In another thread, the esteemed (or is that just "steamed") "57 AZ" scion of
Bullhead City ruminated about "humbling" the contesters gathered here. I think
I posted this here before, but never hurts to "tell on yourself" again to prove
you're suitably humble.
The Day I Learned Some Humility
or "Don't Ever Send QRQ To SUQ"
Uncle Sam kept me busy in my youth as a Navy radioman, sending me on many
expense-paid cruises to all manner of exciting places, including several
cruises to the Mediterranean Sea as part of the 6th Fleet.
After a few years at sea I fancied myself a pretty hotshot Morse operator.
If any of you out there sailed in the 6th Fleet during the late 50's/early
60's, you may remember the famous "Task Group Commanders Circuit", commonly
called "SIXES-ALFA". This was a high speed Morse net which routinely clipped
along at 40WPM with busy spurts somewhat faster. It was a matter of some pride
that only holders of an official "Speed Key Certificate" were allowed on the
circuit, and only the best of those were qualified as NCS. (Yes, before you
could use a Vibroplex on a Navy circuit, you had to pass a speed key
examination and obtain a certificate.)
Anyhow, as a qualified NCS on SIXES-ALFA, there was no doubt in my inflated ego
that I was one of the hottest seagoing ops to ever key up a TBL. (TBL was a big
black 100W MF/HF CW transmitter fitted in WW-II/Cold War era destroyers.)
Certainly there was no mere civilian radioman out there to challenge my skills.
In those days the US Navy maintained a small presence in the Red Sea/Persian
Gulf called the "Mid East Force". The Commander of this force was a Rear
Admiral who maintained his flag not on a warship, but on a seaplane tender USS
Duxbury Bay AVP-38 (mother ship for seaplanes, which the Navy no longer even
flew) docked at the Brit base on Bahrain. (As an aside, and to make sure this
message is on topic to "contesting", at one time ---later than this story ---
that command was held by a contester of some note, Admiral Scott Redd, K0DQ)
Contrasting to today, "the Gulf" was a pretty low-key military backwater when
this story unfolds. The "force" usually consisted of a couple of destroyers on
loan from the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. These destroyers rotated to this
duty for about 2 months by a transit of the Suez Canal.
Vessels transited the canal in convoys, northbound and southbound, which were
coordinated to meet and pass at a "wide spot in the road" at the Great Bitter
Lake. If there were any warships in the convoy, they were the lead ship, and
the lead ship carried a UAR canal pilot.
Communications between the pilot and the Suez Canal Authority was via an MF 420
Kc/s (this was before KHz had been invented) Morse circuit between the lead
ship and the UAR station SUQ at Ismailia.
In early October of 1961, my ship, USS Henley DD762, drew the short straw and
was sent off on Red Sea patrol.
After a last liberty port at Piraeus, Greece (remember "Fix" beer) we transited
to Port Said and embarked our pilot for the trip through the canal.
The pilot had me file a departure report to SUQ and promptly at 0700 we started
our transit. Periodically (at passing El Ferdan and Deversoir, if I recall
correctly) he issued short progress reports which I sent to SUQ.
In due time the convoy entered Great Bitter Lake and anchored to allow passage
of the north-bound convoy coming up from Port Suez. Prior to weighing anchor
for the remainder of the passage, the pilot was required to obtain updated
instructions from the Canal Authority. Turned out this happened just as I was
due to be relieved on watch for noon chow.
Wanting to turn over a "clean" log to my relief, I was somewhat impatient that
the operator at SUQ was operating at a rather leisurely pace (perhaps "only"
25WPM). Surely this lowly civilian operator could send just a bit faster?
So I slid the weights back to the reaR stop on my Vibroplex and sent...
"SUQ DE NHXW QRQ K"
What happened next still causes me shame and regret every time I contemplate
that short cocky transmission. Oh that I could have called those electrons
back! An image comes to mind of a swarthy-complexioned mustachioed Egyptian
with a wicked gleam in his eye, chomping an unlit cigar, pulling the weights
completely off his key, and muttering "I'll show this gob some real QRQ!"
The crisp Morse transmission which came back to me was utterly off the chart in
terms of speed. No operator on the vaunted SIXES-ALFA had ever even caused me
to eve really concentrate, but here I was missing nearly every other character
this fellow sent. In embarrassment, I sheepishly unplugged my speed key, broke
in, and on the pump handle, and sent..
"SUQ DE NHXW QRX OP CHANGE QRS"
... and turned the circuit over to my relief.
Never again, and I mean NEVER again, has the opsig QRQ ever passed my
fingertips.
73, de Hans, K0HB
Master Chief Radioman, US Navy
--
See Sea Stories Here ><{{{{*> http://www.home.earthlink.net/~k0hb
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