Flags at Sea

This is a revised edition of a popular history, first published in 1986, of the flags flown at sea during the Age of Sail. Beautifully illustrated with more than one hundred thirty photographs--seventy-four in color--it features the flags flown by the principal naval powers--Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States. The clear narrative unravels myths and misunderstandings about where, when, and why certain flags--like the piratical "Jolly Roger"--were flown. It also tackles such complicated issues as signaling in peace and war. Contemporary flag charts and specially commissioned drawings provide the degree of detail necessary for modelmakers, artists, and historians. The remarkable amount of information presented on the all-important functions of identification and signaling at sea makes an important contribution to the literature.