Highly recommended by Marine Radio Historian, David J. Ring, Jr., N1EA
From flags and pennants to Morse code and complex
telecommunications, Radio History Ship to Shore is a treatise on the
navigational aids vessels have used over the centuries. Author Spurgeon
“Spud” G. Roscoe takes the reader on a journey through the evolution of
communication systems globally, from the days of Columbus to modern
times.
Roscoe also mines his first-hand experience as a
radio officer who sailed on a dozen ships, including a reproduction of
the ill-fated HMS Bounty. Now in his eighties, he has been meticulously
collecting the content for Radio History Ship to Shore for more than
five decades. The result is a hefty tome in which Roscoe shares his
encyclopedic knowledge and unyielding fascination with communications
systems. The book includes all the vessels in the RCMP marine section
(and, later, marine division), the RCAF marine squadrons, the Royal
Canadian Navy, the Canadian Government Merchant Marine, and the Canadian
Coast Guard, including the weather ships, and icebreakers.
Radio
History Ship to Shore is complemented by a wealth of historic photos of
everything from warships to Canada’s famous Bluenose schooner.
Spurgeon G. Roscoe has been fascinated with living the
life of a radio operator since the age of seventeen. In fact, he became
so enthralled with his work, one year he was at home for only six weeks.
Although he officially retired years ago, Roscoe’s interest in the
navigational aids and communications systems used by ships has never
waned. He belongs to a number of organizations, including the Halifax
Amateur Radio Club, American Radio Relay League, Radio Amateurs of
Canada, The Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society, and the
California Historical Radio Society.
Spurgeon G. Roscoe lives with Joan, his beloved wife of 61 years, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.