[CW] SOS Prinsendam / PJTA

Sat, 4 Oct 2003 19:59:26 -0500

David, was the Captain punished in any way?

73 de Jim, K5ROV

Ham for over 60 years, 80 % CW, 10 % digital, 10 % SSB
[email protected]. ARMS, ARRL,  Ex: W1RLA, K5FBB, K4FEO,
SV0WN (Crete), SV0WN (Rhodes), DL4NC, DL4JP, KA2FC (Japan) ,
KA2JP (Japan).
John 3-16

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David J. Ring, Jr." <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2003 5:19 PM
Subject: [CW] SOS Prinsendam / PJTA

> Twenty-three years ago in the Gulf of Alaska, the Prinsendam - Holland
> America Line's "just the right size" passenger liner had a fatal fire and
> the crew and passengers abandoned ship.
>
> On the morning of the 5th of October, we had a sun rise - the likes of
which
> I've never seen since - wispy angelic puffy white clouds that almost defy
> description.  I thought I was alone in this description until I spoke to
the
> 3rd mate of the Prinsendam recently - he told me the story about the sun
> rise - and from his view point there was one element that was invisible to
> me.  Right along side the rising sun, was the VLCC tanker,
"Williamsburgh" -
> 1300 feet LOA, 225 dwt of ship - answering their SOS - and only seen with
> the new rays of the new day.
>
> But there is more to the story that hasn't been told:
>
> I have just received word that Chief Radio Officer, Jack van der Zee, of
> Beek, Netherlands had died in 2001.
>
> Since he is dead, I can now reveal "the rest of the story" about his SOS
> from Holland-American Line "PRINSENDAM/PJTA" in 1980.
>
> Capt. Vabaker refused to send an SOS - despite the CH/ENGR confirming that
> he had no more CO2 gas to smother the fire in the ER.  Fire was quickly
> spreading.  It was spreading through the main dining room - which of
course
> was on the upper decks.
>
> This was insanity in CRO van der Zee's mind.
>
> First he went to the SATPHONE, and dialed in the preceedance XXX on the
> terminal and waited.  The operator in Washington (COMSAT) asked the ship's
> location, and connected him to a Medical Hospital in Kodiak, Alaska.
>
> COMSAT had "forgotten" that an XXX is any URGENT transmission on a ship -
> not just a medical condition.
>
> Frustrated by this, he went on 500 kHz and called XXX and was promptly
> answered by USCG COMSTA Kodiak, AK who advised him that if his ship was
> burning, he should send out an SOS with the autoalarm.
>
> This Jack did.  Knowing that technically he was violating Radio Laws by
> initiating on his own an SOS, he sent it.
>
> As I have documented (elsewhere) over 350 ships answered this SOS - and it
> was monitored by all the Alaskan Coast stations, all the Canadian Coast
> Stations, and by KLB, Seattle, KFS San Francisco, and by KPH San
Francisco.
>
> Within minutes, Jack had lost mains power in the Radio Room.  He was on
> battery 40 watt A2 (mcw) transmitter and battery receiver.  I asked him if
I
> could take over control of the SOS, he said yes, and I sent out an DDD SOS
> DDD on 500 kHz preceeded by the autoalarm.
>
> I called MAYDAY RELAY on 2182 kHz for Jack because he didn't have a
two-tone
> alarm - the ship had been exempted.  So had my ship.  NOJ answered me on
> 2182 - as did the GREATLAND/WFDP who had heard me RQ PJTA UP 2182 USB on
500
> kHz.  I asked NOJ to send out a MAYDAY RELAY on 2182 kHz - only a small
> fishing boat answered the distress - no one else.
>
> Frantic calls from the Bridge VHF of the PRINSENDAM got no answers.
>
> As the hours progressed, the ships headed towards the postition of the
> ship - Coast Guard cutters were in communications with us on 500 kHz - and
> they passed thousands of words of messages that originally came over their
> radioteletype printers to us - VIA CW. I am indebted for the fine Radiomen
> who served on the USCGC cutters that helped us.  They were fine
operators -
> sending 35 wpm stuff to us because the messages were so long - and using
> non-military proceedure (allowing me to break for a fill) which simplified
> and expedited traffic handling.  They were on the USCG Boutwell, Mellon,
and
> Woodrush.
>
> By the next noontime, over 535 people had been plucked from their
> lifeboats - and all hands were alive.
>
> Jack had technically broken the law, but doing so, he saved 535 lives.
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> About the year 1985, I wrote Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands requesting
> that some sort of honor be given to Jack.  (I didn't know the "rest of the
> story" then.  I got a shuffle.
>
> Then in the year 2000, I contacted ex- Radio-Holland Radio Dirk "Dick"
> Harms, PA2DWH (he has a new callsign, which I forget) and armed with a
> transcript of my original SOS log from my ship, WILLIAMSBURGH/WGOA, a
signed
> copy of my handwritten SOS which was signed by James N. Pfister, CR/O on
my
> ship, Jack v.d. Zee CR/O of the Prinsendam and myself, a morse code
> recording of the SOS as heard at USCG COMMSTA KODIAK/NOJ and a typed
letter
> from Dirk - a Dutchman - in the Formal Queen's Dutch.
>
> The Queen agreed!  She wrote back!  She agreed to give Jack Dutch
> Knighthood.  She sent a letter to the mayor of Beek where Jack lived.
>
> Unfortunately, the mayor vetoed this because (in his words) "this honor is
> not to be given for one good event, but for a lifetime of service."
>
> A year later, Jack died.  He was aproximately 74 years of age.
>
> So now you know - the rest of the story.
>
> For more details see my web site - I have the recordings there, as well as
> radio logs, and other documents.
>
> Best Regards - 73
>
> David J. Ring, Jr., N1EA
> Radio Officer, "Williamsburgh" / WGOA
> 4-5 October 1980
>
> http://www.qsl.net/n1ea
>
>
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