GOVERNMENT BUREAUS

THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

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The United States Coast Guard is a military branch of the Government maintained for the purpose of enforcing the navigation and other maritime laws under the jurisdiction of the United States, rendering of assistance to vessels in distress, saving life and property, destroying derelicts and removing obstructions and menaces to navigation. These duties include the International Ice Patrol, the Bering Sea Patrol, flood relief work, patrol of regattas and marine parades, and rendering medical relief to deep-sea fishermen and to the natives of Alaska.

The Coast Guard makes no charge for its services to vessels in distress and will respond promptly to all proper requests for assistance so far as the distribution and condition of its facilities will permit. However, it is not the purpose of the Coast Guard to compete or interfere with commercial enterprise in ordinary towing and salvage operations, but to confine its assistance activities to cases of actual or potential distress.

Radio-equipped vessels requiring assistance may obtain the services of the Coast Guard by transmitting a request on the international distress and calling frequency, 500 kilocycles (410 kilocycles on the Great Lakes), to "Any Coast Guard Unit" (radio call NCU), or to any shore radio station addressed to "Coast Guard." Shore radio stations will forward to the Coast Guard all information regarding vessels requiring assistance unless such information is contained in a message specifically addressed elsewhere.

If the following information is included in the original request for assistance it will place the responsible Coast Guard officer in a position to determine immediately the types and number of vessels required to render adequate aid; thus greatly facilitating the work of the Coast Guard and avoiding any unnecessary delay in the dispatching of assistance.

1. Name, type, and nationality of vessel.

2. Position, course, and speed (including drift).

3. Nature of trouble and condition of vessel, sea, and wind.

4. Number of persons on board..

5. State whether or not Coast Guard assistance is required.

The procedure recommended to be followed by vessels intercepting a distress signal to avoid distress-signal interference is outlined under "Radio Service", page 17.

Coast Guard stations and houses of refuge are maintained at the places named in the table following. The active stations are fully manned throughout the year and are supplied with boats, wreck guns, beach apparatus, and all other appliances for affording assistance in case of shipwreck. Instructions to enable mariners to avail themselves fully of the assistance thus afforded will be found in the appendix, page 310.

The Coast Guard stations are provided with the International Code Signals and are prepared to send or receive signals in that code or by means of the Semaphore Code, the Occulting or Flashinglight Code, or the International Morse Wigwag Code. Telephone facilities are available at the stations for the summoning of Coast

Guard cutters, tugs, or other assistance, or for communicating with telegraph lines.

The houses of refuge on the coast of Florida are in charge of a keeper and are supplied with boats, provisions, and restoratives.

Coast Guard stations and houses of refuge

Number

Name of station

State

Locality

34 mile southeast of lighthouse.
5 miles south of Cape Henry Light.
9 miles south of Cape Henry Light.
On beach abreast of North Bay.
On beach abreast of Back Bay.

On beach abreast of Knotts Island.

534 miles north of Currituck Beach Light.
13 mile south of Currituck Beach Light.

911⁄2 miles south of Currituck Beach Light.

411⁄2 miles north of Kitty Hawk.

On the beach abreast of north end of Kitty Hawk Bay 4 miles south of Kitty Hawk.

8 miles north of Oregon Inlet.

34 mile northeast of Bodie Island Light.

114 miles south of Oregon Inlet.

177

Pea Island.

N. C.

3 miles north of New Inlet.

The telegraphic and radio addresses are "Coast Guard, Boston", "Coast Guard, New York ", etc.

Air stations.-Coast Guard stations with facilities for rendering assistance by airplane are maintained at Cape May, N. J., and at Miami, Fla.

The supervision of radio communication in the United States, including the Hawaiian Islands, is controlled by the Federal Communications Commission. Twice a month, the Commission issues a Radio Service Bulletin, giving those current corrections to the international Berne publications that affect radio services of the United States. These publications are listed below. Interested parties can secure copies of this bulletin by addressing the Commission at Washington, D. C. At the present time this is the only publication of the Commission.

The Rules and Regulations of the former Federal Radio Commission are remaining in effect until such time as superseding regulations are promulgated by the present Commission. Changes in these Rules and Regulations are included in the above Radio Service Bulletin.

With the exception of the above Radio Service Bulletin, all radio information available from the Commission is incorporated into the publications of the International Bureau of the Telecommunication Union of Berne, Switzerland. They are published every six months. Editions in English can be secured by sending remittance direct to the Bureau. The list of these publications is given below.

These Berne publications show name of station and owner or operator, geographical locations, call, frequencies, type of emission, power, hours of service, and rates.

LIST OF BERNE PUBLICATIONS

1. List of Frequencies and Supplements, 40 Swiss gold francs, including postage.

2. List of Coast Stations and Ship Station, 3.60 Swiss gold francs, including postage.

3. List of Aircraft and Aeronautical Stations, 2.60 Swiss gold francs, including postage.

4. List of Broadcasting Stations and Supplements, 3.70 Swiss gold francs, including postage.

5. List of Stations Performing Special Services and Supplements, 5.50 Swiss gold francs, including postage.

6. List of Call Letters of Fixed, Land, and Mobile Stations and Supplements, 9.30 Swiss gold francs, including postage.

Remittance should be made by international money order to the International Bureau of the Telecommunication Union, Berne, Switzerland.

Comprehensive information regarding international radio services can also be obtained from the Hydrographic Office Publication No. 205, Radio Aids to Navigation, which can be secured from the Hydrographic Office, Navy Department, Washington, D. C., price $1.50. This publication lists radio stations throughout the world which perform services of value to navigation. It includes details of radio time signals, radio direction-finder stations, radiobeacon stations, radio weather bulletins, storm and naviagtional warnings, medical advice by radio, distress and emergency traffic, etc. Additions and changes to this publication are issued weekly in the Hydrographic Office Notice to Mariners, and extracts affecting it will be mailed monthly to those not in receipt of the Notice to Mariners.

Further information regarding any of the radio services noted below can be secured from the above publications.

TIME SIGNALS

Radio time signals are sent daily from the United States radio stations at Arlington, Va. (call letters NAA), and the Navy Yard, Washington, D. C. (call letters NAL).

For the latest information as to time, frequency in kilocycles, and type of emission see H. O. Publ. No. 205, Radio Aids to Navigation, issued by the Hydrographic Office, United States Navy.

As indicated in the table below, the time signal consists of the transmission of dots () and the omission (0) of the dots for various seconds preceding the hour signal. The hour signal is the beginning of the transmission of a dash (-) of 1 second duration.

This is followed by the letters VA. In the event of an error occurring in the signal, another time signal will be transmitted 1 hour later.

Hydrographic information, weather reports (see p. 24), and other information of benefit to shipping are sent out from these stations.

REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE FROM VESSELS IN DISTRESS

Vessels calling for the assistance of the United States Coast Guard are recommended to use the procedure as outlined under the subdivision of this volume headed" United States Coast Guard". p. 13.)

(See

Distress and urgent signals. The international radio distress signal SOS indicates that a ship, aircraft, or other mobile station sending it, is threatened by grave and imminent danger, and requests immediate assistance. Many cases occur when the degree of danger is such as not to warrant the use of the SOS signal but assistance is required. The international urgent signal XXX has been provided for those cases to indicate that the calling ship has a very urgent message to transmit concerning the safety of the ship; of a ship in sight; or of the safety of any person on board or in sight therefrom. Shipmasters are urged to refrain from the use of the SOS signal when the XXX signal will serve the purpose.

A vessel in distress off the coast of the United States requiring assistance should make use of one of the radio signals (SOS or XXX) mentioned above, or the radio call NCU-" any Coast Guard unit "-used in the manner described under United States Coast Guard. A vessel sighting a vessel in distress may send the distress signal SOS, or make a report of the facts by making use of the

REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE

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urgent signal XXX, or the radio call NCU-" any Coast Guard unit" or by calling direct any commercial or Government radio station which is capable of transmitting on 500 kcs (600 meters). Any or all of these radio stations will forward the information to the appropriate assisting agencies.

In case of extreme urgency, when an SOS is broadcast, it is requested that the following procedure be followed by the vessel in distress whenever possible. Approximately 10 minutes after the transmission of the original distress message, transmit slowly on the distress frequency, MO and own radio call for three minutes. This will enable Coast Guard vessels and stations in the vicinity to obtain direction-finder bearings and accurately plot the position of the distressed vessel.

A vessel having sent a distress call has started an extensive machinery of rescue, which not only extends to shipping within range but to Government agencies, and perhaps to the suspension of other traffic. So the responsibility devolves on such a ship to keep her position and condition known. Should her trouble become remedied the fact should be immediately broadcast that radio traffic may be cleared and shipping proceed.

Distress signal interference.-The successful expedition of distress traffic requires the adherence of all the operators to the rules of procedure and noninterference. One of the most conspicuous difficulties in handling this traffic is the interference caused by the operator, who, no doubt, is anxious to assist, but by his efforts in trying to persuade another operator to maintain silence, is himself contributing to the confusion. It sometimes happens that several operators are trying to silence an operator that they feel is an offender while they themselves are offenders.

If one vessel is sending when a distress signal is broadcast, it is easier to copy through her interference than add further interference by several vessels trying to stop her.

Procedure in assisting vessels in distress to avoid distress-signal interference. The United States Coast Guard recommends the following procedure for vessels intercepting a distress signal:

1. Give absolute priority to distress call and messages relating thereto.

2. Cease all transmissions capable of interfering with the conduct of distress communications.

3. Maintain absolute silence if within range and not actually taking part in the conduct of distress communications.

4. Concentrate attention on the distress case and intercept all information possible.

5. If unquestionably in vicinity of distressed vessel, acknowledge receipt of the distress message, if received, giving your position to the vessel in distress, stating action being taken.

6. Be extremely careful not to interfere with stations more favorably situated to handle the case.

7. Do not try to silence other units, i. e. "QRT ", unless you are in control.

The vessel in distress controls: Permit him to handle the situation without being interferred with. The vessel in distress may delegate