye Flags Officers only are to repair on Board.' It's pretty small and cursive and the spelling is strange to my eye, but that's the gist of it. The title page is stamped 'Admiralty Office Library'. Another (p 41) is a page from 'AN INDEX OF THE SIGNALS CONTAINED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS for SAYLING.' This is variously dated, part printed under James II, part under William and Mary, so 1688-1689. Just as an example, 'SIGNALS with One Gun. From the Admiral. #3 One Gun, and a Union Flag, or Ensign, or Standard, or a Red Flag, or a White Flag, or a Blew Flag, put in the Miffen-Shrouds........ Page 5 Letter 8' NMM, SIG/A/5 and 6 Apparently you would read the signal, go to the correct page, and would learn what one gun and a standard in the Mizzen shrouds meant you to do. Remember, times change. Joel Sanborn

That apparently was characteristic of USN brigs and may well have led to a greater-than-normal casualty rate. Niagara is reported to have 'walked away from' the 'Tall Ship' fleet when she accompanied them on the first leg of their return to Europe one year. Calm seas and light winds. She's a thoroughbred.

Originally, the Standard was flown as the command flag of the Lord High Admiral and could also be used as a signal flag. Queen Anne reserved its use to herself. Edward VII restricted its use everywhere to himself, as it is now. If flown at a launching it could represent either the Sovereign or the Lord High Admiral, ante 1702. The ship would become the property of the Admiralty upon launch, so the Admiralty or Lord High Admiral could be represented by the Standard as well as the Admiralty flag. Launches are ceremonial occasions and ships might be decorated with everything in the flag locker. 500 paintings and Van de Veldt drawings can't all be wrong. Yes, 1/1/01 (1801 that is) marks the change to the current Union Flag including Ireland and the St. Patrick cross. We must always be careful of the date as many things have changed over the last 500-1000 years, practices, vocabulary and regulations included. Prior to the 1860s when the White Ensign was reserved to the Navy, the default ensign would have been red, white being only a squadronal color. Small ships, well, less masts so who knows until we find a picture.

In 'Restoration Warship' Richard Ensor, author and illustrator, shows Lenox at launch with, in order, Jack, Lord High Admiral, Royal Standard, Union Flag and Red Ensign at ensign staff. He says it is based on a period source. Additionally, there is a detail shown from 'A Geometric Plan of Deptford Dockyard', Thomas Milton, 1753 with the flags in the same order. This may be a standard arrangement. A vessel with fewer masts might leave off the Union Flag, then perhaps the Lord High Admiral's flag for a single masted vessel. In the case of Lenox, Charles II was present, but I have read that it was presumed in all cases that the Sovereign was present at the launch of one of his ships so his Standard was flown. The precedence of the flags would not be altered, in my opinion. In preperation for the launch of Lenox, arrangement was made for poles to be stepped in the mast locations, presumably from yard stocks, to which they could be returned when the ceremonies were concluded. As to size, the largest ensign a ship carried would be equal to the ship's beam in the fly, so Lenox's would be in the neighborhood of 40 feet in the fly. The Jack was equal to the union of the Ensign, so perhaps 20 feet in the fly. Royal Standards, Lord High Admiral, etc. would be the same as Ensigns. Flags were sized by 'breadths', the width of the fabric as it came from the loom, which I must do further research on. There were only standard sizes stocked, so the correspondence between ship's beam and flag size would be approximate. Ships were issued flags and signals from the dockyard, so, again, as with the poles, they would have come from stock to which they could be returned, and the largest sizes could be used whatever the ship will eventually be issued. Lenox at launch, Ensor's painting: Joel Sanborn

I used small pins bent to a 90 deg. angle to hold the wet planks until dry, then finalized the fit before gluing on my Niagara. I believe the plans or book suggested this technique. Don't forget to bevel the edges of the plank; that should help with the gaps.

Darcy Lever describes a lot of these processes, though he is too late for euphroe blocks, I believe. Joel Sanborn