Last modified: 2016-06-29 by ian macdonald
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image provided by Rafael Moura-Neves, 4 December 2009
On 11 June 1865 the Imperial Brazilian Navy fought and won the Battle of the Riachuelo against the Paraguayan Navy. Most famously Admiral Barroso made two signals which became part of naval traditions. They were "Brazil expects each one to do his duty" and "Sustain the fire for Victory is ours". The signals are hoisted like this http://www.mar.mil.br/11jun09/sinais_barroso.html, and the flags are defined here: http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/Decreto/2002/D4447.htm.
The "Brazil 
expects..." signal is defined as three flags, the uppermost all red, the 
middle twice as long with the hoist-half red and the fly-half white, the 
lower flag white with an inscribed blue rectangle. The "Sustain the 
fire..." signal is defined as two flags, the uppermost red divided in four 
rectangles by a white (St George's) cross and the lower checkered in 15 red 
and white squares, the superior hoist one being red.
What set of flags was this, since I could not find it anywhere 
round the net? It is surely difficult to try to find images and I was unable 
to solve this. Please notice the signals described as 779 (the middle flag 
being the First Substitute) and 10 in a numeric code in the first link.
Rafael Moura-Neves, 4 December 2009
I am reasonably familiar with the flags of The Commercial Code of 1857 (and 
with those of their predecessor the Marryat Code of 1817), and whilst the 
Commercial Code had one flag in common with the signal hoists shown (a white 
flag pierced blue), these are patently from the Brazilian naval code of 1865 
which is a completely closed book to me?
Christopher Southworth, 4 
December 2009
I was able to find one representation of the checkered red and white flag 
during the Battle of the Chesapeake, 5 September 1781:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Chesapeake. 
Here are larger 
versions:
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Image:BattleOfVirginiaCapes.jpg 
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BattleOfVirginiaCapes.jpg.
These 
are the represented ships:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Auguste_(1778) 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_ship_Ville_de_Paris_(1764)
Although the code used may have 
been peculiar to the Imperial Brazilian Navy (and quite eloquent as duly 
noted), would the set of flags also be so? 
Rafael Moura-Neves, 6 
December 2009