RULES IN FOG

a steam vessel must be provided with an efficient whistle or siren sounded by steam or some substitute for steam an efficient foghorn and an efficient Bell a sailing vessel of 20 gross tons or upward shall be provided with a similar fog horn and bell an efficient signal is one which can be heard at least two miles in still air on the high seas a foghorn must be sounded by mechanical means the old-fashioned fish horn blown with the lips would be legal in inland waters only a vessel approaching a fog bank should sound proper fog signals while still at a safe distance from it for important differences exist between the fog signals required under way on the high seas and those required on the inland waters of the United States on the high seas a vessel having way up honor shall sound a prolonged blast at intervals of not more than two minutes in inland waters a steam vessel having way upon earth must sound this signal at intervals of not more than one minute the intervals mentioned our maximum intervals only good seamanship often requires that the signals be used much more frequently sometimes every few seconds this is especially important when vessels are crossing known Anchorage grounds or where much traffic is to be expected or when other fog signals are heard close aboard to prolonged blasts are used on the high seas to indicate a steam vessel underway but stopped and having no way upon her this signal must not be used in inland waters upon hearing this signal a vessel may maneuver cautiously to clear confident that as long as it continues the other vessel is not moving a vessel would be held at fault if she sounded the two prolonged blast signal while making even slight way through the water on a dark night this may be determined by dropping a piece of paper over the side and watching it after it strikes the water on the high seas this signal must be used by a vessel when towing a vessel employed in laying or picking up a telegraph cable and the vessel under way but broken down a vessel towed may give this signal and she must not give any other in inland waters this signal is given only by a steam vessel toy or by any vessel towed in inland waters one prolonged blast is given by a steam vessel underway and moving a steam vessel underway but lying dead in the water and a steam vessel underway and broken down on the high seas one prolonged blast is given by a steam vessel making headway or Stern way to prolonged blasts are given by a steam vessel under way without way and a prolonged and too short blast signal by any vessel broken down this last signal is given in inland waters by a steam vessel towing on the high seas by any vessel towing it may be given inland or international by any vessel towed now let us see how these rules work in the case of a steam vessel underway on the high seas which suddenly becomes disabled through some accident during the moments that the vessel is coasting to a standstill her proper signal will be the prolonged and too short blasts of a vessel not under command after she becomes dead in the water her fog signal must be changed to the to prolonged blast signal of a steam vessel under way without way as an illustration the danger signal should be used in inland waters whenever approaching fog signals narrow on the bow and indicate by their growing loudness that collision is imminent on the high seas no danger signal is authorized in the rules the Thord signals for a sailing vessel under way without tow are the same on the high seas as in inland waters and are dependent on the direction of the wind with reference to the vessels course for a sailing vessel on the starboard tack the fog signal is one blast of the foghorn for a sailing vessel on the port tack the fog signal is two blasts of the foghorn with the wind about the beam the fog signal for a sailing vessel is three blasts of the foghorn the length of the blasts on the foghorn is not prescribed they may be either short or prolonged in inland waters only a sailing vessel must use these signals whether she is operating alone or towing another vessel a vessel at anchor shall ring the bell rapidly for about five seconds at intervals of not more than one minute every vessel in a nest must strike our own bell at least five seconds every minute for example if a vessel is approaching a nest of destroyers if only the two outboard destroyers sound fog signals she might try to pass halfway between them the courts have held that she is entitled to know how many vessels to avoid a vessel aground in waters under international rules must sound the fog signal of a vessel not under command a vessel aground in the inland waters of the United States must use the danger signal or a distress signal to warn other vessels of her plight they prolonged and too short blast signal may be used only by a steam vessel towing or any vessel towed the Supreme Court has given us two definitions of moderate speed in one case near a crowded harbour with visibility less than one mile moderate speed was defined as bare steerage way in the other case where the visibility was variable at times exceeding a mile moderate speed was defined as any speed that would enable the vessel to stop in half the distance of visibility for example if a ferry making 15 knots takes four hundred yards to come to a dead stop her normal speed would not be moderate speed unless the visibility is at least eight hundred yards a moving vessel colliding with one at anchor is practically self convicted of excessive speed she has not merely used half the visibility but is still going after using all of it you can never prove in any court that a vessel at anchor came out and hit you it is significant that several knots is the highest speed ever to receive final court approval in a fog collision full speed is not the safest speed merely because it enables a vessel to get through the fog sooner the theory of the law in fog is that collision should be avoided by stopping rather than by dodging and of course the less speed you have on more quickly you can take it off the rule does not say to stop the vessel but merely to stop the engines it is in effect a stop and listen rule it is impossible to prove this when a vessel fails to stop her engines as required or when she's guilty of excessive speed in either case she proves on the contrary that if she had not violated the rule she would at the instant of collision have been somewhere else under this rule first keep the engines stopped at least until an additional signal from the approaching vessel is heard second in going ahead maintain moderate speed third do not change course to avoid the approaching vessel until she is in sight or her position definitely ascertained the reason for this ruling is the unreliability of the apparent direction of sound signals in fog no vessel will be excused from changing course blind play unless at the same time she reverses her engines full speed it is the clear intent of the rules that approaching vessels in fog first provide ample warning of their approach by proper sound signals second proceed at a speed which will enable them to stop before collision third proceed with extreme caution until collision is no longer possible this amounts to an absolute mandate to delay the voyage as long as safety requires