Gaius Octavius Posted October 27, 2007 Report Share Posted October 27, 2007 How did the fleet commanders and ship captains communicate with each other while sailing and in battle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryaxis Hecatee Posted October 27, 2007 Report Share Posted October 27, 2007 Two systems were used from what I've seen : shouted orders and flags. Yet in fact few communications took place during battle up to the hellenistic period and it is mainly the romans who put such a system in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldrail Posted October 28, 2007 Report Share Posted October 28, 2007 Shouted orders? thats astonishing! Over all the sounds of wind, water, creaking wood, sweating oarsmen, fighting, and frustrated captains, they actually shouted to each other? I can imagine a naval battle turning into chaos very quickly. I'm not disputing they did that, but I'm curious as to what information you've seen on the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryaxis Hecatee Posted October 28, 2007 Report Share Posted October 28, 2007 Well we don't have much date. I can remember informations about Salamine ( with also a signal given from land with a polished shield ), and for the flags I think Plinius speaks of them. About shouted orders to give a message to the ship right next to the one on which the shouting man is possible but my understanding from naval battles of the time is that once the fight is engaged according to pre-battle plans the situation goes its own way without much human control. Shouted orders might be two captains deciding which target they will each fight. Don't forget that among the shouted orders were also those carried by small boats going amidst the warships with a man who'd shout an order from ship to ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faustus Posted October 28, 2007 Report Share Posted October 28, 2007 (edited) Well we don't have much date. I can remember informations about Salamine ( with also a signal given from land with a polished shield ), and for the flags I think Plinius speaks of them. About shouted orders to give a message to the ship right next to the one on which the shouting man is possible but my understanding from naval battles of the time is that once the fight is engaged according to pre-battle plans the situation goes its own way without much human control. Shouted orders might be two captains deciding which target they will each fight. Don't forget that among the shouted orders were also those carried by small boats going amidst the warships with a man who'd shout an order from ship to ship. Salve - all good points B.H. and C. The small boats activity compares with a single horseman carrying orders from a commander to troops in different parts of the field of battle. The commander who gains some control during the chaos of battle has an edge. If we recognize and accept that brilliant men will solve practical problems in creative ways then we have to believe that a man who became a fleet commander or admiral would maintain at least some control over his naval forces as long as possible, or whenever it was crucial to do so if he possibly could. An agreed upon plan could call for raising a flag, or a sound that could be heard which could Edited October 28, 2007 by Faustus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faustus Posted October 28, 2007 Report Share Posted October 28, 2007 Well we don't have much date. I can remember informations about Salamine ( with also a signal given from land with a polished shield ), and for the flags I think Plinius speaks of them. About shouted orders to give a message to the ship right next to the one on which the shouting man is possible but my understanding from naval battles of the time is that once the fight is engaged according to pre-battle plans the situation goes its own way without much human control. Shouted orders might be two captains deciding which target they will each fight. Don't forget that among the shouted orders were also those carried by small boats going amidst the warships with a man who'd shout an order from ship to ship. Salve - In the nineteenth century semaphore flags were successfully used, along with a shuttered light. in the simplest terms these can be used to coordinate activities between ships, alongside each other, where a line has been passed to transfer something physically from ship to ship. This has limited applicability, but these relate to the situation in naval exercises. Having had a primary MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) in Naval Communications I was involved with Operating signals. These abbreviated signals carried a lot of information when used with recognized abbreviations during Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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