NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Celestial Navigation in the Movies
From: Greg B
Date: 2019 Oct 10, 06:44 -0700
From: Greg B
Date: 2019 Oct 10, 06:44 -0700
Hi guy's,
With regard to: "mayday" instead of the obsolete SOS."
SOS was NEVER ment for voice communications. It is strictly for CW aka 'Morse code' and never ment "save our souls" or "save our ship" it was simply a easy to recognize pattern that 'jumped out at you' as opposed to CQD the original distress call which would sometimes be lost among all the ships calling CQ (any station answer) while CW is no longer used for marine radio communication SOS lives on in the Weams&Plath SOS Emergency Light.... as a night time emergency signal. Much better than pyrotechnic flairs in my book. And in safe Boating classes we teach it as something you should recognize. Greg
