Question 1023 Rules of the Road

The correct answer is B) A flaming barrel of oil on deck. A flaming barrel of oil on deck is considered a distress signal according to international and inland navigation rules. This is because a visible fire on a vessel's deck indicates a serious emergency situation that requires immediate assistance from other vessels or the Coast Guard. The other answer choices are not considered distress signals. Sounding 5 short blasts on the whistle is a sound signal to indicate danger or the need for attention, but not a distress signal. Answering a one-blast whistle signal with two blasts is a routine maneuvering signal, not a distress signal. Firing green star shells is a night-time distress signal, but does not apply in this daytime scenario.