[CW] SOS Prinsendam / PJTA

Sat, 4 Oct 2003 21:15:11 -0300

Guess not. Remember this has been touted as a "story that hasn't been told"
('cause the teller was waiting to learn that Jack van der Zee passed away in
2001 before making this incident public. Oh well, what a joke!).

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Parsons" <[email protected]>
To: "David J. Ring, Jr." <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2003 9:59 PM
Subject: Re: [CW] SOS Prinsendam / PJTA

> 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
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > CW mailing list
> > [email protected]
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/cw
> >
>
>
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