WHAT SHIP WHERE BOUND? A History of Visual Communication at Sea

What Ship, Where Bound? takes its title from the familiar opening exchange between passing vessels and offers a comprehensive history of visual communication at sea. It traces signalling from the earliest Byzantine banners and streamers of AD 900 to modern Morse-based systems, illustrating the evolution of naval messaging over more than a millennium.
Organised into three sections—Flag Signalling, Semaphore, and Light Signalling—the book examines how each method developed to meet the need for secure, unambiguous communication between commanders and their fleets. While intimately tied to naval tactics and manoeuvres, the history of signalling also reflects the rapid expansion of global maritime trade in the nineteenth century, when numerous competing codes proliferated among shipowners.
By situating each system in its historical context, the author explores their practical applications, successes, and limitations, as well as their enduring place in visual and maritime culture. From false fire, shapes, and furled sails to high-speed signal lamp messaging, the book also analyses their interplay under combat conditions, culminating in a detailed study of flag signalling at the Battle of Jutland. Extensively illustrated, it will appeal to mariners, naval historians, artists, ship modellers, and anyone interested in visual communication.