S.I. No. 298/1936 - Merchant Shipping (Distress and Urgency Signals and Danger Warnings) Rules, 1936.

STATUTORY RULES AND ORDERS. 1936. No. 298.

MERCHANT SHIPPING (DISTRESS AND URGENCY SIGNALS AND DANGER WARNINGS) RULES, 1936.

MERCHANT SHIPPING.

THE MERCHANT SHIPPING (DISTRESS AND URGENCY SIGNALS AND DANGER WARNINGS) RULES, 1936, MADE BY THE MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE UNDER THE MERCHANT SHIPPING (SAFETY AND LOAD LINE CONVENTIONS) ACT, 1933 .

The Minister for Industry and Commerce in pursuance of the powers conferred upon him by Sections 24 (2) and 25 (2) of the Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Conventions) Act, 1933 , and of all other powers in this behalf him enabling hereby makes the following Rules:—

1.—(1) These Rules may be cited as the Merchant Shipping (Distress and Urgency Signals and Danger Warnings) Rules, 1936.

(2) In these Rules "the Act" means the Merchant Shipping (Safety and Load Line Conventions) Act, 1933 . "Danger to Navigation" means dangerous ice or a dangerous derelict or a tropical storm or any other direct danger to navigation.

(3) The Interpretation Act, 1923 , applies to the interpretation of these Rules in like manner as it applies to the interpretation of an Act of the Oireachtas.

WARNINGS OF DANGER TO NAVIGATION.

2.—(1) Every warning of a danger to navigation (hereinafter referred to as a "danger warning") required by Section 24 of the Act to be sent shall contain information as follows:—

(a) In the case of ICE, DERELICTS and OTHER DIRECT DANGERS TO NAVIGATION—

(1) the kind of ice, derelict or danger observed;

(2) the position of the ice, derelict or danger when last observed;

(3) the time (G.M.T.) and date when the observation was made.

(b) In the case of TROPICAL STORMS*—(Hurricanes in the West Indies, Typhoons in the China Seas, Cyclones in Indian waters, and storms of a similar nature in other regions)—

(1) A statement that a Tropical Storm has been encountered or is believed to exist in the neighbourhood;

(2) Meteorological information containing the following particulars as far as practicable:—

(a) barometric pressure adding the word "millibars," "inches" or "millimetres," as the case may be, and stating whether the reading is corrected or uncorrected;

(b) change in barometric pressure (the change during the previous two to four hours); when changes of the barometer are reported the course and speed of the ship shall also be given;

(c) wind direction (true not magnetic);

(d) wind force (Beaufort or decimal scale);

(e) state of the sea (smooth, moderate, rough, high);

(f) swell (slight, medium, heavy) and the direction (true not magnetic) from which it comes.

(3) The position of the ship, the time (G.M.T.) and the date when the meteorological observations were actually made.

(2) Every danger warning shall be sent either in plain language or by means of the International Code of Signals.

(3) The authorities on shore to whom a danger warning is required by Section 24 of the Act to be sent shall be those at the nearest point of coast to which communication can be made and such report shall be sent with a request that it be transmitted to the nearest Wireless Telegraph Station.

(4) Every danger warning sent by wireless telegraphy shall be preceded by the Safety Signal† prescribed by the International Radiotelegraph Convention in force, followed by a word indicating the nature of the danger (ice, derelict, storm, etc.).

NOTE *. Subsequent Observations.—When a master has reported a tropical storm it is desirable, but not obligatory, that other observations be made and transmitted at intervals of three hours, so long as the ship remains under the influence of the storm.

NOTE †. SAFETY SIGNAL (WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY):—

The group TTT in the Morse Code sent by radiotelegraphy with the letters well separated, followed by the group DE and by the call sign of the station emitting it.

DISTRESS SIGNALS.*

3.—(1) A distress signal prescribed by the Merchant Shipping (Distress and Urgency Signals) Order, 1936, shall only be used for the purpose of indicating that a ship is in distress, i.e., in serious and imminent danger and requiring immediate assistance.

(2) A distress signal shall only be sent by, and only on the authority of the Master of—

(a) a ship in distress as aforesaid, or

(b) a ship which observes that another ship is in distress, provided the distressed ship is not itself in a position to send the signal and the Master of the observing ship deems further assistance necessary.

(3) If a ship has sent out a distress signal by wireless and the Master subsequently finds that assistance is no longer required he shall immediately notify all stations.

NOTE *. DISTRESS SIGNALS:—

(a) In the daytime:—

The International Code signal of distress, that is, the signal NC.

The distance signal, consisting of a square flag, having either above or below it a ball or anything resembling a ball.

(b) At night:—

Flames on the vessel (as from a burning tar barrel, oil barrel, etc.)

Rockets or shells, throwing stars of any colour or description, fired one at a time, at short intervals.

(c) Day or Night:—

A gun or other explosive sig al fired at intervals of about a minute.

A continuous sounding with any fog-signal apparatus.

The Morse group S.O.S. (· · · — — — · · ·) made by radio-telegraphy or by any other distance signalling method.

The spoken word "Mayday" sent by radiotelephony.

The alarm signal, that is a signal made by radio-telegraphy consisting of a series of twelve dashes, sent in one minute, the duration of each dash being four seconds and the duration of the space between each consecutive dash being one second.

URGENCY SIGNAL.*

4. The Urgency Signal prescribed by the Merchant Shipping (Distress and Urgency Signals) Order, 1936, shall be used when—

(1) a ship requires assistance but is not in distress;

(2) the Master of a ship desires to issue a warning that it may be necessary to send out a distress signal at a later stage.

GENERAL.

5. The speed of transmission of messages of distress, or urgency, and of danger warnings shall not exceed 16 words per minute.

6. The regulations and procedure laid down in the International Radiotelegraph Convention in force shall so far as applicable be observed in the case of signals and messages to which these Rules apply.

Given under the Official Seal of the Minister for Industry and Commerce this 16th day of October, 1936.

JOHN LEYDON,

Secretary,

Department of Industry and Commerce.

NOTE. *. URGENCY SIGNAL (WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY):—

Several repetitions of the group XXX in the Morse Code sent by radiotelegraphy with the letters of each group and the successive groups clearly separated from each other.