Newly Discovered SOS Telegram in Texas Proves Titanic Owners May Have Lied

[turricaned]

This page gives a summary of what Marconi submitted to the BoT inquiry: THE TITANIC RADIO PAGE

Cape Race (MCE) appears to be in direct contact with Titanic at 00:15 and 00:25.

 

[Alex F]

This page gives a summary of what Marconi submitted to the BoT inquiry: THE TITANIC RADIO PAGE

Cape Race (MCE) appears to be in direct contact with Titanic at 00:15 and 00:25.

00:15 is night time, when D-layer dissapears and range of communication a little bit increases.
The Radio page you refer is bull sheet.

00:15 - Titanic sends position to Frankfurt. Frankfurt says "OK: stand by"

First contact of the Frankfurt with the Titanic actually was: The signal level is strong, good (G), no any records of CQD received, "Titanic bound west. Nil (nothing important)"

BR
Alex

PS None contacts of MSE with the Titanic was neither at 00:15, nor 00:25. The staff of MCE was smoking outside as Cape Cod was sending Atlantic Bulletin to the Titanic at the moment and the Titanic should receive it.

 

[Jim Currie]

[QUOTE=Alex F;378029]Jim, at daytime the range of the Titanic transmitter was max 150 - 350 nm. D-layer absorbs skywave at daytime almost fully. Can you prove your 650nm by any message received from/sent to Cape Race by the Titanic on 14/1 at daytime? Don't make me laugh.


You lost me there friend. I thought this was about the ridiculous claim that Titanic sent a distress message to head office, New York? If so then read back. I think the claim in question is bogus.

However, the claim was that it was sent in the early hours of the morning of April 14. That being so then the range of all transmitter would be vastly increased over the day time range. As for what Cape Race said or did not say. Here's an extract from Day 13 of the US InquirY. Did these newspapers get it all wrong?:

"14995. Can you tell the committee how you were first apprised of this catastrophe, and from whom you obtained your information?
- The first information we had - I speak of the Associated Press - came in two dispatches during the night of Sunday and Monday, April 14 and 15. These two dispatches came from the Marconi station at Cape Race. I shall be very glad to furnish you the dispatches themselves.

I have in my hand a copy of the Anaconda (Mont.) Standard of Monday morning, April 15, containing the two dispatches to which I refer. They are merged in one, but they read as follows:

CAPE RACE, NEW BRUNSWICK,
Sunday night, April 14.

At 10:25 o'clock to-night the White Star Line steamship Titanic called "C.Q.D" to the Marconi wireless station here, and reported having struck an iceberg. The steamer said that immediate assistance was required.

Half an hour afterwards another message came, reporting that they were sinking by the head, and that women were being put off in the lifeboats.

The weather was calm and clear, the Titanic's wireless operator reported, and gave the position of the vessel as 41.46 north latitude and 50.14 west longitude.

The Marconi station at Cape Race notified the Allan liner Virginian, the captain of which immediately advised that he was proceeding for the scene of the disaster.

The Virginian at midnight was about 170 miles distant from the Titanic and expected to reach that vessel about 10 a.m. Monday.

The Olympic at an early hour this Monday morning was in latitude 40.32 north and longitude 61.18 west. She was in direct communication with the Titanic and is now making all haste toward her.

The steamship Baltic also reported herself as about 200 miles east of the Titanic and was making all possible speed toward her. The last signals from the Titanic were heard by the Virginian at 12.27 a.m.

The wireless operator on the Virginian says these signals were blurred and ended abruptly."

That information, while no doubt dramatised for public consumption, contains the essential facts and was in the public domain withing hours of the disaster. Still laughing?

Incidentally; Titanic was in touch with Port Said, Egypt while on the Irish Coast. Her operator, Bride, who was there, said her daytime range was 400 miles, not 350.

"2282. How far could you communicate, with that apparatus?
- During the daytime we reckoned to be able to do 400 miles.
When you say "no limit," sir, we are talking about freak messages which you can get. We were lying off Linton when we came around Belfast, when we exchanged the last message with Teneriffe and Port Said."

Jim C

 

[Alex F]

The Marconi station at Cape Race notified the Allan liner Virginian, the captain of which immediately advised that he was proceeding for the scene of the disaster.

The Virginian at midnight was about 170 miles distant from the Titanic and expected to reach that vessel about 10 a.m. Monday.

Night time and day time - two different things. If you are talking about occasional "freak messages" to Port Said and Tenerife, it might happened only at night time. 400 miles for the Titanic at day time is too much. Even with 5 KW transmitter.

Let's see what happened at night.

The Virginian was about 170 miles distant from the Titanic. They were receiving the Atlantic Bulletin from Cape Cod from 10pm till 10:39.
There was a record in the PV of the Virginian:

14 April 1912

10.39 Press on hand.

then next entry:

11.10 Hear MGY calling CQ and giving his position as 41.46 N 50.14 W

Between those two entries (10:39 and 11:12) one can discern words deleted (erased) - iceberg and immediately after 50.14W.

Then they corrected 10:39 tо 11:00.

10:39 11:00 MCC's (Cape Cod) signals are scarcerly audible. Unable to read a single word.

and then first contact with MCE (Cape Race):

11.12 Call MGY but get no response. MCE then calls me and asked me report to Capt that Titanic struck iceberg and require immediate assistance.

Meantime, it (chatting between the Virginian and Cape Race, MCE) happened on the same frequency, at the same time, when the Titanic was shouting for help, SOS CQD!!! and over the Titanic LOUD (170 miles!!!) signals.

Who was advised whom? The Virginian about sinking Titanic to the Cape Race? Or the Cape Race to Virginian?

The Marconi station at Cape Race notified the Allan liner Virginian, the captain of which immediately advised that he was proceeding for the scene of the disaster.

Did these newspapers get it all wrong?:

BR
Alex

 

[Jim Currie]

First: The Virginian log sheet shows that at 9-45pm EST Titanic was in continuous contact with Cape Race.
Since Titanic's clocks were 2 hours 02 minutes FAST of EST then the equivalent time on her bridge would have been 11-47 pm. April 14.
The most important entry in the Virginian's Process verbal is the fact that her Operator did not hear Titanic calling , CQ -note - not CQD- until 11-10pm EST. That would have been 12 minutes past 1 am, April 15 on Titanic's bridge. By that time, some of the lifeboats were already in the water. If you want mystery - think about that!

As for your other mystries:

The PV scrap log page was ruled. The entries were made in lead pencil. I cannot see evidence of any erasing, I do see the alteration to the time. That was a very common mistake in such a rough log. I've done it myself.
Second: The most blatant error of either notation or morse reading. By 11 -Titanic was transmitting CQD,, not CQ which is simply a call for All Ships
Third,and most important, the newspaper report appeared in the Morning edition of April 15.
The newspaper would have been 'put to bed' in the early hours of April 15. All stories including breaking news would be in there. The report is very specific about the time of 10-25 pm and an interval of 30 minutes thereafter when the word sinking appears. If you look at the PVs of other vessels, you will see that these times closely follow the pattern of signals that night. There is only one place that paper could have got their information from... Cape Race.

Jim C.

 

[Alex F]

The most important entry in the Virginian's Process verbal is the fact that her Operator did not hear Titanic calling , CQ -note - not CQD- until 11-10pm EST. That would have been 12 minutes past 1 am, April 15 on Titanic's bridge. By that time, some of the lifeboats were already in the water. If you want mystery - think about that!

Jim, at 11-10pm EST the signals of the Titanic were very faint.

[Asian] (sigs [signals] faint) Titanic CQ and sent pos want immediate assistance OK answered him promptly rec the post lat 51 [sic] 46 long 50 14 informed captain instructs me to get it repeated. Sigs fainter than ????

Baltic further notes “Jamming bad, but hear Titanic very faint, calling Olympic - latter strong; freaky. Hear Caronia calling. He tells me Titanic requires immediate assistance, gives position. 41.46 N, 50.14 W. - I advise bridge and call Titanic but unable to gain his attention. He appears to be tuned to Olympic and cuts me out. “

So the Virginian came to game when the Titanic was almost dead. After famous "Shut up!" (Don't spread it!) to the Cincinnati/DDC.

BR
Alex

 

[turricaned]

Jim, at 11-10pm EST the signals of the Titanic were very faint.

But on that same page, a later log states that at 11:35 EST (01:27 Titanic ship's time) Cape Race picked up a conversation between Olympic and Titanic - namely :

Cape Race records this at 11.36am: “Olympic asks Titanic which way latter steering. Titanic replies "We are putting women off in boats"...

Which would clearly indicate that Cape Race could not only pick up signals from both Olympic and Titanic at 11:36 EST, but that the signals from both were intelligible. Harold Bride testified that throughout the sinking, he was working with Jack Phillips to get the best possible transmission signal out of the gear with the power they had (i.e. emergency power). It's therefore reasonable to assume that their signals from Titanic would have fluctuated in strength as a result of this continual adjustment over time.

After famous "Shut up!" (Don't spread it!) to the Cincinnati/DDC

There you're deliberately conflating two unrelated transmissions. Phillips' infamous "Shut Up" transmission was in reply to the operator on the Californian well before the collision, and whilst 20/20 hindsight makes that transmission appear to be both brusque and arrogant, the truth is that the Californian's transmission was arguably an informal repetition of information already received - and that for better or worse, those passenger telegrams that appear so ephemeral in hindsight were nevertheless the bread-and-butter of every Marconi operator on every ship.

As far as the NYT piece goes, one has to bear in mind that the US press was aggressively pursuing any bit of hearsay that might suggest wrongdoing on the part of Titanic's crew, and that as such, claims such as those of Herr Schoenherr on the Cincinatti have to be taken with at last a grain of salt. Phillips and Bride worked for Marconi - not White Star - and as such there is no logical reason as to why any distress calls should have been kept even partially schtum.

 

[Alex F]

Phillips and Bride worked for Marconi - not White Star - and as such there is no logical reason as to why any distress calls should have been kept even partially schtum.

They worked for Marconi ???

Why did they call Olympic, White Star liner (605 nm far from them) till the last moment, if number of ships were nearby (within 50-150 nm)? DDC/Cincinnati, DFT/Frankfurt...???

PS

When one wants to call specific stations (e.g. Deutsch stations), they add D to general call (e.g. CQ D), French stations (CQ F),... etc

The distress call (SOS) by the Titanic was sent in 25 minutes (at 10:55) since first call (CQD) at 10:25.


BR
Alex

 

[turricaned]

They worked for Marconi ???

Yes. Google is your friend there if you want to go more in-depth, but even a cursory look at the Wikipedia pages for both men shows clearly that Marconi, not White Star, was their employer at the time. Radio operators worked for Marconi and Marconi assigned those operators to ships of the firms with whom they had a contract.

Why did they call Olympic, White Star liner (605 nm far from them) till the last moment, if number of ships were nearby (within 50-150 nm)? DDC/Cincinnati, DFT/Frankfurt...???

I'm not quite sure what you're asking there - according to the paullee.com page you linked to, Oly reports hearing Titanic at 12:52am Titanic ship's time. An unconfirmed source hears Titanic calling Oly with the SOS at 12:57, and Oly's operator reports being in direct contact by 01:02am. If that's accurate, Oly picked up the signal within 25 minutes of the first distress call being sent, which is hardly the "last moment".

As to why Titanic and Oly conversed, that's a question neither I nor anyone else (bar the late Harold Bride) can answer, but logic would suggest the following circumstances :

1. Oly and Titanic were fitted with two of the most powerful radio sets available on the North Atlantic that night. It stands to reason that while Oly was too far away to render immediate assistance, her radio gear was one of the best bets in terms of guiding closer ships should Titanic's equipment fail
2. Whilst Titanic's transmissions make reference to sinking as early as 12:38, it's reasonable to assume that the operators were not as yet aware just how dire the situation was. The Caronia has Titanic signalling Oly at 01:17 with the message "Capt. says get your boats ready what is your position?", implying that neither Captain Smith nor the Marconi operators realised that there was no way Oly could reach them in time

According to that same page, Cincinatti appears to have assumed from Oly's response to Titanic that their assistance is not needed - no further details are given. Frankfurt, on the other hand, is noted as responding to Titanic's distress call and heading to her position at 12:50. That being the case, Phillips would have understandably have left it at that and continued to request assistance from elsewhere.

When one wants to call specific stations (e.g. Deutsch stations), they add D to general call (e.g. CQ D), French stations (CQ F),... etc

Everything I've ever read on the subject states that "CQD" was nothing to to with specific stations - the mnemonic was "Come Quickly, Distress". SOS was the new code - possibly to prevent any confusion, but certainly because the Morse code for "SOS" was so simple that even those with little experience could remember and use it in a dire emergency. In fact, "SOS" was very new - such that it was possible not all operators yet knew what it meant, hence Phillips' use of both CQD and SOS.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

They worked for Marconi ???

Yes.


Senator SMITH. In whose employ were you on the 10th day of April?
Mr. BRIDE. The 10th day of April of this year?
Senator SMITH. Yes.
Mr. BRIDE. The Marconi Co.'s, sir.
Senator SMITH. The Marconi Co.'s?
Mr. BRIDE. Yes, sir.
Senator SMITH. In what capacity?
Mr. BRIDE. Second operator on the Titanic.

16324. And later on you were appointed by the marconi Company to serve as assistant wireless operator on the "Titanic"? - Yes.


Maybe of interest is also what Mr. Marconi said.


Senator FLETCHER. By whom were these operators on the Titanic and Olympic and Carpathia employed?
Mr. MARCONI. They were employed by the English company.
Senator FLETCHER. The wireless company?
Mr. MARCONI. Yes; the Marconi International Marine Co.
Senator FLETCHER. Not by the ships themselves?
Mr. MARCONI. In the case of the Titanic and the Carpathia, I think they were employed by the Marconi Co. On some ships they are employed directly by the shipowners.
Senator FLETCHER. But in the instances here, Bride, Phillips, and Cottam were employed by the Marconi Co., were they?
Mr. MARCONI. Yes, sir.
Senator FLETCHER. They were under direction and control of the Marconi Co.?
Mr. MARCONI. Yes; except so far as it does not affect the supreme authority of the captain.
Senator FLETCHER. The captain can give orders about sending messages - when to send and what to send?
Mr. MARCONI. Yes. There is a special clause in our agreements with them that that shall be fixed so that in case of emergency or danger the captain is absolute chief and head and ruler of everything concerning the wireless, and all the commercial rules which hold in ordinary times are suspended at the discretion of the captain.

When one wants to call specific stations (e.g. Deutsch stations), they add D to general call (e.g. CQ D), French stations (CQ F),... etc

I think that is the first time I read this. What is the source for that?
Also I very doubt that D stands for Deutsch stations. How do they want to seperate it from the CQD (= All stations Distress) call?

4857. And then the signal C.Q.D. is, or was, at any rate, the distress signal that is to be used? - Yes, the distress signal.
24858. On and after the 1st February, 1904, was the call to be given by ships in distress or requiring assistance, C.Q.D.? - Yes, C.Q.D..
24859. And, according to the Regulations, that signal must not be given except by order of the Captain of the ship in distress - is that right? - Yes, that is right.

 

[Alex F]

Yes.



I think that is the first time I read this. What is the source for that?
Also I very doubt that D stands for Deutsch stations. How do they want to seperate it from the CQD (= All stations Distress) call?

I don't know how. One can say that the reply to first CQD was from Deutsch station (DFT, SS Frankfurt) and DFT noted in her log book - "Titanic bound west. Nil" (nothing important).

The Morse Code is an language. International one. SOS is the word in this language. And adopted for use since Berlin International Convention of 1906. The Titanic was sinking in 1912.

How can one speak that SOS was very new in 1912?

The code is still used as language by millions of people. Professionals and amateurs. You may check with radio amateurs how will they call ALL (CQ) German stations (D) in Morse language? They use CQ+prefix of the country (D).

D is prefix of the call in the signal DFT.

If they want to call distant station they use CQ DX, D - distant, X - signal.

Meantime, X in Morse code means "interferent signal, interference" as well. Because "sparks" of transmiters (TX) and "cracks" of thunderstorms (WX) have little difference for the receiver (RX). All these sparks are noise (NX) for receivers. TX, RX, NX, DX, Xmtr, Xrcvr... - all are words of Morse code.

Not too much changes in Morse Language since 1912 . The stations were using DDD (keep silence!) SOS (ship in distress), bi (stand by? or bi-bi:?) etc

BR
Alex

 

[Bruce Harwood]

Just out of curiosity, does any one happen to know what Binns sent from the Republic in 1909? If SOS was adopted in 1906, he should have been aware of it.

 

[Mark Baber]

According to contemporary news reports, it was CQD; look here.

 

[Alex F]

Just out of curiosity, does any one happen to know what Binns sent from the Republic in 1909? If SOS was adopted in 1906, he should have been aware of it.

Jack Binns (an operator of White Star Liner SS Republic) graduated from Marconi school in 1904. John George "Jack" Phillips graduated in 1906. They were friends. They should be well aware of SOS as both worked on German ships number of years before joining White Star Line.

"Jack" is nickname for Morse key.

BR
Alex

 

[Rob Lawes]

As far as I can be certain, the Morse abbreviation CQD was instructed for use as a distress signal by a Marconi instruction known as circular No. 57 dated 7th Jan 1904. SOS was introduced as a distress call at the Berlin Radio conference in 1906 which didn't come into force until 1908 however, operators continued to use the Marconi derived CQD as well as SOS until the London Radio Conference of 1912 (June - July), post Titanic, when SOS was adopted as the global standard. The term CQ was retained as a general call. The use of alphabetic call signs denoting country of origin was also ratified at the London conference. Prior to this, one of the most prominent call sign pre-fix was M which denoted a ship fitted with Marconi equipment and ships of all nations used the Marconi system therefore you could not tell the country of origin by the call sign.

The Titanic transmitted on 500khz which, while broadcasting a small sky wave element would be firmly in the ground wave transmission region. Given enough power and with suitable atmospheric conditions across a calm ocean, the ranges for this at night would be considerable. Granted modern equipment is far more stable and tunable however, as a radio operator we used to play about transmitting signals from Plymouth to Halifax Nova Scotia on HF if we couldn't clear traffic locally. At the time, the Halifax system replied by an automatically generated Morse Code signal to acknowledge receipt. The maximum output of our transmitters were 1Kw.