COLLISION, in navigation, the shock of two ships coming into violent contact, whereby one or both may suffer more or less injury. Of 104 major shipping disasters over the past half century, 24 occurred through collision, with a total loss of 6,615 lives, or 23 per cent of shipping disasters and over 23 per cent of lives lost. In order to avoid accident, it is the practice of the great transatlantic lines trading between England and America to choose each definite lanes of travel, which are rigidly ad hered to. The American rules in regard to the prevention of collisions are based upon the same principles as the English, with which they are substantially identical. The leading doc trines of English law on this subject are thus stated by Lord Stowell: "In the first place, col lision may happen without blame being im putable to either party, as where the loss is occasioned by a storm or any other vis major, in which case the misfortune must be borne by the party on whom it happens to light. Sec ondly, a misfortune of this kind may arise where both parties are to blame—where there has been a want of due diligence or skill on both sides; in such case the loss must be appor tioned between them, as having been occasioned by the fault of both of them. Thirdly, it may happen by the misconduct of the suffering party only, and then the rule is that the sufferer must bear his own burden. Lastly, it may have been the fault of the ship which ran the other down, and in that case the injured party would be entitled to an entire compensation from the other. In a court of common law the same rule holds in the first, third and fourth cases; but in the second (where both parties are to blame) the rule is, that if the negligence of both substantially contributed to the mishap, neither has an action against the other; but if one of them, by exercising ordinary care, might have avoided the consequence of the other's negligence, the former is liable for any injury sustained by the latter.' In pursuance of the Merchant Shipping Amendment Act (1862), orders were issued in 1863, 1879, 1884 and 1885, giving regulations for preventing col lisions. These contain rules concerning lights
and fog-signals, and sailing and steering rules. With respect to lights it is enacted that steamers shall, when under way carry a white mast-head light, on the starboard side a green and on the port a red light; when totting other vessels they must carry two mast-head lights, placed vertically. Sailing vessels shall carry only the side lights; fishing and other open boats are not required to carry side lights, but may use a lantern with a red slide on the one side and a green slide on the other, and such lantern must be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision, and so that the green light shall not be seen on the port side nor the red light on the starboard side. Ships at anchor in a road stead must exhibit a white light where it can be seen, not more than 20 feet above the hull, in a globular lantern eight inches in diameter, showing at a distance of a mile all round. The sailing and steering rules demand that if two sailing ships are approaching each other end on, or nearly so, the helms of both must be put to port, so that each may pass on the port side of the other; in crossing so as to involve risk of collision the sailing ship with the wind on the port side shall keep out of the way of the ship with the wind on the starboard, but if they have both the wind on the same side the ship which is to windward shall keep out of die way of the one that has it to leeward. If a steamship and a sailing ship are approaching so as to involve collision, the former must keep out of the way of the latter. The rules for two steamships passing or crossing are nearly the same as for sailing ships. If one vessel is over talcing another she must keep out of the way of the last-named vessel. When, according to the rules, one of the ships keeps out of the other's way, that other shall generally be under stood to keep her course. See NAVIGATION