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8th April 2015, 09:04 AM
#11
Re: ship call signs
Remember the book with all the call signs many hundreds indeed thousands. Thought it was an annual publication soft backed.JS
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8th April 2015, 11:01 PM
#12
Re: ship call signs
Correct me if I am wrong, But I done that much research when building my pride and joy my Titanic model, I am almost certain I read in the library, That the first distress signal wasn't S.O.S. I seem to remember it was C.Q.D. or in a different order it was believed to spell out Come, Quickly, I am in Distress, I think Titanic used this signal. Or maybe I dreamt it Regards Terry.
{terry scouse}
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8th April 2015, 11:52 PM
#13
Re: ship call signs
Yes, I knew I had read it somewhere call it self satisfaction Terry.
The famous SOS
Wireless operators originally used Marconi's "CQD" distress signal. "CQ" was the signal to stop transmission and pay attention. The "D" was added to signal distress. In 1906 the International Radio Telegraphic Convention in Berlin created the signal "SOS" for summoning assistance. The letters were chosen for their simplicity in Morse Code - three dots, three dashes and three dots. While the "SOS" superseded "CQD" in 1908 Marconi operators rarely used it. It became standard after the sinking of the Titanic.
{terry scouse}
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9th April 2015, 12:05 AM
#14
Re: ship call signs
Think your right Terry. CQ was the general call and still is as far as I know to all ships. Therefore D also follows indicating distress. Most ships today are Radio Telephony and the call is Mayday. Pan is the one below a Mayday and urgent request for assistance which could develop into a mayday, and Securitay is one for issuing severe weather reports, or other navigational warnings For example going across to Sept Isles one trip on an ore carrier spotted a floating mine in the North Atlantic. Put out a call on the vhf as well as sparks to Lands End Radio. The call from ship would be Securitay Securitay Securitay this is the Pennyworth call sign Golf Juliet Romeo November in Position Lat. 62 degrees 12 minutes north 32 degrees 17 minutes west. Mine Floating on the surface sighted in approx. same position. All ships advised give wide berth. This would be repeated at short intervals until Lands End Radio put out a general Securitay message to all ships (CQ). A pan message I had the misfortune to have to put out one myself was Pan Pan--Pan Pan--Pan Pan Explosion on Piper alpha Platform, all ships keep Channel 16 clear. I followed this 3 minutes later by a Mayday, which was Mayday Mayday Mayday Explosion on Piper Alpha platform all ships in the area please assist. However not being on the platform the call should have been Mayday Relay, Mayday Relay Mayday Relay.....As the safety ships their duty was to act as the Rig/Platforms radio station whenever they went into frequent radio silences this was an error on my part. Anyhow not too long after this anyone within 60 miles would of been able to see for themselves something was not right in the state of China. Ref rig and platforms going into Radio Silence I always assumed they were handling explosives, but it could be for numerous reasons I suppose. JS
Last edited by j.sabourn; 9th April 2015 at 01:24 AM.
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9th April 2015, 03:15 AM
#15
Re: ship call signs
However D in the International Code of Signals if I remember correctly was keep clear of me I am manouvering with difficulty. Rather at cross purposes for someone requiring saving. JS
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9th April 2015, 07:56 AM
#16
Re: ship call signs
Reading some of my recent journals apart from the original 26 alphabet call sign beginnings (united Kingdom 'M' and 'G') because there are so many countries of ship's registry beyond 26 they use numbers as a prefix to letters with six figure/letter call signs not unusual, try hoisting those at 15 knots into a head wind, proving you have somewhere to hoist them!
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9th April 2015, 09:49 AM
#17
Re: ship call signs
Should have stuck up the Jolly Roger Ivan and see if anyone noticed. Was on exercises with mainly the RNR off Lisbon, mostly all minehunters, the flagship was a minelayer. They called us up on the lamp, there were 3 naval officers and the ships master who was getting on in years on the Bridge, I was the only one who could read and answer the lamp. The RN has always been a very specialized job, the MN never was, but the different type of vessels now in existence, the MN is going the same way. Cheers JS
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10th April 2015, 04:09 AM
#18
Re: ship call signs
It wasn't every port you had to put up the ships call Sign ( name ) but always going through the Inland sea in Japan, always had a pilot on board as was years before they cleared of mines. The pilot always insisted the ships letters were flown, probably because they had a hard time in those days of understanding English and knew the shore stations could pick out and look up in book. JS
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10th April 2015, 02:11 PM
#19
Re: ship call signs
I have a list of the Call Signs for PQ18. September 1942. They were all bird names. e.g Peewit= HMS Sylla: Eagle = Convoy; Bunting = A/C Avenger. and all the Merchant ships;- Sparrow; Bullfinch; Wagtail;Cuckoo; Tomtit; Whinchat; Wigeon; Buzzard etc etc.etc. Designed to throw the German listeners into confusion !
'Sunday 13th Sept 1942. 1515 "Peewit to Eagle- ' Torpedo bombing aircraft in sight, bearing 140"
All this from Chief Radio Officer, Horace Bell. Rescue Ship, COPELAND. A blow-by - blow account of the Convoy under continuous attack for 5 days from UK to Archangel. Makes for humbling reading.
Brenda
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10th April 2015, 03:30 PM
#20
Re: ship call signs
Brenda the call signs we are talking about are, or were, a four flag hoists such as GSAX or MJNL and so on, these were usually flown from the starboard yardarm or triatic stay, and also used by Sparks when identifying his transmission. In the old days (my era!) all flags had to be stitched along the edges of the colours and configurations, this helped the flags to be read against the sun at dusk or dawn when they appeared to be all shades of black and white. In the convoys I was in in '56 all signals were transmitted by flags as all ships were on radio silence both RN and MN, at night signals were by aldis lamp with blue shades and transmitted only to the ships immediately abeam or astern or ahead and then relayed down (or up) the convoy. RN ships closing-in to the lead MN ship to transmit the initial signal when required. What the practice is today I have no idea! During the convoys we never flew the four flag hoist to aid security as each ship was designated a number and this was flown instead, the commodore ship knowing which number related to which named vessel, the reason for this being required, the lead ship knowing that if a certain ship fell behind it could either catch up, or not once its problem was sorted, for example a Liberty ship would take a long time to catch up to a 10 knot convoy where-as one on a liner trade with a service speed of 16 knots would not and this would aid the commodores decisions. I am aware that you are probably aware of all this from your father's experiences but thought it worth mentioning for our younger brethren
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