S.I. No. 395/1953:

SIGNALS OF DISTRESS (SHIPS AND SEAPLANES ON THE WATER) RULES, 1953.

SIGNALS OF DISTRESS (SHIPS AND SEAPLANES ON THE WATER) RULES, 1953.

I, SEAN F. LEMASS, Minister for Industry and Commerce, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 36 of the Merchant Shipping (Safety Convention) Act, 1952 (No. 29 of 1952), and by section 58 of the Air Navigation and Transport Act, 1936 (No. 40 of 1936), and of every and any other power me in this behalf enabling, hereby make the following rules :--

1.--(1) These rules may be cited as the Signals of Distress (Ships and Seaplanes on the Water) Rules, 1953.

(2) These rules shall come into operation on the 1st day of January, 1954.

2. The following signals are hereby prescribed as the signals of distress to be used or displayed, either together or separately, by ships or seaplanes on the water, namely :

(a) a gun or other explosive signal fired at intervals of about a minute ;

(b) a continuous sounding with any fog-signal apparatus,

(c) rockets or shells, throwing red stars fired one at a time at short intervals ;

(d) a signal made by radio-telegraphy or by any other signalling method consisting of the group . . . - - - . . . in the Morse Code ;

(e) a signal sent by radio-telephony consisting of the spoken word " Mayday " ;

(f) the International Code Signal of distress indicated by N.C. ;

(g) a signal consisting of a square flag having above or below it a ball or anything resembling a ball ;

(h) flames on the vessel (as from a burning tar barrel, oil barrel, etc.) ;

(i) a rocket parachute flare showing a red light.

3. A signal of distress prescribed under these rules shall be used only for the purpose of indicating that a ship or seaplane is in serious and imminent danger and requiring immediate assistance from other ships or seaplanes or from the shore, and shall only be sent by or on the authority of the master or pilot or other person for the time being in charge of--

(a) a ship or seaplane in danger as aforesaid.

(b) a ship or seaplane which observes that another ship or seaplane is not itself in a position to send the signal and the master or pilot or other person for the time being in charge of the observing ship or seaplane deems further assistance necessary.

4. When a ship or seaplane has sent out a signal of distress by radio and the master or pilot or other person for the time being in charge subsequently finds that assistance is no longer required, he shall immediately notify all stations.

5. The regulations and procedure laid down by the International Radio-telegraph Convention, and for the time being in force shall, so far as applicable, be observed in the case of the signals of distress prescribed by these rules.

6. The following are hereby revoked :

(a) the Merchant Shipping (Distress and Urgency Signals) Order, 1936 ( S. R. & O. No. 277 of 1936 ), and

(b) the Merchant Shipping (Distress and Urgency Signals and Danger Warnings) Rules, 1936 ( S. R. & O. No. 298 of 1936 ), in so far as they relate to distress and urgency signals.

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 21st day of December, 1953.

SEAN F. LEMASS,

Minister for Industry and Commerce.