Distress signals — all cards
Play this deck →Annex IV, item by item and verbatim — the current text including DSC and EPIRB alerts.
16 cards
You observe: A gun fired at intervals of about a minute. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(a), verbatim:
(a) a gun or other explosive signals fired at intervals of about a minute;
You observe: A fog horn sounding CONTINUOUSLY — not at intervals. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(b), verbatim:
(b) a continuous sounding with any fog-signalling apparatus;
You observe: Red star rockets, fired one at a time at short intervals. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(c), verbatim:
(c) rockets or shells, throwing red stars fired one at a time at short intervals;
You observe: The group ··· ––– ··· by any signalling method. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(d), verbatim:
(d) a signal made by any signalling method consisting of the group ··· ––– ··· (SOS)
You observe: The spoken word "MAYDAY" on radiotelephony. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(e), verbatim:
(e) a signal sent by radiotelephony consisting of the spoken word "MAYDAY";
You observe: The flag hoist N over C. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(f), verbatim:
(f) the International Code Signal of distress indicated by N.C.;
You observe: A square flag with a ball above or below it. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(g), verbatim:
(g) a signal consisting of a square flag having above or below it a ball or anything resembling a ball;
You observe: Flames on the vessel (as from a burning tar or oil barrel). What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(h), verbatim:
(h) flames on the vessel (as from a burning tar barrel, oil barrel, etc.);
You observe: A rocket parachute flare or hand flare — RED light. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(i), verbatim:
(i) a rocket parachute flare or a hand-flare showing a red light;
You observe: Orange-coloured smoke. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(j), verbatim:
(j) a smoke signal giving off orange-coloured smoke;
You observe: A person slowly and repeatedly raising and lowering outstretched arms. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(k), verbatim:
(k) slowly and repeatedly raising and lowering arms outstretched to each side;
You observe: A DSC distress alert on VHF channel 70 or the MF/HF distress frequencies. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(l), verbatim:
(l) a distress alert by means of digital selective calling (DSC) transmitted on: (i) VHF channel 70, or (ii) MF/HF on the frequencies 2187.5 kHz, 8414.5 kHz, 4207.5 kHz, 6312 kHz, 12577 kHz or 16804.5 kHz;
You observe: A ship-to-shore distress alert via the ship earth station (satellite). What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(m), verbatim:
(m) a ship-to-shore distress alert transmitted by the ship's Inmarsat or other mobile satellite service provider ship earth station;
You observe: An EPIRB transmission. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(n), verbatim:
(n) signals transmitted by emergency position-indicating radio beacons;
You observe: Approved radiocommunication signals, including a SART. What does it indicate?
Distress and need of assistance — Annex IV 1(o), verbatim:
(o) approved signals transmitted by radiocommunications systems, including survival craft radar transponders.
An orange canvas with a black square and circle; a dye marker. Distress signals?
Not paragraph-1 signals — Annex IV paragraph 3 draws attention to them (with the International Code of Signals and IAMSAR Vol III) as aids to identification, the canvas being for identification from the air.
Examiner note: paragraph 2 — using any of the paragraph-1 signals except to indicate distress is prohibited.
Card backs quote the Rules — public sector information reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (source: MSN 1781 — see the Rules reference).
Independent preparatory study aligned to the MCA OOW (Yachts <3000 GT) oral examination syllabus. Not an MCA-approved course and confers no credit toward a Certificate of Competency.