Maritime Expertise

[j.sabourn]

I have only been out of bed 30 minutes and at least 6 times I have heard the term Oscar Oscar Oscar in relation to a MOB in the Pacific Ocean . I wonder how many of those newsreaders know the meaning of the word ? A lot of their viewers probably don’t , so on the very slight chance that readers on this site don’t either here it is . Oscar is the phonetic word for the Letter O, O in the Admiralty list of signals means Man Overboard . It would take all of 5 seconds for a newsreader to explain to the millions of people who don’t probably know , still waiting to see if they give an explanation or are they still waiting to be informed themselves by their resident maritime expert. All I can say to them is less of the Bravo Sierra would be appreciated . JS.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

John.
Maybe it was the same in our days , but we didn't have TV to send the news readers brain into overdrive. And on the subject of TV it seems that they had never heard of the Jap ships that sunk with Australian, American,and British among others who perished locked in the holds .
I would like to know if anyone had heard of the Jap cruiser Tone, or the Jap sub that tied survivors to the deck and dived.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

It was Oscar, Oscar, Oscar today for one Aussie guy.
On a Royal Caribbean cruise ship on way to Hawaii he went over the wall.
Story is a survival boat was launched but no survivor found to date.

[j.sabourn]

#3. That’s a the one I’m talking about John . Up until early morning there was no explanation of what Oscar meant. Maybe now they have given an explanation ? Maybe their marine man slept in !
JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

#3. That’s a the one I’m talking about John . Up until early morning there was no explanation of what Oscar meant. Maybe now they have given an explanation ? Maybe their marine man slept in !
JS

Perhaps they haven't yet decided who is going to be 'Our Special Shipping Correspondent' There are lots of TV expert Naval Historians who have never been to sea to choose from

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Not being callous here, I was on a BTC tanker that broke down for five days in the Pacific on the way to NZ, I don't know if they called the many sharks that appeared so quickly Oscars, if he wasn't killed by the fall from that height he wouldn't have lasted long enough to shout Oscar.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Shipping, like many other industries attracts reporters with no knowledge or understanding at all.
But our shipping expert here on TV has been on the Manly Ferry so should know something.

[James Curry]

Well the best one we had was actress Glenda Jackson. She served in Blairs cabinet as a junior transport minister from 1997 to 1999 because her father was a skipper on the Mersey ferries. Great actress but as much use as Chris Grayling , Him that awarded a £multi million contract to charter ships to a company that did not have any ships.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

John,
Taken in jest, but I think the blokes who served on the Manly ferries should be seconded onto the TV news when any news about the sea and ships comes on.
Des

[j.sabourn]

#5 Tell me if I’m wrong Ivan as laws may have changed , but in my time at sea there were 3 forms of distress or could be future distress and they were Mayday, the ultimate put your foot on the accelerator and get here quick, Pan I’m in trouble and things could get worse, and Securitay used mainly for dangers in existence and adverse weather reports . These were all for Channel 16 vhf. And for a manoverboard I would probably have sent out a Pan to attract attention of other shipping and shore station before giving out the message . The Oscar transmitted msg.I would have associated with flags. If they are correct then just shows that I would fit into the updating of Nautical knowledge now required if decided to return to sea at 86 years of age. JS