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Port Jackson Code of Signals (Australia)

Last modified: 2016-03-05 by ian macdonald
Keywords: port jackson code of signals | garden island weather signals |
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Introduction
The signal flags

See also:

Introduction

In 1832 John Nicholson, then harbourmaster of Port Jackson (now better known as Sydney Harbour), published the 'Code of Signals for the Colony of New South Wales". The Nicholson Flag Chart consists of Marryat's Signals, with 16 flags each for the Royal Navy and the Merchant Service, plus the Colonial Signals, with 18 Descriptive Flags, 12 'Colonial Numerals for Pilots Reports &c.', and 12 'Proposed Miscellaneous Flags for N.S.Wales and the South Seas' (mostly ensigns). Also included on the chart are five examples on how the signals would be displayed to convey messages: the Descriptive Flags would be flown either on their own, or with the Numeral Flags underneath which indicated the origins of individual ships according to a pre-determined code list.

The Colonial Signals were in use until circa 1940. By then the Descriptive Flags had four more flags added; the Colonial Numerals became the Garden Island Weather Signals to indicate wind speeds, with the Numeral Flags indicating a corresponding Beaufort Scale.

The old Colonial Signals have been partially revived since 2008, when a flagstaff was re-erected on Observatory Hill in Sydney, on which signals flags had been flown from circa 1810 until the late 1930s. Among the other flags flown on the flagstaff nowadays are some of the Descriptive Flags, as well as the Colonial Numerals flown to indicate the day's maximum temperature in Celsius.
(See also http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/whatson/flagstaff/)
Miles Li, 7 September 2015

The Signal Flags

The following nomenclature was dated circa 1940.

0 - Calm - less than 1 mph
1 - Light Air - 1-3 mph
2 - Light Breeze - 4-7 mph
3 - Gentle Breeze - 8-12 mph
4 - Moderate Breeze - 13-18 mph
5 - Fresh Breeze - 19-24 mph
6 - Strong Breeze - 25-31 mph
7 - Moderate Gale - 32-38 mph
8 - Fresh Gale - 39-46 mph
9 - Strong Gale - 47-54 mph
10 - Whole Gale - 55-63 mph
11 - Storm - 64-75 mph
12 - Hurricane - above 75 mph
Numeral pennant
Substitute
Temperature
Description Flags
Description flags from the Nicholson Flag Chart of 1832
Proposed Miscellaneous Flags

0 - Calm - less than 1 mph

image by Miles Li, 22 July 2015

I'm not sure a flag signal to indicate there was no wind would be very effective. But I understand the flags are just a numeric code, with the 0 being used for "10" as well.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 17 August 2015

1 - Light Air - 1-3 mph

image by Miles Li, 22 July 2015

2 - Light Breeze - 4-7 mph

image by Miles Li, 22 July 2015

3 - Gentle Breeze - 8-12 mph

image by Miles Li, 22 July 2015

4 - Moderate Breeze - 13-18 mph

image by Miles Li, 22 July 2015

5 - Fresh Breeze - 19-24 mph

image by Miles Li, 23 July 2015

6 - Strong Breeze - 25-31 mph

image by Miles Li, 23 July 2015

7 - Moderate Gale - 32-38 mph

image by Miles Li, 23 July 2015

8 - Fresh Gale - 39-46 mph

image by Miles Li, 23 July 2015

9 - Strong Gale - 47-54 mph

image by Miles Li, 23 July 2015

10 - Whole Gale - 55-63 mph

image by Miles Li, 24 July 2015

11 - Storm - 64-75 mph

image by Miles Li, 24 July 2015

12 - Hurricane - above 75 mph

image by Miles Li, 24 July 2015

Numeral pennant

image by Miles Li, 7 September 2015

Same as the Numeral Pennant on the original Marryat's Signals. The Nicholson Flag Chart showed this pennant as being narrower than the other Numeral Flags.
Miles Li, 7 September 2015

Substitute

image by Miles Li, 7 September 2015

As used in the Numeral 11 flag.
Miles Li, 7 September 2015

Temperature

image by Miles Li, 7 September 2015

This is a modern (since 2008) flag, with a darker shade of red than the original signal flags, to be flown above the Numeral Flags to indicate the day's maximum temperature in Celsius.
Miles Li, 7 September 2015

Description Flags

The Description Flags first appeared on the Nicholson Flag Chart of 1832.
Miles Li, 7 September 2015

British Ship of War

image by Miles Li, 7 September 2015

The British White Ensign. Redrawn here to match the proportions and colours of the other signal flags.
Miles Li, 7 September 2015

Foreign Ship of War

image by Miles Li, 7 September 2015

Stranger Ship

image by Miles Li, 7 September 2015

Government Colonial Ship

image by Miles Li, 7 September 2015

Private Colonial Ship

image by Miles Li, 7 September 2015

Foreign Ship

image by Miles Li, 7 September 2015

The following four flags did not appear on the Nicholson Flag Chart of 1832, but were added later.

Stranger Barge

image by Miles Li, 10 September 2015

Government Colonial Barge

image by Miles Li, 10 September 2015

Private Colonial Barge

image by Miles Li, 10 September 2015

Foreign Barge

image by Miles Li, 10 September 2015

Description flags from the Nicholson Flag Chart of 1832

Stranger Brig

image by Miles Li, 11 September 2015

Government Colonial Brig

image by Miles Li, 11 September 2015

Private Colonial Brig

image by Miles Li, 11 September 2015

Foreign Brig

image by Miles Li, 11 September 2015

Stranger Schooner

image by Miles Li, 12 September 2015

Government Colonial Schooner

image by Miles Li, 12 September 2015

Private Colonial Schooner

image by Miles Li, 12 September 2015

Foreign Schooner

image by Miles Li, 12 September 2015

Stranger Cutter or Sloop

image by Miles Li, 13 September 2015

Government Colonial Cutter or Sloop

image by Miles Li, 13 September 2015

Private Colonial Cutter or Sloop

image by Miles Li, 13 September 2015

(Foreign) Steamer

image by Miles Li, 13 September 2015

Proposed Miscellaneous Flags

The Nicholson Flag Chart of 1832 illustrated a dozen "Proposed Miscellaneous Flags" in four rows. Of particular interest is the third row, featuring the purported flags for three island groups in the Pacific, which are illustrated below.

First row:
    Blue Ensign
    Red Ensign
    Blue Peter
Second row:
    NSW Ensign
    NSW Merchant (similar to the NSW Ensign but with two additional horizontal blue stripes)
    Sydney
Third row:
    Polynesia
    New Zealand
    Sandwich Isles (i.e. Hawaii)
Last row:
    Custom House
    Pilots (White-over-red bicolour)
    Post Office Packet (similar to http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/206394.html but with a white field)

Polynesia

image by Miles Li, 14 September 2015

New Zealand

image by Miles Li, 14 September 2015

Sandwich Isles (i.e. Hawaii)

image by Miles Li, 14 September 2015