RYA SRC Distress and Urgency Calls 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A yacht's engine has failed in busy shipping lanes and the crew considers themselves in danger. Which call is most appropriate?
- MAYDAY, as the vessel and crew are in grave and imminent danger (Correct answer)
- PAN PAN, as the vessel is in difficulty but not immediately sinking
- SECURITE, to warn other vessels of the hazard
- No radio call; use flares only
Correct answer: MAYDAY, as the vessel and crew are in grave and imminent danger
A vessel in grave and imminent danger from a shipping lane situation warrants a MAYDAY — the test is danger to vessel or persons, not only sinking.
Question 2: How many times is the word MAYDAY repeated at the very beginning of a voice distress call?
- Three times (Correct answer)
- Once
- Twice
- Five times
Correct answer: Three times
The word MAYDAY is spoken three times at the start of the call to clearly establish that this is a distress transmission.
Question 3: After the emergency is over, what is the correct phrase to formally end a distress working on Ch 16?
- SEELONCE FEENEE, ALL STATIONS, spoken by the controlling authority (Correct answer)
- MAYDAY CANCELLED by the vessel in distress
- PRUDONCE by the coastguard
- OUT spoken by the rescued vessel
Correct answer: SEELONCE FEENEE, ALL STATIONS, spoken by the controlling authority
SEELONCE FEENEE (from French 'silence fini') is the signal broadcast by the controlling authority to indicate the distress working has ended.
Question 4: A PAN PAN medical call to the coastguard results in advice to proceed to port. How should the PAN PAN be cancelled?
- Broadcast a cancellation on Ch 16, stating the situation is resolved and assistance is no longer required (Correct answer)
- Simply stop transmitting; no formal cancellation is needed
- Send a SECURITE message advising other vessels
- Only the coastguard can cancel a PAN PAN
Correct answer: Broadcast a cancellation on Ch 16, stating the situation is resolved and assistance is no longer required
The originating vessel must broadcast a cancellation on Ch 16 to inform all listening stations that the urgency situation is resolved.
Question 5: What is the purpose of the DSC distress acknowledgement sent from a ship station (rather than a coast station)?
- To confirm receipt and prevent the distress vessel from repeatedly retransmitting the alert (Correct answer)
- To inform the coastguard of the ship's position
- To activate the coastguard's rescue coordination
- To relay the alert on behalf of the vessel in distress
Correct answer: To confirm receipt and prevent the distress vessel from repeatedly retransmitting the alert
A ship's DSC acknowledgement tells the distressed vessel that its alert has been received, which stops it re-transmitting and reduces channel congestion.
Question 6: Which phonetic alphabet word is used in an urgency PAN PAN call instead of MAYDAY?
- PAN PAN is not a phonetic word; it is spoken as PAN PAN (Correct answer)
- PAPA ALFA NOVEMBER
- PAPA ALFA NOVEMBER twice
- UNIFORM ROMEO GOLF ECHO NOVEMBER CHARLIE YANKEE
Correct answer: PAN PAN is not a phonetic word; it is spoken as PAN PAN
PAN PAN is used exactly as spoken — it is a French-derived word, not a phonetic spelling, and is said twice as 'PAN PAN'.
Question 7: If a MAYDAY is received by a vessel and no coast station acknowledges within approximately 5 minutes, what must the receiving vessel do?
- Transmit a MAYDAY RELAY to pass the distress call to other stations or the coastguard (Correct answer)
- Re-broadcast the MAYDAY on its behalf immediately
- Call the vessel in distress on a working channel
- Wait a further 10 minutes before taking action
Correct answer: Transmit a MAYDAY RELAY to pass the distress call to other stations or the coastguard
If the coastguard does not acknowledge within about 5 minutes, any vessel that heard the MAYDAY must retransmit it as a MAYDAY RELAY.
RYA SRC Distress and Urgency Calls 5
A yacht's engine has failed in busy shipping lanes and the crew considers themselves in danger.
Which call is most appropriate?