Issue 28: The Marconi Men and the Sinking of the Lusitania

The rules didn't actually SAY "SOS". Instead they said "...---...". No spaces.

SOS is gone now along with XXX and TTT.

 

Thanks, Dave, interesting write up.

A small point: In the opening paragraph I believe you meant to say "historic county of Cheshire" (rather than Chelsea, which is a district in London). Or so Wiki informs with respect to Wallasey and surrounds.

73, Neil
N7EIL

 

You are so right . . . I copyedit my own material, and correct all typos. But this was a blunder. Thanks, Dave

 

There you are somewhat wrong.

CQ was semi-official land-line practice for "calling all stations" according to the St. Petersburg Telegraph Convention, and the CQ signal was carried over to radio. The Marconi company devised their own distress signal CQD early which became an unofficial standard.

But as early as 1906, at the Second Berlin Radiotelegraph Conference, the SOS signal was adopted for general use and had official standing. SOS and CQD existed side-by-side for some years, but CQD was abandoned after the Titanic disaster.

73/Karl-Arne

 

Great story. I am from Wallasey, but had never heard the story. Thanks very much.
73, Mike GM3PPE

 

At the time of the Lusitania, Wallasey was in the county of Cheshire. However, for the past 40 years Wallasey has been in the metropolitan county of Merseyside. I grew up in the town, which is just across the river Mersey from Liverpool, and has a strong maritime tradition. I moved to Scotland in 1979, and now live in Kelso in the Scottish Borders.

73, Mike GM3PPE

 

Thanks Mike for your clarification and for the nice comment! Dave W7DGJ

 

Great story . My grandparents were on the
ship a year before . Thank God they made
it to America from Liverpool !

 

Thank you very much Dave, for this extraordinarily interesting and very harrowing story, which today we remember only vaguely from our history books. One can't imagine the terror that went through the minds of the ~2,000 passengers and crew, of whom 761 survived thanks in large part to the two very brave radio operators.

 

Think you are a high spped op?

Try to copy this - RMS Titanic "SOS" (youtube.com)

 

Thank you for your nice comments!

 

It’s the “buzz factor” that makes it hard to get!

 

Rotary spark gap transmitters have a 'unique' sound. Another day in the life of an RTO - in the early 1900s.

Makes life sound pretty soft today, eh?

 

Yes, CQD was the British Standard distress call of the day. Everyone had their own back then ::/
But CQ existed well before CQD. As with most things CW related, it had it's roots in Telegraph.

Interesting is that SOS is a prosign, not individual letters.