# Distress audio file



## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

This was on here some years ago, i believe - but it is worth a refresh. The recording of the 1983 distress of the loss of the USA? collier "Marine Electric" c/s WOOH. The r/o did not survive as she went down by the head.

On right hand side click VBR mp3.

https://archive.org/details/SsMarineElectricWoohSos


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## dannic (Mar 10, 2013)

Harry Nicholson said:


> This was on here some years ago, i believe - but it is worth a refresh. The recording of the 1983 distress of the loss of the USA? collier "Marine Electric" c/s WOOH. The r/o did not survive as she went down by the head.
> 
> On right hand side click VBR mp3.
> 
> https://archive.org/details/SsMarineElectricWoohSos


Someones last words? Not very good taste I suggest!

Dannic.


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## djringjr (Feb 11, 2008)

Transcript_SOS_WOOH

A transcript for those who might want the Morse translated for them.

Albion "Al" Lane, the R/O who perished during the SOS had one of the most beautiful fists I've ever heard, I listened to him daily from my home near USCG Boston/NMF in Marshfield, MA. One day he'd QTO from near NMN and send his OBS there, and the next he'd send to NMF or VAU in Yarmouth, NS Canada. He always used the MCW on his transmitter, sounded very nice.

https://frumpblog.com/2018/02/16/the-wreck-of-the-ss-marine-electric-35-years-ago/


73
DR
N1EA


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## djringjr (Feb 11, 2008)

*Read the book of the SOS Free Online:* "Until the Sea Shall Free Them: The Wreck of the SS Marine Electric.
https://frumpblog.com/2018/08/04/re...-the-ss-marine-electric-through-chapter-four/


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## GW3OQK (Jun 10, 2010)

I listened again with great respect. As soon as the r/o said "VA" I knew that was the last transmission.
73, Andrew


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## Harry Nicholson (Oct 11, 2005)

djringjr said:


> *Read the book of the SOS Free Online:* "Until the Sea Shall Free Them: The Wreck of the SS Marine Electric.
> https://frumpblog.com/2018/08/04/re...-the-ss-marine-electric-through-chapter-four/


Thank you for the gift. I'll be honoured to read it.


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## gwzm (Nov 7, 2005)

Harry, thanks for posting. I have the book and it is a salutory tale of Robert Frump's survival and his fight for justice. That said, there is still some way to go, judging by the 2015 story of the sinking of the American cargo ship El Faro as told in Into The Raging Sea by Rachel Slade.

gwzm


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

This whole tragedy does not reflect well on the USCG ship inspection service and the ABS Class society....to put it mildly....


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

If that is/was USCG standard distress procedure of the time have to say was unimpressed.
Perhaps my interpretation is incorrect thata whole hour went by and not a single NMN dot or dash of USCG search and rescue encouragement to a very proficient and super-cool WOOH RO and crew.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Yes, hopeless.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

The bravery and dedication of the helicopter and boat crews of the USCG is never in doubt, but the high level coordination often leaves a lot to be desired.


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## djringjr (Feb 11, 2008)

R651400 said:


> If that is/was USCG standard distress procedure of the time have to say was unimpressed.
> Perhaps my interpretation is incorrect thata whole hour went by and not a single NMN dot or dash of USCG search and rescue encouragement to a very proficient and super-cool WOOH RO and crew.


WOOH (MARINE ELECTRIC) was answered immediately by USCG COMMSTA Boston/NMF. Sometimes - and this seemed to be one of them - conditions from offshore Virginia to Boston were better than from offshore Virginia to Portsmouth, VA where NMN was located. I was stumped by this also but sometimes during the day VAU Yarmouth, NS would come barrelling in, other times you wouldn't hear them at all. USCG Boston, NMF had receivers at Marshfield, MA and on Governor's Island, Manhattan, New York City. NMF transmitter was near the Cape Cod canal.

Here is a transcript that I made of the recording, errors please post to this list. I did it many years ago.

https://ia800605.us.archive.org/13/items/SsMarineElectricWoohSos/Transcript_SOS_WOOH.txt

As pointed out the recording is here:
https://ia800605.us.archive.org/13/items/SsMarineElectricWoohSos/Marine_Electric_SOS.mp3

Snoop around on the left for more files, I haven't made links for all the files and when I got the USCG video it displaced the SOS recording.

I believe I now have ALL the links in the description, I added links to the photo of WOOH and links to the transcript.


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## J. Davies (Dec 29, 2010)

There but for the grace of God....


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## tony Allard (Jan 25, 2009)

i listened to the audio and all it was, was dits and dah the whole time i thought they would would have started transmitting by vioce after they got hold of someone else

Tony.


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Although the bandwidth is much greater with a terrestrial voice circuit the intelligence transferred is very prone to error caused by interference. If you wanted to be rescued pre GMDSS/Satcom better rely on morse.


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## GW3OQK (Jun 10, 2010)

Tony, can I add to what Varley said. Deep sea distress working was by telegraphy on 500 kHz in those days, with a coverage of hundreds, even a thousand + miles. Voice might have been used on VHF when within the last 30 miles, but the ships never got that close. Telegraphy has the advantage of being precise in sending and receiving letters and numbers while the messages were understood no matter what the native language of the mariner. 

We can copy Morse from signal levels far too weak to understand voice and the signal to noise ratios on those recordings would never have let each station communicate by voice. I'm very pleased I went to sea in those days. It was all voice on the Great Lakes but even then it could get difficult
73, Andrew


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## BobRyder (Feb 10, 2016)

As a CW op at NMF, USCG Radsta Boston during the early 1960s I can assure you that only capable operators were allowed two-way comms on 500Kc. It appeared to me while listening to the WOOH distress replay that the NMF watchstander that sent IMI instead of RRR either had not been listening or was inept. Perhaps I am wrong, but Virginia to Boston is not really very far for M/F any time of day or night. 73, BobRyder


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