Section 353a - Operators and watches on radiotelephone equipped ships(a) Each cargo ship which in accordance with this part is equipped with a radiotelephone station shall, for safety purposes, carry at least one operator who may be the master, an officer, or a member of the crew.(b) Each cargo ship of the United States which in accordance with this part is equipped with a radiotelephone station shall, while being navigated in the open sea outside of a harbor or port, maintain continuous watch whenever the station is not being used for authorized traffic.June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, §354, as added Aug. 13, 1954, ch. 729, §2(b), 68 Stat. 706; amended Pub. L. 89-121, §5, Aug. 13, 1965, 79 Stat. 514.EDITORIAL NOTES
AMENDMENTS1965-Pub. L. 89-121 substituted "radiotelephone station" for "radiotelephone installation" in two places, and "one operator who may be the master, an officer, or a member of the crew" for "one qualified operator who may be a member of the crew holding only a certificate for radio telephony", inserted "in the open sea" before "outside of a harbor", and required a continuous watch whenever the station is not being used for authorized traffic.