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Featured Article

SOS—The Early Days....................1

Departments
News & Notes.................................2
Programs & Hikes...........................4
September 2007 Desk Schedule...............................6
Bulletin Board................................8

SOS—THE EARLY DAYS on December 12, 1901, a message proved its worth.
OF WIRELESS AT SEA was sent transatlantic. It was just a Although there had been some
simple “S” in Morse code—three earlier uses of wireless in rescue at
dots—but it brought in the miracle of sea, nothing loomed as large as the
by Louis C. Kleber
wireless communication. January 1909 collision off Nantucket
By 1904, many ships in the Atlantic in a dense fog of the White Star’s Re-
he year was 1854, and the
steamer City of Glasgow disap- trade were equipped with wireless sets. public and the Italian ship, Florida.
Tpeared into the North Atlantic Both on land and sea, “CQ” was used Over 1,500 passengers and crew were
as a “seeking all stations” call. If the on board the two ships. Fortunately,
with nearly 500 people on board. message was for urgent help, “D” was the Republic was equipped with wire-
Whatever the drama and terror of her added to signal distress. Thus “CQD” less. Her Marconi operator (as they
final moments, one of the worst must
have been the inability to call for help. was born, and were then called),
She was alone with her fate. The only Marconi’s own Jack Binns, was
t h r o w n f r o m
wireless com-
hope for aid was line-of-sight signaling pany approved his bunk by the
such as flags or rockets, little comfort it. But though impact. The Re-
when ships of that time, and even now,
might sail for days without sighting it was popular public staggered
another vessel. Wireless changed all with the Brit- as the Florida
ish, other coun-
plowed into her
that—it gave hope to those facing di- tries favored port side, smash-
saster at sea. An inkling of what was to their own dis- ing the boilers
come appeared in the July, 1892 issue tress signal; the and steam lines,
of “The New England Magazine,” a United States leaving the ship
statement by the noted inventor and opted for “NC” without power in
electricity pioneer Elihu Thompson: while Germany favored “SOE.” the darkness of 4 a.m. Three people

“ . . . electricians are not without some Clearly, some common signal was were killed outright on each ship. The
hope that signaling or telegraphing for badly needed. At the 1906 Interna- Republic began to sink, very slowly.
moderate distances without wires, and tional Radio Telegraphic Conference Though barely seaworthy, the Florida
even through dense fog, may be an ac- in Berlin, all the conference mem- was in better shape and began to take on
complished fact soon.” Italy’s brilliant bers, with the exception of the United passengers from the Republic’s boats
Guglielmo Marconi was working on States, adopted SOS. The choice had while fog still swirled around them and
it. Just two years earlier, when he was no connection with popular myth, like distress rockets broke the darkness.
only 16 years old, he had transmitted short for “Save Our Ship.” It was sim- In the midst of this eerie scene, Binns
wireless signals from one tin plate ply clear and easy to remember with its made his way to a locker, holding bat-
to another. From that beginning, he three dots, three dashes and three dots. teries to operate his wireless set. “CQD
soon extended the distance with true Still, CQD remained in frequent use. . . . CQD . . . Republic rammed . . . ”
sending and receiving apparatus, and It wasn’t long before the new device
SOS, continued on page 6