Question 3444 Deck General

70% to pass

You are on a semisubmersible being towed and are concerned that a fishing vessel is not taking sufficient action to avoid you. To signal your concern, you should _______________.

A fire a red flare at 15 second intervals
B fire a green flare at 15 second intervals
C broadcast a Mayday message on the radiotelephone
D sound five or more short blasts on the whistle
AI Explanation

The correct answer is D) sound five or more short blasts on the whistle. The reasoning behind this is that when a vessel is in distress and requires immediate assistance, the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) require the vessel to sound five or more short blasts on the whistle to signal distress. This is a universally recognized distress signal that indicates the vessel is in an emergency situation and needs immediate action from other vessels to avoid a collision. The other options, while valid signaling methods in certain situations, are not the appropriate response for signaling distress on a semisubmersible being towed. Firing flares or broadcasting a Mayday message would not be the best immediate action to take in this scenario.

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