What is SSS?

[U-104]

In October of '39, my sub had just rounded Norway on its way into the North Sea when we picked up a radio message saying, "SSS, SSS, SSS, SSS, 46.23N 14.59W SS." What does "SSS" mean?

[Jager Kapitan]

I may be wrong but i think it means a submarine is attacking, it may be an acronym like S.O.S, but im not sure.

[Dowly]

Like Jager Kapitan said:

During World War II a new distress signal, SSS, was devised for use only when the cause of the distress was a submarine torpedoing.

[theluckyone17]

Yep. "Ship undergoing submarine attack" or a paraphrase of such. http://www.usmm.org/bookreview.html#anchor2144512 .

[U-104]

i see now thank you all.

[Dowly]

Yep. "Ship undergoing submarine attack" or a paraphrase of such. http://www.usmm.org/bookreview.html#anchor2144512 .

Like in SOS, the letters in SSS didnt actually mean anything as far as I know.:yep:

[Cdre Gibs]

SOS - Oh it definatley has a meaning. Save Our Souls. Harks back to the days when all seamen were God fearing folk.

[MuscleBob.Buffpants]

@ Cdr Gibbs,

Sorry but SOS has no meaning. It was decided at a conference in Berlin (1906) to replace the distress signal at the time (CQD - CQ is a normal morse/radio preface, D was for distress and quite difficult to transmit i.e. - · - · / - - · - / - · · ) with a new code that would not be mistaken for another call while being easy to transmit on a morse key. ...---... was chosen (ref Wikipedia).

It doesn't have a translated meaning, it's just memorable and quick to transmit.

Interesting factoid, the Titanic's first distress transmissions were CQD, its later ones were SOS.

Bob

[CWorth]

This may help a bit..

http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/060199tip6.htm

From the article

The Marconi Yearbook of Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony , 1918 states, "This signal [SOS] was adopted simply on account of its easy radiation and its unmistakable character. There is no special signification in the letter themselves, and it is entirely incorrect to put full stops between them [the letters]." All the popular interpretations of "SOS," "Save or Ship," "Save Our Souls," or "Send Out Succour" are simply not valid. Stations hearing this distress call were to immediately cease handling traffic until the emergency was over and were likewise bound to answer the distress signal.

[Cdre Gibs]

:lol: Wikipedia's - whatever float's ya boat!

[Dowly]

SOS have said to mean Save our Souls or Save our Ship, but it was choosed because it is easy and fast to morse. :up:

[Safe-Keeper]

Are there any other "S-S" signals other than SOS and SSS?

[Puster Bill]

Are there any other "S-S" signals other than SOS and SSS?

Not sure, but I believe 'RRR' was to be sent in case of attack by a surface raider.

[JSalinger]

And then there was 'QQQ'-I am under attack by an unidentified enemy vessel.

[bigboywooly]

Interesting



The clocks in the Radio Office were all set to Greenwich mean time, which was always referred to as Zulu time. The clocks had two segments painted on the dial, one segment at quarter to and the other at quarter past the hour. This was to remind the operator not to transmit during this time, but to listen for distress calls. During World War Two, however, the radio operators had to maintain strict radio silence. They listened for scheduled messages sent to the convoys and independent ships from Portishead (http://www.gordonmumford.com/radio-02.htm#Portishead Radio) and Rugby Radio (http://www.gordonmumford.com/radio-02.htm#Rugby Radio) on the HF band. The rest of the time, they listened for calls on the 500 k/cs (600 metres) MF band. If the ship were attacked, they would transmit a four-letter code. For example, SSSS, would indicate an attack by U-boats, AAAA for aircraft, and QQQQ for armed surface raiders. The SOS code was not normally used in convoys in wartime.

http://www.gordonmumford.com/radio-02.htm#Portishead%20Radio


But this is different again - great read this one BTW of a German merchant raider attack

One of the ships signalled by lamp in morse code for the Rangitane to stop and for the radio not to be used; Upton and his officers were too busy to read the message. Following Admiralty standing orders, Captain Upton ordered a QQQQ radio signal to be sent - a standard 'suspicious vessel' message. As soon as the Radio Officer started sending the QQQQ message the raiders immediately tried to jam the transmission, switched on searchlights and started shelling the Rangitane. The radio officer tried to send an RRRR message - the standard 'raider attack'
http://www.thebells.btinternet.co.uk/rangitane/story.htm

[joea]

:lol: Wikipedia's - whatever float's ya boat!

The site CWorth posted from is not wikipedia. :roll:

[tycho102]

@ Cdr Gibbs,

Sorry but SOS has no meaning. It was decided at a conference in Berlin (1906) to replace the distress signal at the time (CQD - CQ is a normal morse/radio preface, D was for distress and quite difficult to transmit i.e. - · - · / - - · - / - · · ) with a new code that would not be mistaken for another call while being easy to transmit on a morse key. ...---... was chosen (ref Wikipedia).

Bob
Exactly. It was chosen for the operators, and to prevent ambiguity.

I was never a radioman, but it was a field that came up from time to time.

[usub]

Is it possible to respond to these SSS messages? Or are they just F.Y.I?

[_Seth_]

Hi mate, and welcome!:sunny:

I believe its only eye-candy, and that its not possible to aid or assist that actual vessel. A lot of the messages recieved are just for that "realism" feeling, and has nothing to do with you or your patrol. :yep::up:

[Ole]

there was a signal the german marine, especially the u-boat weapon, used during ww2.
it was "BBB" which meant "Be aware of the British Bernard!"

[swuboo]

I should hardly think a U-Boot kaleun would be worried about a British Bernard; I'm fairly sure he's the fellow who sets the depth to zero and wasserbombs the stern of his own ship!

All humor aside, this is a fascinating thread. Didn't know a lick of this.

[_Seth_]

there was a signal the german marine, especially the u-boat weapon, used during ww2.
it was "BBB" which meant "Be aware of the British Bernard!":rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

[LeafsFan]

Are there any other "S-S" signals other than SOS and SSS?

Not sure, but I believe 'RRR' was to be sent in case of attack by a surface raider.

Indeed

[Dutch]

SOS - Oh it definatley has a meaning. Save Our Souls. Harks back to the days when all seamen were God fearing folk.

That was not the "official" name of SOS.

The only way to make sense of it is this. SOS, and previously CQD, in modern day terms would be like 911. Its more or less a distress signal. I believe that at any point in a message the letters, S O S were in that order, was to be seen as a ship at sea declaring a state of emergancy, and requesting assistance from anyone in the area.

I believe that SOS was instituted around 1912, around the same time the Titanic sank. I belive at that time CQD was still seen as a distress call as well. But I believe, and correct me if I am wrong, the radioman on the Titanic was the first to use the "new" SOS distress signal. After the instituting of SOS it was later give the "unofficial" acronym of Save Our Souls, but was never intended to actually represent those words. Kind of like 911 bieng associated with 9/11 (Sept 11th) after the attacks.

Just my two cents, and again I am not 100% sure on all that.

[Abd_von_Mumit]

'Sos' means 'sauce' in Polish. :)

[bigboywooly]

'Sos' means 'sauce' in Polish. :)

:rotfl:
Perhaps they are signalling they are out of ketchup
:rotfl:

[Sailor Steve]

S-O-S

... --- ...

Any untrained idiot can send it, and any untrained idiot can understand it when he hears it. That's what it means, and that's all that it means.

[danlisa]

S-O-S

... --- ...

Any untrained idiot can send it, and any untrained idiot can understand it when he hears it. That's what it means, and that's all that it means.
SSS = Sailor Steve Says :hmm:

[Sailor Steve]

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
HEY! Don't be puttin' words in my mouth...even if they're good ones!




Or is that 'Same Old Steve'?