Doc Jargon: History gets distress signals straight

Photo By Collen McGee | Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the U.S. Army.  

FORT RILEY, KS, UNITED STATES

10.25.2023

Story by Collen McGee 

Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

Dear Doc Jargon,

I was checking out a military museum over the long holiday break and saw a display about radio operators and Morse code. I remember hearing that S-O-S is the universal distress call. I always wondered what it stood for and that display didn’t say.

Can you tell me what it means and why it became the universal cry for help?

Sincerely,

Without Distress




Dear Without Distress,

Actually, this was a pretty interesting story when I researched it. The distress signal didn’t start out as three letters. It was originally intended to be one signal. So, it was supposed to be three dots, three dashes and three more dots without a break between them.

But, we all know how we love our acronyms and since the letters S and O are … and --- respectively, the signal started being called SOS. It actually doesn’t stand for anything. It also wasn’t the only type of distress call and it wasn’t the U.S. military who mandated SOS as the signal.

Originally, the signal was used on ships. The U.S. Navy used the codes for “NC” which matched the flag signals from the International Code of Signals which are still in use today. However, the adoption of Morse code meant something simple had to be adopted that could be communicated quickly and wouldn’t be confused with any other signal. So, the competition between nations was on.

The equipment on maritime vessels back then came with operators from the Marconi Company. Marconi was the inventor invented the wireless telegraphy technology that made ship to ship and ship to shore communications possible. Marconi’s operators used the code for “CQD” – this didn’t stand for anything.

It was the German operators who proposed the SOS code we know today. In 1905, “…---…” or SOS, became the international distress code.

The fun part is that both CQD and SOS have what are called “backronyms.” Backronyms are assigned to act as tools to help remember something – sort of like I used all through college to remember formulas.

So, SOS was assigned the words save our ships, or save our souls and CQD was often referred to as come quick drowning or come quick distress.

So, I hope I gave you enough information about where the SOS signal comes from and more than enough info to impress a friend or two during game night.

Sincerely,

Doc Jargon

• Date Taken: 10.25.2023
• Date Posted: 10.25.2023 16:50
• Story ID: 456549
• Location: FORT RILEY, KS, US