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When ships are in distress they use the internationally recognised distress signal Mayday. This actually originates from the French phrase ‘m’aidez’ which means ‘help me’. The word ‘Mayday’ is always said in threes, ‘Mayday, mayday, mayday’ to differentiate it from any other words when it is delivered via radio links and the connection is noisy. The signal was first originated by Frederick Stanley Mockford in 1923. Most of the air traffic at the time was between Croydon in London and Le Bourget Airport in Paris and that was why a French phrase, or word, was chosen. However Mayday is only used when a ship is in really serious and imminent danger and needs assistance immediately.
If a ship needs help but it is not in imminent danger it uses the signal Pan Pan which comes from the French ‘panne’ which translates to ‘breakdown’.
The International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea sets out a number of other ways that a ship might call for help. A ship’s captain who sees any of these distress signals is legally obliged to respond and give help where possible:
• A gun or other explosive signal fired at intervals of around one minute.
• A fog horn that sounds continuously or another type of fog signal that continues.
• Shells, rockets or flares which send up red stars and are fired one at a time at fairly short intervals.
• Morse code SOS signals which are three dots, three dashes and three dots, which are sent out by any means available to the ships crew.
• International Code flags NC where the N flag is flown above the C flag.
• A square flag with anything resembling a ball shape flying above, or below it.
• Fire, smoke, or flames on a vessel of any kind, including burning tar, oily rags, or anything that gives off flames.
• A red parachute flare or red hand held flare.
• Orange coloured smoke coming from a ship.
• Anyone standing on a ship, or boat with their arms outstretched and slowly raising and lowering them.
If a ship wishes to attract the attention of any aircraft flying overhead, a piece of orange canvas, or cloth with a black square and circle on it can be used to make a signal. The British Navy’s Red Ensign flag, flown upside down has also been used as a distress signal but it is not one of the internationally recognised distress signals under the convention.