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 Mediteranean Sea as part of the 6th Fleet.

After a few years at sea I fancied myself a pretty hotshot Morse operator.

Some of you out there who sailed in the 6th Fleet during the late 50's/early 60's
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 an 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 Commodore
who maintaned his flag not on a warship, but on a seaplane tender (mother ship
for seaplanes, which the Navy no longer even flew) docked at the Brit base on
Bahrain. It was a pretty low-key military backwater. His "force" usually
consisted of a couple of destroyers on loan from the 6th Fleet in the
Mediteranean. These destroyers rotated to this duty for about 2 months by by a
transit of the Suez Canal.

Vessels transitted 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) 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 transitted
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 QRV QRQ K"

What happened next still causes me regret every time I contemplate that short
cocky transmission. 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 really concentrate, but I was missing every other character this fellow sent.
In embarrassment, I sheepishly unplugged my speed key, broke in, and on the pump
handle sent..

"SUQ DE NHXW QRX OPERATOR 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











--
73, de Hans, K0HB
--
Homepage:
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~k0hb
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"KØHB" wrote in message
k.net...
The Day I Learned Some Humility

or "Don't Ever Send QRQ To SUQ"




Hi Hans,

Nice to work you in the SS CW contest. I don't think I'll ever need to send
QRQ!!

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE