During a discussion in another thread, the C.S. Forester book Hornblower and the Atropos was mentioned. As I started thinking about that book, I remembered a scene towards the end where two British ships (a Frigate and a sloop, if that matters to you) engage a Spanish frigate, the Castille. The book mentions that the Spanish frigate has a large cross raised on it’s foremast when it is featured in various scenes in the book. Did the Spanish really do this? The raising of large crosses on their foremasts, that is.
The models of Spanish Ships I built as a kid frequently had them, and so does every single depiction of the Santa Maria I’ve ever seen. Certainly the belief is widespread, but I’ve never researched it or seen original documentation.
Forester, however, did. He resarched his novels well. If he used it in his book, I’d have a strong suspicion that it really was used.
The “cross” may not have looked as you imagine. It surprised me.
http://www.nationalflaggen.de/flags-of-the-world/flags/es1506.html#bur
Interesting… I guess I’ll just have to re-read the Hornblower book in question to see if he said anything to suggest it was a flag rather than a big ol’ hunk o’ wood! (Oh darn 
)