# Emergency radio rooms



## SeaObserver (Oct 18, 2011)

A recent article in 'The Review - Journal of the Naval Historical Collectors & Research Association' on the Canadian-built FORT STIKINE (the one that blew up in Bombay in April 1944) authored by the ship's 3rd RO, refers to their response at action stations. Namely the Chief FO and 3rd RO went to the 'shack' and the 2nd RO went to an emergency radio room aft. With many ship owners reluctant in providing non-earning space, has anyone awareness of or experience of this emergency radio room.


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

I have a vague memory of a Scandinavian built vessel with an emergency radio room in the forecastle. Can't remember now which (not much point now in a second one aft with 'all aft' accommodation).


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

FPSOs are required to have an emergency comms station.

Russian merchant ships had 2 radio rooms - the civil and the military one....


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Troppo said:


> FPSOs are required to have an emergency comms station.
> 
> Russian merchant ships had 2 radio rooms - the civil and the military one....


The ones we managed had three but all were commercial and interdependent. Large central room with self contained reserve station at one end and a huge, effectively remote control, console at the other.

Transmitters in another room aft of the central one and a smaller cramped room with the telex machinery forward.

There was a hint of social engineering about the large entertainment room geared to make the entertainment as well as deliver it.

I regret not visiting INZHENER YERMOSHKIN - IMO 7941655 when we had her. She was equipped with strengthened decks and fixed radiation monitoring equipment clearly capable of having an auxiliary military role. Don't know about radio rooms 'though.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Troppo said:


> FPSOs are required to have an emergency comms station.
> 
> Russian merchant ships had 2 radio rooms - the civil and the military one....


Didn't RFAs have two radio rooms? 

John T


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

They did indeed.


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

RFAs had a commercial room and a military comms room. No one apart from comms staff and Master allowed into mil room. Anyone who wanted to make a link call or send a telegram used the commercial office. It was fitted out as would be found in any British merchant ship.


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## bfraser47 (Jun 1, 2014)

King Ratt said:


> RFAs had a commercial room and a military comms room. No one apart from comms staff and Master allowed into mil room. Anyone who wanted to make a link call or send a telegram used the commercial office. It was fitted out as would be found in any British merchant ship.


Were the R/Os common to both radio rooms, or RN staff for mil coms ?


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

RFA Radio Officers did all comms which made life interesting. Most traffic was received via the Naval covered broadcasts on LF/HF. Occasionally in times of a major military exercise or war area, naval sparkers would supplement the comms staff. Generally this happened on the likes of the old LSL (Sir Galahad ) fleet because they only carried two RFA R/Os and did not keep continuous watch. Full watches were needed for major events.


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

King Ratt said:


> RFA Radio Officers did all comms which made life interesting. Most traffic was received via the Naval covered broadcasts on LF/HF. Occasionally in times of a major military exercise or war area, naval sparkers would supplement the comms staff. Generally this happened on the likes of the old LSL (Sir Galahad ) fleet because they only carried two RFA R/Os and did not keep continuous watch. Full watches were needed for major events.


Did you have full access to RNCP's, ACP's etc?


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

If they had to read the covered broadcasts, yep...


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## Bill.B (Oct 19, 2013)

If I remember correctly Engadine had a lifeboat radio cabin in one of the lifeboats. She also had a cast of hundreds in the Radio Dept.
SRO, ROA maintainer, Three ROB watch keepers, Two signalmen, Two RN POs for the radars, and when on ops a Sub Leftie and a Killick for the weather fax. Making coffee at smoko used to take two kettle loads. Had the commercial radio room as part of the Military radio room with a transmitter room off of the commercial room. Orangeleaf had an L shaped radio room. Aft bit for the telex gear and the thwart ship bit for the commercial gear plus some navy VHF/UHF gear. LSLs had two separate rooms.
Bill B
GTNR
GSRE
GRBU
73-74


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

Bill.B said:


> If I remember correctly Engadine had a lifeboat radio cabin in one of the lifeboats. She also had a cast of hundreds in the Radio Dept.
> SRO, ROA maintainer, Three ROB watch keepers, Two signalmen, Two RN POs for the radars, and when on ops a Sub Leftie and a Killick for the weather fax. Making coffee at smoko used to take two kettle loads. Had the commercial radio room as part of the Military radio room with a transmitter room off of the commercial room. Orangeleaf had an L shaped radio room. Aft bit for the telex gear and the thwart ship bit for the commercial gear plus some navy VHF/UHF gear. LSLs had two separate rooms.
> Bill B
> GTNR
> ...


Amongst all previously mentioned how many held the numbers for the Safe containing the Classified Publications? (Jester) regards, Chad RBDG


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## holland25 (Nov 21, 2007)

chadburn said:


> Amongst all previously mentioned how many held the numbers for the Safe containing the Classified Publications? (Jester) regards, Chad RBDG


Cant speak for the Engadine but on the Olmeda and Olna 1969/70 all of the R/Os,there were 6 of us, had the numbers. The SRO on the Olmeda, would, from time to time, remove one of the pubs, and woe betide if you had signed for them at the start of the watch.


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

Thanks for your reply Holland25(Thumb) I have wrote a few F sigs 266 out in my time for onward transmission. RBDG.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

holland25 said:


> Cant speak for the Engadine but on the Olmeda and Olna 1969/70 all of the R/Os,there were 6 of us, had the numbers. The SRO on the Olmeda, would, from time to time, remove one of the pubs, and woe betide if you had signed for them at the start of the watch.


Sneaky git!

John T


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

For Chadburn. Yes, full access to all comms pubs. RNCPs, AMSPs, ACPs and all DCIs. SRO or ROA was also CBO and cryptocustodian. 

For Holland25. I wonder who that SRO was. Any initials?

KR


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

King Ratt said:


> For Chadburn. Yes, full access to all comms pubs. RNCPs, AMSPs, ACPs and all DCIs. SRO or ROA was also CBO and cryptocustodian.
> 
> For Holland25. I wonder who that SRO was. Any initials?
> 
> KR


On Exercise I was shown the encoded 'We are at War with the following Countries' message, it looked like an order for spare parts with each Country named as a part like "Aerocobra Engine" for ?(*))


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## holland25 (Nov 21, 2007)

King Ratt said:


> For Chadburn. Yes, full access to all comms pubs. RNCPs, AMSPs, ACPs and all DCIs. SRO or ROA was also CBO and cryptocustodian.
> 
> For Holland25. I wonder who that SRO was. Any initials?
> 
> KR


ND,he went on leave and never came back.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Page by page muster of all pubs!


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## MikeGDH (May 10, 2014)

When I was on 'Darton' (ex-Nemiskam Park) in Jan '54, the 2nd Radio Room still had the 'Radio Room' label affixed over the door. It was at the after-end of the midships accom., at main deck level. The Greeks used it as a store-room. There was no radio gear there!
Mike.


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## IAN M (Jan 17, 2009)

*Emergency Radio Rooms*



SeaObserver said:


> A recent article in 'The Review - Journal of the Naval Historical Collectors & Research Association' on the Canadian-built FORT STIKINE (the one that blew up in Bombay in April 1944) authored by the ship's 3rd RO, refers to their response at action stations. Namely the Chief FO and 3rd RO went to the 'shack' and the 2nd RO went to an emergency radio room aft. With many ship owners reluctant in providing non-earning space, has anyone awareness of or experience of this emergency radio room.


Perhaps all FORT BOATS had them as there was one on the FORT HOWE where Arthur Owen, a friend of mine now deceased, was 1st R/O in 1943. Here is what he wrote about it.

"There was also a tiny emergency wireless room – on the main deck and well away from the main deck at the after end of the engine room housing. Although only 6΄ deep x 4΄ wide and likely to have been a converted cupboard, it could prove useful if the main wireless room were destroyed."


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## Tony Selman (Mar 8, 2006)

I am researching this through the ROA archives. There is some early indication there may have been an emergency radio room aft on some WW2 tankers but this is proving hard to verify. Whilst I can see the theory of having another emergency radio room aft in case a tanker split in two, it would depend on one of the three wartime R/O's being able to get down aft to operate it.
I have the very vaguest recollection of coasting a very old Brocklebank vessel built in WW2 and coming across a cupboard or storage area still labelled 'Emergency Radio Room'. I was on 2 or 3 of these so I cannot say which one, perhaps another Brock's R/O can comment.


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

I can understand the reason for an emergency Radio Room which was not in the Bridge structure bearing in mind the German Navy fired at the Bridge structure if something like a RRR message was being sent.


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## ericfisher (Nov 27, 2011)

Ian, Sailed on the Fort McMurray 1943. It had the same emerg'y wireless room and in the same location. As 3rd R/O it was my duty to keep the lifeboat radio batteries charged with only one 110V DC outlet The lifeboat radio itself was stored 'midships near the engineroom skylights. The tiny room held other radio spares, but nothing else. There was no operating wireless equipment whatsoever. Eric


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