99005 What is a Single White Light

What is a Single White Light
Report No. 99005

Own ship was a 10,000 ton cargo liner on passage in the South Atlantic from the UK to South Africa. This was in the days of the Suez Canal being closed, hence many extra vessels on the route and in the days when many masters still would not allow the radar to be used on passage. I was second mate on the 12 to 4 watch and came on the bridge to be told by the third mate that there was one vessel in sight, a single white light on the port bow, and that we were overtaking it slowly and would not be up to it for some time. I confirmed this light visually and accepted the third mate's assessment of the situation. He left the bridge and I retired to the chart room for the essential first cup of coffee.

No more than five minutes later I heard a dog bark. As we did not have a dog on board this produced a greater state of awareness than the coffee and I proceeded rapidly to the port bridge wing to find a small vessel abeam on a parallel course and unacceptably close for the sea room available, though fortunately not dangerously so. (Separate from this story is the fact that the dog appeared to be the only lookout.) In the further fifteen years that I remained at sea I NEVER again accepted a single white light at face value, with or without radar information!