USCG Exam PracticeVisual distress signals — flares, smoke, hand-held
Under 46 CFR §185.614 and §180.68, which statement BEST describes the requirements for a portable watertight container used to stow distress flares aboard a small passenger vessel?
- A. The container must be red in color and marked 'FLARES' in letters at least 25.4 mm high
- ✓ The container must be of a bright color, marked 'DISTRESS SIGNALS' in legible contrasting letters at least 12.7 mm high, and carried at the operating stationCorrect
- C. The container must be of a bright color, marked 'DISTRESS SIGNALS' in letters at least 25.4 mm high, and secured below the freeboard deck
- D. The container must be orange, marked 'EMERGENCY' in letters at least 12.7 mm high, and stowed in the engine room
Why B is correct
46 CFR §185.614 requires portable watertight containers to be of a bright color and marked 'DISTRESS SIGNALS' in legible contrasting letters at least 12.7 mm (0.5 inches) high. 46 CFR §180.68(e)(1) requires such a container to be carried at the operating station. The regulation does not specify red color, does not require 25.4 mm lettering, and does not permit stowage below the freeboard deck.