🔍 Key Concepts

• International & Inland sound and light signals used for maneuvering and warning • The specific meaning of three short flashes of white light at night • Difference between distress signals and maneuvering/intent signals

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: when would a vessel need to show THREE short flashes of WHITE light to another vessel at night—what intention is it trying to communicate? • Compare this to the light or sound signals used to indicate a vessel is going astern—how many signals, and are they lights, sounds, or both? • Think about how distress is signaled—what color(s) and patterns are normally associated with distress, and are they the same as three short white flashes?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify in the Navigation Rules the maneuvering signal that corresponds to three short blasts and see if there is an equivalent light signal at night • Check what signal is prescribed when a vessel is operating astern propulsion—is it lights, sound signals, or both, and how many? • Confirm what types of distress signals are listed in the Navigation Rules (Annex IV) and see if three white flashes are among them