# Lifeboat Radios



## Triscom (Feb 27, 2009)

does anyone have any experience of actually using emergency MF/HF lifeboat radio transceivers "in anger"?


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## mikeg (Aug 24, 2006)

Thankfully No


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## gwzm (Nov 7, 2005)

Fortunately no. However was very unimpressed being rowed around Colombo harbour by a team of lascars with the Ch/O and 2/O winding the handles whilst I called 4PB on 500 Kc's. Reply came there none!

= salaams es BV + VA


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## Gareth Jones (Jul 13, 2007)

I had a friend (Mr. Jack Hayes) who was a wartime Junior R/O and he got torpoeded out in the far east somewhere - the ship was going down fast - no time to send an SOS, so, as they were scrambling to abandoning ship, Jack and the Chief R/O lowered the Lifeboat transmitter down to the water line by its rope and let go - and in Jacks words "That was the last we saw of that bugger, it sank like a stone !" of course, they are supposed to float !


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## athinai (Jan 18, 2006)

No, but I built a small transistor Oscillator type multiband during the 60s worked well off the 12V supply and off a 9V battery, M/F H/F included, any transistor radio could be modified for reception on 500 with a bit of tweaking. I carried it around for years just in case. On amateur bands we have competitions for QRP DX, ie Low power perhaps a half watt, and if the conditions are right you can work most countries etc., Still enjoy the hobby. Power was useful but not essential. It you had 1000 watts the guy at the other end would hardly notice if you changed down to 100 to 10 watts etc., Am I getting off the subject, Cheers.

Ironically the one time I was Sunk, was when alongside, Aided with the help of an Israeli Shelling.


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## Tai Pan (Mar 24, 2006)

On Asturias GLQS, two lifeboats had a small W/T room. it had a spark transmitter and rx. every week we had to raise the mast, connect the aerial and test them, very dirty work and got the whites grubby, needless to say the 3rd and 4th got this messey job.


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## 5TT (May 3, 2008)

My recollection of these is how difficult it could be to get everything stowed properly after testing so you could close the lid.
Once after a particularly long struggle, and having finally got the last strap closed I tried to straighten up but had got my tie trapped in the lid. If I could have reached a pair of scissors I definitely would have cut it off and left it there.
On joining a ship I always ensured that there was a small notepad and pencil in there, and add those items if they were absent, but on one occasion I found not only those items but a compactly folded pair of underpants too, not a bad idea I suppose considering how hazardous a ride down to the lifeboat might be, but they were dispensed with before re-packing ..


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

"On joining a ship I always ensured that there was a small notepad and pencil in there, and add those items if they were absent, but on one occasion I found not only those items but a compactly folded pair of underpants too, not a bad idea I suppose considering how hazardous a ride down to the lifeboat might be"

You've got to admit, some of the Sparkies had a bit of wit about them!

I think I've mentioned this before on the site, but one time doing a demo of the equipment for the ABs on an Australian ship, I showed them how to set it up and use the autokey device, followed by a quip: "Any ship within half a mile should pick that up."

Bad mistake ...mucho muttering and I could see the words "delegate" and "stick her up" forming in their minds! Huge back pedal, "only kidding fellas", packed that sh*t up quickly and got out of there! Almost needed those underpants 5TT! Phew, made it - they probably found a tile missing in the galley, I forget now.

John T.


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## 5TT (May 3, 2008)

Yes John I often wondered whether it was for a laugh or a more serious problem for the individual .. I only got rid of them in case my successor thought they were mine and forwarded them on to me .. because that would have taken some explaining to the wife ...

Adrian


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## Ivor Lloyd (Jul 18, 2005)

*Llifeboat Radios*

I was R/O on a ship torpedoed Indian Ocean in Jan 1944 and I managed to get the portable transmitter into the lifeboat and after getting away from the sinking ship and being interogated by the U Boat's Captain we rigged the aerial and connected up and cranking away I sent the usual SSSS (sunk by Submarine) not SOS message but to this day I have heard nothing in reply ! ! ! 
Its a long time ago...

Ivor


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## GBXZ (Nov 4, 2008)

In mid 1969 the MV Gothic had a serious fire about 500 miles south of New Zealand. The alarm was raised by using the portable lifeboat transmitter. If my memory serves me right then I think that the RO connected the tx to the main or emergency aerial. I can re-call the cover of a weekly magazine with the grinning RO clutching the transmitter.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

That was Roger Cliff, GB ... the mgazine you're on about may have been "The Mariner", Marconi's in house magazine.

John T.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Gareth Jones said:


> I had a friend (Mr. Jack Hayes) who was a wartime Junior R/O and he got torpoeded out in the far east somewhere - the ship was going down fast - no time to send an SOS, so, as they were scrambling to abandoning ship, Jack and the Chief R/O lowered the Lifeboat transmitter down to the water line by its rope and let go - and in Jacks words "That was the last we saw of that bugger, it sank like a stone !" of course, they are supposed to float !


Gareth

Is this the same Jack Hayes who got his feet wet a second time whilst on duty at a Coast Station. No lifeboat radio needed this time though. If so, he was one of the three on duty that fateful night in 1953 when the North Sea flooded GKZ. At least the mains gas was still on and they were able to make tea in the Rest Room !

David
+


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## GBXZ (Nov 4, 2008)

Thank you John, the magazine was a NZ weekly.


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## ernhelenbarrett (Sep 7, 2006)

On Dara (BI) we had permanent lifeboat radios and it was the job of the 2nd R/O
(me!) to do the weekly test. As the lifeboats were used as toilets/sleeping quarters for the deck passengers you can imagine the stench etc. doing the tests, had to scrape the human faeces off the benches to get to the installation and being on the Gulf run you can imagine what it was like in that heat. The joys of a 2nd R/O on the Indian Coast with Marconi. Mr Cave didnt like me either!!


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

I thought that they were supposed to do that on the poop deck Ern.

John T.


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## 5TT (May 3, 2008)

The hospital actually John T ... 

We were discharging citrus and frozen chickens I think it was, somewhere in the middle east when we were asked to provide a toilet for the labourers. This was a nice old reefer with a wood planked promenade deck aft of the accomodation (sister ship of the Langkloof David), and the hospital was accessible from that deck, it had a toilet in there so we opened that up for them.

Sometime later we noticed quite a stench coming from there so we sent a cadet in to find out what the problem was ... He came out a lot faster than he went in I might add ... 

Anyway, yes, there was a toilet in there .. but before you got to that there was also a bath ... 

I don't think I need to continue ...

= Adrian +


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## Gareth Jones (Jul 13, 2007)

david.hopcroft said:


> Gareth
> 
> Is this the same Jack Hayes who got his feet wet a second time whilst on duty at a Coast Station. No lifeboat radio needed this time though. If so, he was one of the three on duty that fateful night in 1953 when the North Sea flooded GKZ. At least the mains gas was still on and they were able to make tea in the Rest Room !
> 
> ...



Indeed it is - Jack was O/C at GNF when I went there - He later moved on to ship inspection. He also told us of that fateful night at GKZ, when they ended up sitting on top of the consols to keep their feet out of the water !


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