Signals (Sea Dogs)
Prior to the 17th century, the general means of communication within a fleet was through word of mouth. The Admiral summoned his Captain’s to communicate his plans by flying a banner of council. The Captain’s would then be rowed across to the flagship to receive instructions and orders.
There were international flag conventions understood by all nations: a yellow flag indicated sickness and quarantine, a red or "bloody" flag was a sign of battle and a white flag signalled a truce. When a ship surrendered, its flag was hauled down and the victor would hoist their own ensign having boarded the captured ship. It was legitimate to hoist false colours in time of war to confuse or entice the enemy within reach but the ship was not allowed to engage or commit any hostile act whilst under false colours.
Of almost equal antiquity with sail signals was the wheft. Spelt variously as waft, waif, whiff and weft, this word has been through a number of vicissitudes and has often changed its meaning. For the last three hundred years or so, however, it has generally been recognized as a distant signal and almost always as denoting distress or urgency. Sir Henry Mainwayring wrote in 1644, “Wafts are used for signes to have the boate come aboord (which is Coate, Gowne, or the like hung-up in the Shrowdes); also it is a common signe of some extremitie, when a ship doth hang a waft upon the main-stay.” About a hundred years later, the weft was mentioned in the Sailing and Fighting Instructions for His Majesty’s Fleet, when it could be made with the topgallant sail, as part of the distant signal upon discovering a strange sail, or with the jack or the ensign to signify distress in time of battle.
It is not clear how a sail could be made into a wheft, and opinions have differed as to the method of making a flag into one. Falconer’s Marine Dictionary of 1769 speaks of hoisting the ensign furled up into a long roll, and other authorities convey the same impression that a wheft would appear as a sort of long flexible roll of cloth.
Other writers in modern times seem to think it was made by tying a knot in a flag; but it is difficult to see how this would be feasible unless the flag were a long, narrow piece. The printed naval signal books of the 1790 period, however, generally contain the following kind of description: “Whefts. To speak with the Admiral. And is to be repeated by intermediate ships discovering it, until seen to be observed by the Admiral. After which it is to be continued only by the ship in which it was first exhibited. N.B. - The Whefts to be made by any flag, stopped only at the head, the fly loose.” In this way the wheft would appear to be an enormous tassel, and this must have been the true wheft. Its meaning here was, obviously, “urgent information”.
