What are visual distress signals and where are they used?
The United States is blessed with an abundance of coastal waters, the great lakes, territorial seas and recreational boats ply these routes. When boats crisscross these water lanes, accidents are bound to happen and it is on this premise that a federal requirement and safety tips for recreational boats have in issued.
First on its list is the visual distress signal that include pyrotechnic based and second the non-pyrotechnic based visual distress signals. What comes in handy is the orange distress flag, the least used of the signals but is still required because when other system fails this could still be relied on. But this is only used during the day and it must at least be 3 x 3 feet with a black square and ball on an orange background. It should meet Coast Guard requirement in 46 CFR 160.072.
The distress
flag must be visually distinctive when attached and waved on a paddle, boathook, or simply flown from a mast. And also it could be effective as an attention getter in an emergency if it is attached to balloons, kites, and floating streamers.
At night, the orange distress flag will have to give way to a much more effective way of sending distress signals, like the flares (pyrotechnic based) - could be red flares, hand held or aerial; orange smoke, hand held or floating; and through launchers, most commonly the aerial red meteors or the parachute flares.
In the absence of flares, electric light signals will have to be used by flashing the internationally accepted SOS distress signal.
by:
The Flagman
