The idea of flashing dots and dashes from a lantern was first put in to practice by Captain, later Vice Admiral, [[Philip Howard Colomb|Philip Colomb]] in 1867. His original code, which the Navy used for seven years, was not identical with Morse, but [[Morse code]] was eventually adopted with the addition of several special signals. Flashing lights were the second generation of signaling in the Royal Navy, after the [[flag signals]] most famously used to spread Nelson's rallying-cry before the [[Battle of Trafalgar]].

 

 

== Air traffic control usage ==