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duration): flashing, quick flashing, very quick flashing,
long flashing, composite group flashing, group
flashing, isophase or occulting.
SHIP RECOGNITION
AND IDENTIFICATION
As stated earlier, sighting contacts and re-
porting them to the bridge and CIC are the
primary duties of the lookout. However, your
job as lookout does not end there: the contact
must be identified. Ships normally should be
identified while they still are distant enough to
present only a silhouette to the observer. The
types/classes of ships can be determined from
silhouettes long before their hull numbers or
names can be distinguished. (See figures 24 and 25.)
The first determination to be made is whether
a vessel is a merchant (civil) or naval ship.
Visual identifications will be plotted and logged
in CIC so it is important for you to be able
to recognize a friend or foe quickly and accu-
rately. If you do not know the exact identity
of the contact, the thing to do is to describe
it. The following guidelines will help in ship
recognition.
MERCHANT SHIPS
All merchant ships can be placed into one of five
basic design groups, depending on the location and
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