Hello Steve,
I went and found some write ups on the Internet.
Here's one:
Here's another - and I even went to the USCG museum when they dedicated a large mural highlighting the SOS. The artist wanted to put TT WILLIAMSBURGH in the center of the action because an 1100 foot ship was very useful for landing USCG and Canadian helicopters. I made plans to have lunch with H. Paul Jefferson, who wrote this book.
Here's a very telling review:
Lack of review/homework hurts the story.
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2006
Initial glaring error creats many questions of Authors research, facts, and credibility. Considerable space is given to an "Admiral" Richard Schoel, USCG, including a full page quote following the Table of Contents. The "Admiral" of the Seventeenth Coast Guard District during the PRINSENDAM incident was Rear Admiral Richard J. Knapp, who is not even mentioned in the book. As Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office in Valdez, Alaska, I worked closely with Admiral Knapp throughout this incident, including matters involving use of the T/V WILLIAMSBURGH as a rescue platform, and then return of the survivors to Valdez. The Admiral was the key person representing the Coast Guard in this rescue and deserves full mention and credit. Numerous other errors in personnel rank, title, and areas of responsibility exist.
Additionally, no mention or credit is given of the major decision by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company to allow the fully loaded T/V WILLIAMSBURGH to return their terminal. This was no small undertaking.
Not allowing the PRINSENDAM to be towed into sheltered waters of the State of Alaska was a major decision of Commander, Jake Jacoby, Commanding Officer of the Marine Safety Office, Juneau, Alaska.
Award ceremonies were held throughout Alaska by Admiral Knapp, including bringing the CGC BOUTWELL to Valdez to serve as a "Platform" for the citizens of that area. A little effort might have been made toward listing the persons receiving these awards.
James K. Woodle, Commander, USCG (Retired)
H. Paul Jefferson, the author was involved with radio but the behind the microphone type. I had specifically told him that every other book got the story wrong.
First there was the URGENT message from PRINSENDAM
This is a text copy of the Archive webpage
Recordings of the Urgent broadcast and later SOS broadcast made by ms Prinsendam which was on fire and burning out of control due to a fire in the engine room in the Gulf of Alaska. Chief Radio Officer, Jack van der Zee (he was from Beek, Netherlands) on the Netherlands Antilles registered cruise ship "ms Prinsendam" on October 4, 1980. He sent this to United States Coast Guard Communications Station Kodiak, Alaska (COMMSTA KODIAK/NOJ). COMMSTA KODIAK advised him that due to the late hour and most of the ship's in the vicinity only have one operator who was off radio watch, that an SOS should be sent preceded by the international auto alarm to activate the autoalarm receivers on nearby ships and ring a bell on the bridge and in the Radio Officer's cabin. A short while later CRO van der Zee sent out an SOS what is most remarkable about this is that the Captain of ms Prinsendam directed him to only send out the message as an Urgent message or XXX. CRO van der Zee was unsuccessful in convincing him that an SOS was needed, but the Captain remembered that once a ship sent out SOS it entitled rescuing vessels to salvage rights. CRO van der Zee literally feeling the heat from the deck through his shoes made the courageous decision to accept the penalty of disobedience which was loss of his license, fines and imprisonment and sent out the Captain's message as an Distress or SOS message instead of an Urgent or XXX message as he was ordered. CRO van der Zee reasoned: "If I send this as an XXX no one will hear it besides the Coast Guard, if I send it as SOS I will send the autoalarm signals and the nearby cargo ships will be notified that there is a distress. If I loose my license, get fined, and go to jail, at least I will be alive and so will the passengers and crew, God willing." Queen Beatrix who had just ascended to the throne of the Netherlands shortly before this event was to award CRO Jack van der Zee the Order of Netherlands Lion, a type of knighthood for his courageous actions in willing to do the right thing despite the possible consequences of jail and loosing his livelihood, his pension and his financial security for him and his family.
A copy of the original hand written radio logbook from "TT Williamsburgh" WGOA is included. This log is signed by Chief Radio Officer of "ms Prinsendam", Jack van der Zee, Chief Radio Officer of "TT Williamsburgh", James N. Pfister, and Observing Radio Officer, David J. Ring, Jr. An "Observing Radio Officer" is a fully qualified and licensed USCG Radio Officer who needed to obtain the FCC required six months sea endorsement before sailing as a sole Radio Officer on a ship.
[1] A copy of the official radio log of EXXON NEW ORLEANS/WNDM has been kindly provided by the radio officer, Richard Singer. Richard keeps an excellent log, is an excellent R/O and can send Morse beautifully as anyone who has heard him on the air as K6KSG can attest.
[2] Also a picture of the QSL (verification) card of amateur radio station, N1EA which features a artist's rendering of the ship blaze and lifeboats with survivors is included.
[3] A PDF file of the Radio Log of supertanker "WILLIAMSBURGH" / WGOA (call sign) is also included. Notice that there is no URGENT or XXX broadcast contained in the logbook. That is because the first broadcast went out as an XXX / URGENT and could not and was not preceded by the Auto Alarm signal which if sent would and did activate the auto alarm receiver on nearby vessels - including WILLIAMSBURH. That's why sending the SOS was important: because along with it, the auto alarm could be sent to wake up all the nearby cargo ships with one operator who only worked 8 hours a day.
[6] WILLIAMSBURGH Deck Log for October 4, 1980:
[7] USCG COMMSTA SAN FRANCISCO/NMC Intercept of PRINSENDAM's XXX at 0900Z 04 October 1980.
[8] Dutch Board of Inquiry Report - Official Translation - English -
[9] Rescue at Sea: CW Saves the Day. WorldRadio Online August 2012, article about the SOS and Rescue of ms PRINSENDAM by Randall Noon, KCØCCR .
[10] Fire at Sea - an article written by Don Bush, KL7JFT and published here with his permission.
[11] "Abandon Ship!" Alaska Magazine, January 1981.
[12] 1980 November 24 USCG COMMANDANT'S BULLETIN
[13] The Long Blue Line Prinsendam — Coast Guard’s “Miracle Rescue” over 40 years ago! A Published 2022 April 29, a reprint of the 1980 November 24 USCG Commandant's Bulletin (above)
[14] Pacific Search and Rescue [PACSAR] Chronological Report (Kept in Time Zone Tango - Pacific Daylight Time.)
[15] Alaskan Miracle Titanic International Society -1991
[16] USCG Official Photographs courtesy of USCG Commandant, WashDC.
#1 ms PRINSENDAM listing.
#2 ms PRINSENDAM listing to starboard.
#3 ms PRINSENDAM from stern, listing to starboard.
#4 ms PRINSENDAM from bow.
#5 ms PRINSENDAM lifeboat and helicopter lifting basket.
[17] PRINSEDAM CIVILIAN AWARD RECOMMENDATIONS.