Anecdotes Of Professional CW (Morse) On U.S.
Merchant Marine Ships
By Alex Hernandez NU1T/AAV4GP
Anecdotes Of Professional CW On Ships And
Army Mars Introduction
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In 1990, I took a break from Aerospace Engineering to fulfill a life-long
dream since childhood of becoming a shipboard radio officer handling CW.
There was a big demand, at the time, for more operators due to the
impending war with Iraq looming in the horizon (Desert Shield/Storm).
I contacted one of the major maritime radio unions, the American Radio
Association (ARA) after seeing an add in QST.
I already possessed an FCC 2nd Class Radiotelegraph License (that I had
obtained in 1977), with Element 8: Radar endorsement (one of three
requirements needed to be a sole radio operator on U.S. merchant vessels).
The other was at least a 2nd Class license. The third one was a 6-month sea
endorsement, which I did not have since I had never shipped-out.
The ARA sent a package with forms to fill-out and instructions on presenting
my FCC license to the local Coast Guard Field Office (District 7), in order to
get a U.S.C.G. License As Radio Officer as well as a drug-free test and also
take a first-aid course (merchant vessels do not normally carry medics
onboard).
Getting Ready To Ship Out (cont.)
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Since I had to complete at least 6 months sea time, proof of that time was achieved
by submitting copies of the ship radiotelegraph log to the FCC. Here’s a sample of a
typical radio log from a Ready Reserve Fleet/MSC shake-down cruise:
Getting Ready To Ship-Out (cont.)
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The ARA, which in reality acted like a job-shop having several contracts
with major American shipping companies (such as APL, Matson, Lykes,
etc.), placed me as an apprentice (in order to get my 6-month endorsement)
on a very new (only two years old) and very big C-10 class containership
that was based in Oakland, California: the M/V President Adams, callsign
WRYW. This vessel had very nice accomodations and radio room, the
‘shack’ (radio officers got their own room and daily service!). My sea radio
‘Elmer’ was a veteran ARA member as well as a fellow ham.
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View Of the ship’s modern radio room and radio work bench showing a latter and
modern Mackay radio console, INMARSAT terminal, PK-232 SITOR MODEM,
SATCOM phone and computer in the ‘shack’:
Getting Ready To Ship: Modern Mackay
Radio Console.
The latter model ship stations had a Mackay
MRU-35A CW/SSB/SITOR HF synthesized transmitter
And at least one 3020A/3030A synthesized VLF/MFHF receiver covering
15 kHz to 29.9999 MHz
Typical Officer’s Berth
This is a typical radio/officer’s berth (this one belonged
To a captain, left and radio officer, right):
M/V President Adams Particulars (first apprentice ship)
M/V President Adams, C-10 Class Container Vessel, Call Sign: WRYW
Conbulk, built 1988 by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG, Kiel, Federal
Republic of Germany. Hull No. 230. Delivered April 22, 1988. O/N
928,562
LOA=902'
10 1/2"
LBP=855'
7 1/2"
Displacement=75,849
LT
Cargo capacity=4300
TEU Containers
B=129'3"
D=77'5"
Deadwei
ght=
52,769 LT
Gross
tonnage
=50,205
Passeng
ers=0
Crew=21
Draft
(max)=41'0"
Net=36,192
Speed=24.2
knots
Machinery: Single screw, powered by a single Sulzer diesel, 57,000 HP
@ 95 RPM.
Duties Of A Shipboard Radio Officer/Operator
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Monitor the MF CW distress frequency of 500 kHz for at least 8 hours a day, split into
three watches: 0800 – 1200, 1500 – 1700 and 1800 – 2000 local ship time. Lunch
was from 1200 to 1300 and dinner 1700 to 1800. THIS WAS THE RADIO OP’s
MAIN DUTY AS MANDATED BY LAW (SOLAS and Coast Guard). A ship, by law,
could sail without a captain but NOT WITHOUT A Radio Operator! Silent periods
were observed for 3 minutes after each 15 minutes after the hour and at the 45
minute mark. This rule was enforced internationally after the Titanic disaster where
other ships were causing idle QRM while the Titanic was attempting to send its
emergency messages. Another requirement was the 500 kHz autoalarm which rang
bells on the bridge and in the radio officer’s cabin upon reception of the International
Autoalarm signal (repeated four 4-second dashes separated by 1-second spaces) on
500 kHz when the operator was off-watch. All messages heard on 500 kHz were
logged in the official radio log (see image two more pages down of a radio log
example).
Other duties included sending and receiving ship business messages either on MF
CW (if close to shore), HF CW or SITOR and INMARSAT Telex, FAX or SATPHONE.
Later email via INMARSAT became more common.
Duties Of A Shipboard Radio Officer/Operator (cont.)
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Other duties also included reception of navigational warnings, urgent
messages and weather reports to be taken to the bridge watch immediately.
Additionally, repair duties were also performed on the shipboard 3 and 10
cm radars, navigation equipment (LORAN, Transit Satellite and later on
GPS) as well as the main radio room equipment and sometimes even
shipboard control systems in the bridge and engine room. Also, every week,
lifeboat drills were conducted where the emergency crank lifeboat radio was
tested (similar to a ‘Mae West’). This put out the autoalarm on 500 kHz as
well as being able to manually keyed on both 500 kHz and 8,364 kHz.
View of radio room clock, showing silent periods (SP) and
manual/mechanical typewriter (had to be non-electric in case power failed)
and emergency/lifeboat hand-cranked radio:
Duties Of A Shipboard Radio Officer/Operator (cont.)
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Every U.S. flagged vessel had to have an FCC station which listed all the
modes and frequencies that the vessel’s radios operated on:
S/T American Osprey
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In May 1992 I joined the T-2 Class Steam Tanker American Osprey
anchored at the lagoon of the Island Of Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean
Territory (BIOT), as part of the Military Sealift Command/USN’s Pre-Position
Fleet.
This vessel had another popular of two radio console types, the RCA-type,
the other one being the Mackay-type:
S/T American Osprey
S/S Leslie Lykes, WHTU
• In May Of 1994, I joined the Lykes Brothers Steamship Company
S.S. Leslie Lykes in Pensacola Florida for a round-the-world tour.
This Ship then went to Houston, Texas, then through the Panama Canal across the
Pacific, stopped in Manila, PI for two weeks, went to thailand, went to Tanzania, Africa,
Johannesburg, SA, and then finally back to New Orleans.
Here’s a picture of the type of radio equipment used on this type of vessel. This is a
Mackay MRU-29 variant. Notice the open-wire transmission line on the room ceiling.
Sometimes I used a neon bulb or fluorescent light to tune-up! Also, notice on the far
right, these are the insides of an MF/500 kHz transmitter which consisted of a master
oscillator, 6 switched working frequencies and the 500 kHz crystals fed to a 6146 as a
medium power driver and then fed to a pair of 813 final amplifier tubes, tank circuit and
variometer antenna loading coil. It is interesting to note that this circuit was used on all
MF Mackay transmitters from the 1930’s all throughout the early ’90’s. It produced about
500 W output. Only the console design and external layout changed during the
decades!:
S/S Leslie Lykes, WHTU (cont.)
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Leslie Lykes (2)1962 built by Bethlehem Steel Co., Sparrows Point | Type
C3-S-37a, 1972 rebuilt into a container vessel 11,891gt, 1995 scrapped at
Alang, India.“ An Ignominious end to a ship that experienced a lot!
The Leslie Lykes And Its Connection
To The Kennedy Assasination
As part of the Warren Commission Report of 1964, this popped-up
Regarding the Leslie Lykes and Lee Harvey Oswald:
S/S Leslie Lykes, WHTU (cont.)
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Mackay Reserve 500 KHz Receiver and Typical Lykes (Mackay) ‘Shack’:
Manufactured by Federal Telephone and Radio Corp. VLF regenerative receiver used in the merchant marine and the U.S.
Coastguard, vintage WWII. Coverage is 15 to 650 KHz in four bands. Can be operated from 120 volts AC or DC or directly from 6
volts DC and a 90 volt "B" battery. I'm told the Coast Guard also designated the 128-AY version made by Federal as the RC-123. A
good portion of the Liberty ships built from September 1941 to 1945 used a Federal Mackay console which included one or more
variations of these receivers. Like most marine receivers of the period, the AC-DC design was not to save money but stemmed from
the use of 120 volts DC on many ships and the ability to use the batteries for backup power source.
“from Alex NU1T/MREO” ( from http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~postr/bapix/Mackay.htm):
"I also used the Mackay Radio And Telegraph Type 128 HW well into 1994/95, when I served as MREO
onboard the SS Leslie Lykes." This receiver was used to copy the last SOS from the SS Achille Lauro."
Alex sent copies of the DDD SOS that he received in November 1994 from the Achille Lauro on 500 kHz
while serving as Master Radio Electronics Officer (ARA) onboard the Leslie Lykes, callsign WHTU.
According to Alex, the exact QTH for his ship was around 900 miles southeast of the disaster site. He
adds,"Unfortunately, we were too far to be of any useful assistance, as deemed by the OM." (I wrote
this article for the Boat Anchors Website about 5 years ago).
This was the receiver used, as late as 1994/1995 during my voyage on WHTU
To mount the 500 kHz watches and where I copied to SOS from the Achille Lauro, IBHE
The Leslie Lykes And Its Proximity To The Sinking
Of The Achille Lauro/Achille Foreground/History
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In 1985, The Italian cruise ship, the Achille Lauro, IBHE, was hijacked by
four PLO terrorists, led by Abbu Abbas between Port Said, Egypt and
Tartus, Syria. They shot and killed American tourist Leon Klinghoffer and
then dumped him overboard together with his wheelchair. See the
following Video below:
The-Hijacking-of-the-Achil e-Lauro-119 94851&ei=8x9SS6aLOoG4NfO7lbcK&sa=X&oi=video_result&resnum=4&ct=thumbnail&ved=0CBMQuAIwAw&usg=AFQjCNEdnVWV5iJU7oXmM3uCGIjdb_L89A.url
S/S Leslie Lykes, WHTU (cont.)
On November 30, 1994, the following dramatic SOS relay (DDD) QTC’s were
copied while I was on watch that afternoon monitoring 500 kHz:
S/S Leslie Lykes, WHTU (cont.)
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Second SOS Message From IHTU that I received while on watch:
S/S Leslie Lykes, WHTU (cont.)
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Last day Of the Achille Lauro as witnessed via CW radio:
The SOS was actually sent using the reserve 40 Watt CW transmitter
On 500 kHz due to failure of the INMARSAT terminal because of fire
Damaging electrical cables, as described in the Radiograms!
More Satellite Problems!
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While on board the M/V Liberty Sea during the return trip to New Orleans
from a U.S. Aid grain cargo delivery to Haifa, Israel, the INMARSAT gyro
motor on the antenna pedestal burned-out and I had to send the following
position report/SITREP via CW to Chatham Radio, WCC:
Epilogue To CW At Sea
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If you’ll notice, there is a definite pattern here indicating something wrong with
modernism/economic expediency affecting safety!
The pattern is, CW and humans function, because CW was made for humans! To name just
a sample of its effectiveness, it worked for the Titanic, it worked for the M/V Prinsendam (its
INMARSAT was also hampered by fire back in the late 1980’S), it worked for the Achille Lauro
(only 5 casualties out of more than a 1,000 passengers and crew), and I’ve made it work during
routine equipment failure. And this is just a small sample of SATCOM failures, as I only sailed for
about 6 years on ships, but was still a witness to technological failure on the world’s biggest
wilderness, the open ocean!
CW was and is a proven workhorse!
However, in February 1999, the 1912 SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) convention, the international
ruling that made it mandatory for all vessels over 600 tons to maintain a 500 kHz watch (it was in
existence after the Titanic disaster) was repealed in favor of the new GMDSS (Global Maritime
Distress And Safety System). The GMDSS system is based on INMARSAT, 406 MHz EPIRBS
and a primitive form of pre-ALE digital HF SELCAL. The main motivator for the GMDSS was not
really safety of life at sea but in reality the penchant of the shipping industry to reduce crews and
therefore cost! Experimental fully automated merchant vessels have been sailed (they still need
line handlers to moore them). Fully automated airliners have also been thought of as well! I just
hope that they won’t be powered by Microsoft op sys computers! I don’t think I would want to own
any waterfront property, where an 80,000 ton vessel might possibly accidentally slam into my
house because its navigation/control computer froze!
This is a typical GMDSS console located on a ship’s bridge. This is what replaced the radio
Operator. Either the captain or the 2nd mate (navigator) are assigned to operated it: