# Ship's call sign GJTN



## marconiwireless

Hello,

I collect ship's early wireless equipment especially Marconi and have recently acquired a M.I.M.C.Co. Ltd (Marconi International Marine Communications Company Ltd) Type 365a morse key which has the call sign GJTN on the cover. I understand this was used on a British Telecom cable laying vessel and wondered if any member could help in identifying which one? 

thankyou


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## Pompeyfan

On behalf of the 'SN Moderating Team', welcome aboard marconiwireless.

Hopefully, someone will be able to help with the information you are seeking.


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## billyboy

A warm welcome aboard from the Philippines. Please enjoy all this great site has to offer


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## marconiwireless

Thankyou for the kind welcome.


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## Ron Stringer

Pompeyfan said:


> On behalf of the 'SN Moderating Team', welcome aboard marconiwireless.
> 
> Hopefully, someone will be able to help with the information you are seeking.


David,

This query might get a better response in the 'Radio Room' forum.


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## Pompeyfan

marconiwireless

As Ron has suggested, I have moved your thread to here in The Radio Room where you will hopefully receive better response. Good luck.


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## Tai Pan

who has a dickie dapel, info should be in there.


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## John Leary

I have looked in my records that are dated 1963. Your call-sign is not registered for that year. Sorry that I cannot help on this occasion.
Regards
John


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## A.D.FROST

R651400 said:


> Just a guess having sailed on GJXM that the GJ series came out circa 1930 so by 1963 probably scrapped or moved registry.
> Roger Bentley, Tony Selman or someone in ROA archives will no doubt come up with the answer soon.


Sorry they do not run consecutive (LLANWERN bt.1962 GJMW)


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## Roger Bentley

I have checked all cable ships for Cable and Wireless and HM GPO(later BT) listed in Lloyd registers from 1950- 1963 none of these has the call sign GJTN.


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## david.hopcroft

Not listed in the Oct 1963 Dicky Dappel

David
+


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## Ron Stringer

Many GJ-- callsigns _were _assigned in 1963/64 but there was always a long interval between the issuing of the callsign and the publishing of the details in the ITU List of Callsigns (Dicky Dappel). 

The GPO (who issued the callsigns) only submitted their data intermittently, so it could be several months before the ITU was notified. Once the data had arrived in Geneva, the publication lead time for the ITU publications was some 9 months - occasionally even longer. So it is most unlikely that a callsign issued in 1963 would appear before a Supplement issued to the List of Callsigns in 1964, 1965 or even later.


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## Tony Selman

I can't find it either although I have not given up yet.


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## John Leary

The key featured in the photograph (or its identical twin brother) is currently on sale on EBay with the auction closing today. The seller has advised that the key possibly comes from the BT cable ship Monarch or the Rendeen, 2472 tons registered in Falmouth. All very mysterious


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## A.D.FROST

Not the Monarch


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## Rhodri Mawr

It could be from the British Telecom cable ship "Alert". I think her call sign began with GJ.. but cannot be sure.


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## david.hopcroft

The Monarch was GBDF

Alert was GHJW

In the 1963 book.

David
+


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## Graham P Powell

I seem to remember the Post Office having an "Iris" as well.
Cable and Wireless had one called "Mercury". We also worked at GKA the "John W Mckay" cable ship but not sure who owned that one.
It appears in one of the Bond films when he escapes in a speed boat between two vessels.
rgds
Graham Powell


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## Gareth Jones

This thread prompts me to wonder how many cableships are left now - there must be many thousands of miles of undersea cables still in use - with the ease of satellite communications - does anyone bother to maintain those cables in good order ?


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## john shaw

It rather appears that this member joined only to help him sell the item on a "well-known auction site"?.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MARCONI-W...on_Code_Keyers_Keys_Tubes&hash=item20d8aeca51


Joined 29 Sept,only 2 postings. Perhaps he will offer some of the £155 raised to those members who evidently put in a lot of effort on his behalf believing him to be a genuine "maritime enthusiast" and "collector"?


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## Dave Woods

Gareth Jones said:


> This thread prompts me to wonder how many cableships are left now - there must be many thousands of miles of undersea cables still in use - with the ease of satellite communications - does anyone bother to maintain those cables in good order ?


I think you will find that satellites have been almost obsolete since the mid 90’s with the introduction of the new fibre optic cables.


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## david.hopcroft

Graham

Obviously lots of money to be made on the Iris - my 1963 edition shows it as GLSD

David
+


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## Tony Selman

Well he suckered me into spending about an hour trawling through books. He contacted me through the ROA website with what seemed like a genuine request for a ships name - we get lots of those. It never occurred to me he wanted the name to add value to the morse key on the 'well known website'. 
Hard to know how I can separate the gold diggers from the genuine article though.


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## Roger Bentley

Likewise Tony, I checked the following ships Edward Wilshaw, Lady Denison Pender, Mirror, Norseman, Monarch, Recorder, Retriever, Stanley Angwin, Iris, Ariel, Alert. No GJTN among them. Cheers, Roger Also checked Cable Enterprise and Electra not GJTN either.


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## Troppo

Bastard.

Send him an invoice.

He should be thrown off the site.


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## A.D.FROST

Troppo said:


> Bastard.
> 
> Send him an invoice.
> 
> He should be thrown off the site.


By MORSE!


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## david.hopcroft

A close match I found was GJQN, which was Everards 'Supremity' built 1944, 2074 grt. 
. 

GJTK is 'Spinel'
GJTQ is 'Truro'

Think these are also both coastal, so this could be a clue. 

David
+


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## GBXZ

Looking at the photograph of the key it looks like the "GJQN" was applied using a labeling machine, the type face is too regular or accurate for handwork. Perhaps the c/s was imagination to add perceived value to the key.
GJMC was RFA Tidespring from 1963 so the dates don't follow in any sequence.
Regds
GBXZ


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## trotterdotpom

Must have been done by someone with a really bad memory. I don't recall ever seeing a morse key with the call sign on it. 

John T


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## Varley

trotterdotpom said:


> Must have been done by someone with a really bad memory. I don't recall ever seeing a morse key with the call sign on it.
> 
> John T


I was going to say that but couldn't be sure.


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## Wismajorvik

I could have done with a sticker like that when departing Avonmouth on the 'Kohistan' and calling GIL intending to pass a TR which I hadn't written down beforehand. Realised I was about to add the c/s of my previous ship after the 'DE' and I had no idea of the present vessel's c/s. Frantically hunted around while sending double dots and located the c/s stuck on the bulkhead, concealed by a curtain over the porthole.


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## Rhodri Mawr

I've checked out the WMO's list of ships over the years which were listed as sending OBS weather reports. No GJTN is listed - but the usual close matches did come up:

GJTA - Beaverpine
GJPN - Egton
GJTQ - Truro

Cheers
Rhodri


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## Alan Couchman

*GJTN Pendeen*

Seems that GJTN is the Pendeen: see http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=34b0657.pdf


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