THIRTY SECONDS, BLUE FLAG AND GUN.^(*)Today is the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. I was hoping to complete a relevant book review in time, but it's the fall semester and the deadlines keep on getting in the way.

England Expects that Every Man Will Do His D-U-T-Y

Apparently British flag codes worked on a variant of what later evolved as the Enigma cipher with the combination of numbers changed every few weeks in order that the opponent could not steal the signals. (Unlike a third base coach, an admiral cannot by planting a chaw in his cheek or scratching himself designate that a particular hoist is the real hoist. There is also a little problem with running strings of flags up and down the yardarms of not terribly maneuverable ships that are sometimes pitching in the storm and sometimes being shot at.)

The evolution of the flags is interesting. Although Nelson's code uses flags that represent numbers, "D" is the contemporary "Uniform" flag; "U" is "Peter over X-Ray" (if I ever hoisted that during one of my stints on Race Committee, everybody would have more reason than usual to doubt my sanity), "T" is "X-Ray over Kilo," and "Y" is "Peter over Uniform." If you're racing on the inland lakes, you might see "Peter over Lima," although most race committees use a plain blue flag rather than Blue Peter as the "racing rules now apply" signal.

There is a lesson for schoolteachers on Nelson's hoist and on the contemporary nautical flags. It provides interpretations for some but not all of the common hoists. I like "Bravo," which in racing means "Protest!" and on the high seas means "I am preparing to discharge explosives," and "India," which in racing means "I acknowledge that I maneuvered into your right of way" and on the high seas means "I am maneuvering with difficulty."

INDIVIDUAL RECALL. Amy Ridenour's National Center has Trafalgar bicentennial links. (Piped aboard by Sean at The American Mind.)

^(*)I did serve the Lake Geneva Yacht Club as a Principal Race Officer, 1988-1998. We will revert to the usual railroad nomenclature with the issuance of the next timetable.