What Ship, Where Bound?: A History of Visual Communication at Sea

What Ship, Where Bound? takes its title from the familiar opening exchange of signals between passing ships and celebrates the long history of visual communications at sea. It traces the visual language of signaling from the earliest naval banners or streamers used by the Byzantines in AD 900 through to Morse signaling still used at sea today.

The three sections, Flag Signaling, Semaphore, and Light Signaling each trace the development of the respective methods in meeting the needs of commanders for secure and unambiguous communication with their fleets. Though inextricably linked to naval tactics and fleet maneuvers, the history of signaling at sea also reflects the exponential growth in global maritime trade in the nineteenth century when dozens of competing systems vied for the attention of ship owners and led to a huge proliferation of codes.

DAVID CRADDOCK began his working life at sea as a cadet with P&O during which time he had plenty of practice with the signal exchange that would become the title of this, his first book. A subsequent career as a graphic designer in the museums and heritage sector and an abiding interest in our maritime history has led him to explore the theme of visual communication at sea drawing on the twin strands of his own experience. He is a member of the Society for Nautical Research and has recently become a trustee of the Britannia Museum at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.