Safety of life at sea; lifeboat capacity.

[David Bridgen]

Yes, still buoyant. I had been expecting notification by email of additions to the thread, but none were forthcoming. (Notification is enabled.)

Quite a lot of interesting posts, for which thank you to all of you.


Addendum: I find it interesting that the distress signal is referred to (even here) as S O S.
The international distress signal, in Morse, is not, never was, and was never meant to be SOS. It is a single character, just as any character of the alphabet or a punctuation mark is.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Then you must forgive us our ignorance David, we have been sailing under false information all these years, we'd take it up with our instructors, but as we are nearing the end of our own voyages they must be well recycled by now, but if that's what Marconi taught you, so be it! Ill stick with dit dit dit da da da dit dit dit if ever I'm in trouble or s o s as I remember it, cheers

[David Bridgen]

It is a widely held misconception Ivan. In order to illustrate the distress signal's construction, for want of a more appropriate word, someone, somewhere, decided to write the three characters sos with a horizontal line above them, an "overline" instead of an underline, to indicate that their Morse elements are sent without a space between those (artificial) components. It could also be written as vms with an "overline", or several other combinations including eeettteee sent without inter-character spaces.

It's become what is sometimes called, particularly by our American friends, an urban myth. People are so used to hearing only the folklore that they find it strange, and even difficult to accept the truth.
The particular sequence of the distress signal's elements was chosen because it is easily recognised and distinguished from anything else.

The same technique ("overlining") is sometimes used to show the construction of other characters too. The question mark, for example, being written as imi sent without inter-character spaces.

I have always felt that the technique is, at best, questionable.

[Lou Barron]

Not only did life boats changed but so did life jackets on my first trip it was a cork one two in the front and two at the back we was told if you have to jump in the sea you had to hold on the front so that it did not break you neck .The next one was I belt one that went round your waist then the ones we had on the G/Castle was a full waistcoat with a red light and a whistle .We also had a life suit that you put on when in the life boat .We had no time to get hold of that but fortunately I did grab my life jacket it did save my life

[happy daze john in oz]

Lou they have not changed that much, still four large cork inserts now with wistle and salt water activating light. Howevere on life boat muster for passengers they do not tell you about the risk of a broken neck if you dive in wearing one. I brought it up with an officer on one cruise with P&O when all passengers had to meet in the theatre for the drill. His answer, well I doubt anyone would jump into the water! Never been with P&O since.

[j.sabourn]

#21... There are those ashore who still think it stands for Save Our Souls. Wonder why they didnt just use SOS SOS SOS instead of Mayday Mayday Mayday, obviously a Frenchmans hand in there somewhere, the French always want their way in naming everything, even to Hectopascals for the Barometer. Stuck with their measurements now for ever and ever, and probably their laws via the European Union. I give the Americans their due they are not to be deviated in their own measurement systems. JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

#23, Thank you David, well at least we know the Morse Code came first, and we must thank who ever it was in deciding to use S O S as a signal, whether it stands for Save Our Souls or Save Our Skins or Save Our Sausages or some other hidden meaning, I prefer the myth Save Our Souls, no doubt the myth has saved many a life in their hour of need. I doubt many could have flashed H E L P, it would have taxed many of us. Not many of us are aware of the finer nuances of the Morse Code as used by Sparkies, who no doubt had many short cuts in their transmissions only understood by other Sparkies and would have meant nothing to us navigators who found sending 'What ship where bound' taxing and the other vessel's reply even more taxing. Although Suez 1956 did increase my skills somewhat but no shortcuts allowed, misunderstandings not being wanted in that situation.

The good thing about this site is you live and learn

[j.sabourn]

What did CQ stand for then. Know it was to address all ships, but did the initials stand for anything. Would hate to go to my grave not knowing. Could be calling Queenie or something like that. Cheers JS

[David Bridgen]

What did CQ stand for then.

I don't believe it stood for anything. The following is from a short treatise which I might put on my web site.

Before the adoption of the present distress signal, the three (separate) letters cqd were used. This was an extention of the two letters cq which were and still are used as a general call to all stations.
The addtion of the d was to indicate that the station was in distress and needed immediate assistance.


I once came across the suggestion that cq was used as it could be thought of as the phonetic "seek you".

I have seen this suggestion only once and I have never read any evidence which supports it.

It should come as no surprise that it was made by an American (whose fellow citizens persistently reduce everything to its lowest common denominator).

[j.sabourn]

Thanks David, can now die happy. Knew someone would have a tag to it. Was trying to think up one. Would never have thought of Seek You. Damned clever these yanks. Your input to this site will probably put a lot of peoples little queries to bed. You obviously were at sea in the days of auto alarms and old time lifeboat portable Radios. Silence periods and all the paraphanalia of Marconi gear at the time DF equiptment etc etc. As Ivan would say dit dah dit dah dit JS