View report page

(2) By day,when within the Port of London, hoist the flag signal
LIM, meaning "Port Medical Officer required";
By night, when approaching Gravesend, flash letter "Q" repeatedly
from the morse lamp.
(3) Have the crew mustered ready for inspection by the Port Medical
Officer as soon as he boards the vessel.
Free pratique will not be granted by His Majesty's Customs until
the vessel has been visited by the Port Medical Officer.
II. If the answers to all the questions on page I are "NO" ana the
vessel has not called during the previous six weeks at any of the Ports
mentioned above, the Master need not communicate with the Port Health
Authority in the manner described above, unless directed to do so by a
Customs Officer.
NOTE - (a) Where a foreign-going ship comes to a Port in the United
Kingdom from a Foreign Port and makes a Declaration of Health, and
thereafter within six weeks calls at another Port in England or Wales
in completion of her voyage, the Master shall report on arrival to the
Customs Officer or Officer of the Port Health Authority, whichever
first boards the ship, every case of ilness (being a case which, if he
were making a Declaration of Health, he would be required to include in
the Declaration) which has occurred on the ship since the making of the
Declaration and has not already been reported.
(b) Article 16(1) of the Regulations states:- "Where a ship
arrives from a Foreign Port no person other than a Pilot, a Customs
Officer, an Immigration Officer, or a person acting in the execution
of these Regulations shall, without the permission of the Medical
Officer or other authorised Officer of a Port Health Authority, board
or leave the ship until it is free from control under these Regulations,
and the Master shall take all steps necessary to secure compliance with
this provision".
M.T.MORGAN
Medical Officer of Health.
Port of London.
* Name of ship as one word. Time on 2k hour clock.
The present practice at Gravesend is that every vessel from
'foreign' is hailed by His Majesty's Customs. When a ship is boarded
by one of your Medical Officers, he collects th° Declaration of Health.
She Customs Officers take the forms from the ships which are not medical
inspected and the Boarding Medical Officer collects them daily, usually
first thing in the morning when he makes up the list of vessels that
have arrived during his 2k hour period of duty. The days batch of
forms are then posted to the Central Office together with the Medical
Officer's other records and reports.
At Sheerness the Declarations of Health are collected by the
Medical Officer or the Customs and forwarded by the former with his
weekly report.
Boarding of Vessels on Arrival -
The Port Health Authority maintain at Gravesend a hulk, the
"HYGEIA" on which the Boarding Medical Officers live during their tour
of duty. The Boarding launch "HOWARD DEIGHTON", which has an
ambulance room on deck, lies alongside the "Hygeia".
There are three Boarding Medical Officers and three crews for
the launch, each having 2k hours afloat and i|8 hours ashore. Ships
are boarded at any time of the day or night, as soon as they arrive off
Gravesend. The "Hygeia" is connected by an underwater cable to the
telephone cables ashore and in accordance with the requirements set out
in the Declaration of Health, wireless messages sent from an incoming
vessel are picked up by the North Foreland Radio Station and transmitted
by land cable to the "Hygeia".
(10)