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To
email me click on the picture of the Prinsendam, or click here
for address!
Picture of R/O David Ring during CBS-TV interview with Susan Spencer,
Valdez, Alaska, upon arrival on the night of October 6, 1980.
ms Prinsendam
(call sign PJTA) was on fire and burning
out of control in
the Gulf of Alaska on Oct. 4, 1980 when James N. Pfister, NS1L
and David J. Ring, Jr., N1EA, both Radio Officers on the USA flagged
'super-tanker' Williamsburgh (Call Sign WGOA) picked up her SOS.
See the
Manuscript Log
of WGOA !
According to
Mr. Jack van der Zee the
Chief Radio Officer of the Prinsendam , the satellite communications
failed during the rescue, but Morse Continued to operate. SOS
signals from this rescue were received as far away as New Zealand
(ZLB). During the next approximately 20 years, the value of Morse
Code was trivialized and minimized. The Commanding Officer of
one Coast Guard Communications Station (Boston NMF) said that
the maximum range of Morse Code sent on the distress frequency
of 500 kHz was 100 miles, maximum. Later comments by the Coast
Guard hinted that Morse Code was like a "secret handshake",
if you know it you are in. Regrettably, those that know how well
Morse works, are those who can copy it. Others must accept what
we can demonstrate by using it.
The Prinsendam which was built at Shipyard de Merwede in the Netherlands in 1973. That ship was 427-foot-long and typically carried about 350 passengers and 200 crew members. The liner was transiting through Gulf of Alaska waters, approximately 120 miles south of Yakutat, Alaska, at midnight on October 4, 1980, when fire broke out in the engine room. The vessel's master declared the fire out of control one hour later and the Prinsendam sent a radio call requesting immediate assistance. The United States Coast Guard at Communications Station Kodiak, Alaska (NOJ) requested that the ms Prinsendam send out an SOS, the Captain declined, but Chief Radio Officer, Jack van der Zee sent out one anyway about a half hour later which resulted in the alerting of nearby vessels, such as the 1100 foot supertanker, Williamsburgh which was operated by Avon Marine of Lake Success, NY. Jack v.d. Zee kept this secret until just before his death because what he did could have resulted in loss of his Radio Officer's license - but by doing what he did, he was responsible for saving the lives of all aboard. The Queen of the Netherlands was just about to give Jack lifetime knighthood for his actions when he died. Jack van der Zee is a true hero of the Netherlands.
Popular Mechanics Article about the Prinsendam rescue.
A copy of my comments that were given to the United States Congress' Merchant Marine & Fisheries Committee can be viewed here.
A copy of the presentation
to the US Congress is available here.
Morse Code Sound Files - AUDIO FILES OF 500 kHz WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY !!! -
This is a MP3 file of the actual SOS
sent by ms Prinsendam on 4 October 1980.
Closing of UK WT stations This is a WAV file of the actual final messages sent by GIL, GLV, and GNI - hear DAN, PCH and many others send their last "73"
WCC This is a WAV file of the first signals that I heard from both Canada (VCO Sydney Coast Guard Radio) and the United States (WCC RCA's ChathamRadio ) recorded while passing the Azores, on my final (1987?) Westbound trans-Atlantic crossing. -:- Great Audio! -:-
Radio Officers will remember the nostalgic feeling that we felt when first hearing the "telegraphic beacons of home" when returning from a long foreign voyage.
Titanic / MGY This is a WAV file which recreates the spark signals of the Titanic/ MGY which was supplied by Mr. Edward M. Gable, K2MP who is the Museum Curator of the Antique Wireless Association, Inc. which recreates the CQD and SOS from Titanic -:- Copyright 1999 AWA all rights reserved - used with permission.
More Morse Code Recordings and Files Available Here
Hear a COOTIE KEY demonstration. (CLICK HERE)
My wife Cheryl, KB0RQN, likes me to read her "bed time stories". Since she has a commercial second class radiotelegraph license (T2), but never managed to sail she loves to be read stories from books having to do with Morse Code at sea.
One book she particularly liked was a fiction book loosly based on the author's experience on Sable Island, VCT (MCT was their earlier Marconi call letters because they began with "M") -- called "The Nymph and the Lamp" by Thomas Raddall a Canadian author who lived in the Annapolis Valley near Halifax, Nova Scotia. I typed up some of the most interesting parts dealing with Morse Code in this file.
Extracts from "The Nymph and the Lamp" by Thomas Raddall.
Our QSL CARD Our QSL card took me quite a bit of time, I got permission from Popular Mechanics to reprint the cover photograph they used in their edition in which they printed the Prinsendam story, composted a radio room Chelsea clock in the background, added wording to the front, then on the back, I used two of Cheryl's photographs, one of Green Harbor Beach, the other of Minot Ledge Lighthouse, and I had to make up a dual grid for us, I also made a font called Telegrapher's MILL font based on a scan of my Royal Manual Telegrapher's typewriter and used it. I also found a really neat “Radio Font”, so I used that too. You can see the QSL here in pdf format, just be sure to use “page down” to get to the second page!
Cheryl has a web page that has some nice QSLs on it – see KB0RQN
Telegraph
Morse Links!
Buzz
on over! Join the Queen Bee Network!
Here
is KB0RQN (my wife's) web page - she has some wonderful pictures:
W4FOK's
page on Morse Code
American
Morse Dial-up and Internet Telegraphy
Tools
of Telegraphy
International
Morse
Links
Commercial!
Nu-Morse
-- recreate historic morse sounds and other morse and ham theory
programs. FB
G0NVT – Phil Boyle – Marconi reproduction keys – see his Guillotine Marconi key! The Marconi museum key is on top, his is on the bottom.
Veteran
Wireless Operators Association (VWOA)
Superaldis
- An aldis lamp and heliograph simulator by Jorn Stadskleiv, LB5KE
Society of Wireless
Pioneers (SOWP)
Junker! The World's best made
telegraph key.
Simply a masterpiece! Buy one here!
First
CW transmission, First Radiotelephone transmission - Dr. Fessenden,
Brant Rock, MA
The
New England Wireless and Steam Museum
Ship
locations!
HF
Air Tfc Radio - Listen Live over internet!
Commercial
Radio (KPH Coastal Telegraph Station)
Maritime
Coast Stations of the World
Radio
Officers Amateur Radio Society (ROARS)
The
new book about Canadian Maritime Communications, Come Quick Danger!
Ship Reading
Room - (Spark's library!!!)
Spud
Roscoe's (VE1BC) book which was the source material for Come Quick
Danger!
CQ
de VCO -
Titanic
Radio
Page
Telegraph
Lore
Larry
Monroe's TELECOMMUNICATIONS MUSEUM
Ham
Links
CW Touch Keyer - They have very interesting keyers, paddles, and keyer/paddle combination units - wired and kits. These keys use the same touch technology as the Apple I-POD devices. They paddles look really nice because they're gold plated. There isn't a better paddle out there - because this is touch technology, there is no mechanical problems, no drag, no clicking, no adjusting. These keys - unlike many keys - will operate in the woods, doing QRP and have a very low current drain. They were making a straight key version, and I see a new dual button "finger sender" like the Kitano keyer that was a revolutionary design a few years back. I was a beta tester for these keys and I liked them very much. You will not have "adjustment problems" with these paddles - there is no adjustment at all. If you touch the gold paddle, it sends. Perfect!
Coherent CW - A program for Sound Blaster
MRX Morse Code Simply an amazing program! You must download this program!
MRX Morse Code Decoder This is in it's Pre-BETA stage, but download it and report bugs to author. Great Potential!
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