In single-line formations, any given ship is responsible for the ships beyond and in the direction away from the originating ship. In multiple-line formations, the senior officer is responsible for ships in his/her own line and line commanders of lines immediately adjacent to his/her own line. The line commanders in the multiple lines are responsible for ships in their own line and line commanders immediately adjacent but in a direction beyond and away from the originating ship. Individual ships are responsible for ships in their own line beyond and away from their own line commander. In any operational formation or disposition, the chain of visual responsibility is governed by the rules set forth previously unless modified by responsible commanders. It may be necessary for a commander to issue detailed relaying instructions or diagrams showing sectors of visual responsibility, to make sure visual signals are cleared as quickly as possible. In assigning responsibility, a commander considers the relative capabilities of various ships, such as the type of visual equipment installed, personnel limitations, and type of formations. Repeating Ship A repeating ship is any ship through which a message is relayed. A repeating ship is any of the following: A ship specifically designated as a repeating ship A ship that automatically relays A ship that elects to relay to facilitate signaling A ship through which a message is routed The function of a ship specifically designated as a repeating ship is to act as a primary relay station to facilitate communication. As you can see, visual relay responsibility can be complicated; but it is a part of your job, so learn it. OPERATOR'S RESPONSIBILITIES Reliability, security, and speed depend, to a large extent, upon the operator. It is essential, therefore, that operators be well-trained, maintain signaling discipline, and understand thoroughly their responsibilities. You should always follow the prescribed procedure. Unauthorized departures from or variations in prescribed procedures invariably create confusion, reduce reliability and speed, and tend to nullify security precautions. If an unusual circumstance is not covered by set procedure, initiative and common sense should provide a reasonable procedure. The following practices are forbidden: 1. Violating visual silence when such condition is imposed. 2. Transmitting the operator's personal sign. (The operator's initials or any other identifying sign constitutes a personal sign.) 3. Using plain language when unauthorized to do so. 4. Using profane, indecent, or obscene language. 5. Using other than authorized prosigns. VISUAL PROCEDURE When transmitting a visual message, you must transmit each character distinctly. The speed of transmission is governed by prevailing conditions and the capability of the receiving operators. Accuracy in transmission is far more important than speed. The difference in the time required to send a message at 10 words per minute and that required to transmit at 15 words per minute is slight. Even this slight gain in time may be nullified by an added time required for repetitions. The speed at which the receiving operator can copy without having to obtain repetitions is the speed at which the transmitting operator should transmit. When an operator is transmitting to more than one station, his/her governing speed is to be that of the slowest receiving operator. The speed of transmitting the heading should be slower than the speed of transmitting the text. Logs and Files Every signal transmitted or received by visual means must be logged, together with the time of execution, in a suitable record book. A file of all messages transmitted or received by visual means must be kept to facilitate future reference. Logs and files are covered more in depth in chapter 8. Message Transmission Messages are to be transmitted exactly as written. Abbreviations must not be substituted for plain language or plain language substituted for abbreviations. 4-3