The article gives the analysis of planning measures for searching ship in distress as a tactical method of conducting a search and rescue operation. Rescue services of various ministries, departments and organizations, their search and rescue units equipped with the trained personnel and facilities for conducting rescue operations are involved in the search and rescue process. The specialized centers coordinate the actions of search and rescue operation participants maintaining reliable communication between the participants who ensure the operation. A search and rescue operation is a complex of organizational and technical measures that ensure determining the coordinates of people in distress at sea and their subsequent rescue. Special plans for surveying the search area for a ship in distress are considered in detail: search of a probable course, search by variable courses, search by a curtain, radial search. Schemes for determining the boundaries of the sector of probable movement of a ship in distress, calculating sequential search courses, building a search, calculating the time lying on the course, determining the search sector and the search range are illustrated. There has been stated a specific feature of the search for a ship in distress - the lack of necessary information about the object location. The main tasks are listed and substantiated, the solution of which on the site allows the responsible persons to prepare the maximum effective search and rescue operations. A specific example of solving the problem of the radial search is given, a diagram of the circle of encounters is constructed, the maximum meeting angle of the search range is determined, the maximum search range, the necessary data for search and rescue vessels and the required number of search and rescue vessels are calculated, the maximum possible search time is determined.
Special methods for performing search operation