One thing I find puzzling is that if one goes into a store like West Marine
to buy USCG approved distress indicating equipment they will sell you:
Red/Orange Flares with and without launchers, Red/Orange Smoke, Orange
Flags w/ distress symbol, etc.
It is also said that one reason that the SS California did not come to aid
of the RMS Titanic is because the Titanic was launching white
(communications) flares rather than red (distress) flares (Titanic had no
red flares on board). I realize that this bit of information is very old
and likely to be out of date, but is there still a correlation between the
color of the signal and it's meaning?
Lest you get me all wrong, let it be clear that, personally, I would get close
enough to any strobe, of any color, that I saw in the water to identify what it
was attached to simply because it MAY mean that there is someone in distress.
Dave Kautz
P-15 #1632
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Strobes--was More Wiring for Dummies...
Author: Non-HP-cgula (cgula@innet.com) at hp-boise,mimegw7
Date: 12/23/98 5:48 AM
-Hi Dave and others:
I sure hope you approach every white strobe you see to see if it's attached
to someone in distress.
Thats what it represents, and why it's part of man-overboard equipment. It
is not a navigational light. In the air, it can be used as an
anti-collision light without confusion, since safety is the purpose in both
cases.
Seasons greetings,
Mac Davis, Kelpie, WWP19#804, Aripeka, Fl
> I think the association between strobes and distress among mariners is
> due to their use with man-overboard equipment. Strobes are, after all,
> an excellent beacon. But, do we approach every strobe we see under the
> assumption that there is someone in need attached to it?
>
>
> Dave Kautz
> P-15 #1632
>
>
>______________________________