DISTRESS AT SEA

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 July 1936, Page 5

DISTRESS AT SEA

METHODS OF AbARM.. A notice to mariners issued jn the Gazette last week, sets out' for the information of masters of ships and wirpless operators the procedure to be followed by a ship in distress when establishing communication. The automatic alarm signal is composed of a series of 12 dashes transmitted in one minute. The duration of each dash is four seconds, and the duration of the interval between, each "dash ? bife' steCCffid. ' This’special signal is for the purpose of attracting the attention of ships equipped' with an autoalarm, and must be used by ships solely to announce that a distress call -oy- message is about-to follow. . The distress call, consists of the distress signal sent three times followed by tire .word DE once, and the call sign of the ship in distress sent three.times. / This call has absolute priority over all transmissions.. All stations which heai’’ it must immediately cease all transmissions capable of interfering with the distress call or messages, and must listen on the wave used for the distress call. The call must not be addressed to a particular station, and must be sent only on the authority of the master. When circumstances permit, the transmission of the call is separated from the end of the alarm signal by an interval of two mniutes’ silence. The distress message consists of the distress call followed by'the name of the ship in distress and information concerning its position, the nature of the distress, and the kind of assistance required, and any other in- , formation which might facilitate the rescue. A ship in distress should send the automatic alarm signal first, then the distress call, followed, as soon as possible, by the distress message. These signals are sent only on the authority of the master. The signal should be repeated at intervals until an answer has been obtained, especially during the-sil-ence periods.. The intervals should be long enough to allow ships time to start their transmitting apparatus after hearing the cal]. If no reply is received bn'the frequency, of 500 Ji.c. (600 m. the distress call and message may be repeated on any other available frequency on which attention might be attracted. A ship station which observes that another ship, is in distress may transmit the distress message if the ship in distress is not itself- able to transmit it and the master so acting has reason to believe that further assistance is necessary.

' URGENCY SIGNAL.. "The urgency signal consists of .three repetitions of tlje group XXX. It is sent, before a call., and indicates that tTie~sTn.P or station using it has a very' urgent message" to transmit concerning the safety’‘bra ship, or of some person on Tiocird oi* within sight. If used by a ship it does not necessarily imply that the ship is in imminent danger or requires immediate assistance. • ■ ' • ■ The signal, has priority over-all other communications, except ..those .qf distress, and all ships or .coastal stations which- hear it .must, avoid interference with the u'rgeiil. . t message.. Ship stations which liear The/wgeiicy signal must'‘listen’for a "period “"qf three minutes. If’ at 'the ’expiration of this'period, no' urgent message has been heard, they may resume tlieir normal service. The urgency-signal should be used in all cases in which the sending of the distress call is not fully justified or when the circumstances are such that it may be necessary to send a distress call at a later stage,