What does sos mean?

International distress signal: SOS

Save our souls (save us);

SOS short stories

When ships are sailing in the vast ocean, accidents often occur due to dense fog, storms, icebergs, reefs, machine failures, collisions with other ships and other reasons. When death approaches people, SOS's distress signal flies to the sea and spreads in all directions. After receiving the distress signal, the nearby ships quickly sailed to the accident site to rescue the victims.

Many people think that "SOS" is the abbreviation of three English words. But what are these three English words? Some people think it is "save us"; Some people interpret it as "saving our ship", while others speculate that it is "sending our reinforcements". Some people also understand it as "the SUV of the soul." There are really different opinions. In fact, the original creator of SOS did not mean this.

It dates back to the beginning of this century. 1903 the first international radiotelegraph conference was held in Berlin, attended by eight maritime powers. Considering the rapid development of the maritime industry and the increasing number of maritime accidents, the meeting suggested that the special radio signal for ships in distress should be determined. It was suggested to use "SSSDDD" composed of three letters "S" and three letters "D" as distress signal, but the meeting did not make a formal decision.

Shortly after the meeting, Radio Marconi announced that it would use "CQD" as a signal of ship distress. In fact, this is just a letter "D" added after the general call sign "CQ" of European railway radio communication at that time. The sailors interpreted "CQD" as "Come on, it's dangerous". Because the "CQD" signal is only used on ships equipped with Marconi radio equipment, it still cannot be regarded as an internationally unified distress signal. Moreover, there is only one word difference between "CQD" and general call sign "CQ", which is easy to be confused.

1906, the second international radio conference was held in Berlin. The meeting decided to replace "CQD" with a clearer and more accurate signal. The representative of the United States proposed to use the abbreviation "NC" of the two international flags as a distress signal. This plan was not adopted. The representative of Germany is an expert of Slaby-Alcaud Wireless Company. He suggested using "SOE" as a distress signal. During the discussion, it was pointed out that this kind of signal has a major disadvantage: the letter "E" is a point in Morse code, that is, the whole signal "SOE" is "…… Although this scheme has not been adopted, it broadens the ideas for participants. Then someone proposed to replace the "e" in "SOE" with another "s" called "SOS". In Morse code, "SOS" means "————". It is short, accurate, continuous and rhythmic, easy to shoot and read, and easy to understand.

While declaring "SOS" as an international unified distress signal, other signals were abolished, including "CQD" which was widely used at that time. However, "SOS" was not immediately used, and telegraphers still preferred "CQD" because most of them work in the railway system and are used to using "CQD".

1In August, 909, the American ship "Arap" was unable to sail because of the broken stern shaft, so it sent out a "SOS" signal to the nearby coast and passing ships. This is the first time to use this signal. "SOS" was not widely used until 19 12 April when the Titanic sank.

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In addition, there is another most important reason. The letters SOS are SOS from the top or the other way around. When there is a shipwreck, it is necessary to put a big "SOS" on the isolated island to wait for rescue, and the plane flying overhead can be identified immediately no matter which direction it comes from.

Such as saving our souls (saving our lives! Save our boat (save our boat! ), stop other signals (stop sending any other signals! ), it must sink (the ship is sinking! ) and so on. Is that really the case?

In fact, S.O.S is an international Morse code rescue signal, not an abbreviation of any word. In view of the frequent maritime accidents at that time, it was often impossible to send out distress signals in time and organize rescue as quickly as possible, resulting in heavy casualties and property losses. 1908, the international radiotelegraph convention officially identified it as an international universal distress signal. The combination of these three letters has no practical significance, just because its code-(three dots, three dashes, and then three dots) is most easily sent by the sender and recognized by the receiver in the telegram.

Before 1908, the distress signal on the international high seas was C.Q.D, which had no practical significance, although many people thought it was fast and dangerous. (Come on, danger! ) abbreviation. Although 1908 international radiotelegraph convention organization has clearly stipulated that S.O.S should be used for maritime distress signals, C.Q.D is still used. In the early days of the sinking of Titanic, other ships and rescue organizations failed to organize rescue in time, mainly because they did not understand the outdated C.Q.D distress signal sent by the operator on board. It was not until the whole ship was almost submerged that the S.O.S distress signal was sent out, but at this time, who might have the power to save those innocent souls who were about to die at the bottom of the sea forever?

Method of signaling

There are several different ways to signal, but which way to use depends on your situation and the materials available to you.

It's on fire. In the dark, fire is the most effective signal means. Light three fires and let them form a triangle (international distress signal) or a straight line. Each fire is about 25 yards (23 meters) apart. As long as time and circumstances permit, light them as soon as possible, and be careful not to put them out until you need them. If you are alone, it may be a little difficult to keep three fires, so protect one fire.

When lighting the signal fire, you should consider your geographical position. For example, if you are in the jungle, find a natural clearing or make a fire by the stream to avoid the fire being blocked by the leaves of the jungle. If there is no natural open space, then you need to clean up an open space. If you are in the snow, you may need to clear the snow on the ground or build a platform to make a fire, so that the fire will not be put out by melting snow. Burning trees is another way to attract attention. Trees containing resin will catch fire even if they are not dried. For other types of trees, you can put some dry wood on the lower branches and light the dry wood, so that the fire will burn and ignite the whole tree. Before the trees are burned, cut some small trees that are not dead and add them to the fire, which can produce more smoke. Be sure to choose trees far away from other trees to avoid forest fires and endanger your own safety.

It's smoking Smoke can be used to attract attention during the day. The international distress signal is three columns of smoke. You should try to distinguish the color of the smoke from the surrounding background: if the background is light, use black smoke and vice versa. If you add some green leaves, moss or water to the fire, the smoke will turn white; If you add some rubber, rags soaked in oil, etc. On the fire, the smoke will be black.

In desert areas, smoke can't rise, and it always lingers on the ground, but in empty desert areas, pilots can still see it.

Using smoke as a signal is usually only suitable for relatively sunny days. Strong winds, rain and snow will disperse the smoke and reduce the possibility of your being found.

Smoke bomb. If you have smoke bombs, you can use them like flames. Grenade must be kept dry, effective when necessary, and be careful not to ignite the surrounding plants when using it.

M 186 signal gun. The pilot's life jacket has this survival device, including a gun with a green nylon rope tied to it. When fired, the pencil bullet sounds like the sound of a pistol shooting. The range of the bullet is 500 feet (152 meters) high, and the diameter of the air range is about 10 feet (3 meters).

If you want to keep the bullet on standby at any time, you can take it out of the package, screw it partially into the pistol, put the trigger of the pistol in the non-firing position, and then hang it around your neck with a rope or chain, and you can get ready. Once the rescue plane appears, it will be launched immediately to prepare for the second launch. At the same time, we should also be prepared for concealment in case the pilot mistakenly regards the flare as enemy fire.

Star pyrotechnic flare. Red is a dangerous color in the world, so if possible, use red fireworks flares, but any color can let rescuers find your position. The star-shaped pyrotechnic flare has a range of 200 to 215m, can burn continuously for 6 to10s, and its falling speed is14m per second.

Star parachutes throw flares. The range of this flare is 200 to 2 15 meters, and the falling speed is 2. 1 meter per second. M 126 (red) can burn for about 50 seconds, and M 127 (white) can burn for about 25 seconds. At night, the visible range of these flares is 30 to 35 miles (48 to 56 kilometers).

Mirror or flash. On a clear day, the mirror is the best signal device. If you don't have a mirror, you can polish your water cup, belt buckle, or other similar objects to reflect sunlight. Concentrate the reflected light in one place to avoid the enemy's sight. Practice using mirrors or flashing objects to signal now, and don't wait until you need them.

If you have a MK-3 signal mirror, please follow the instructions on the back.

Hang the signal mirror around your neck with a rope or chain, ready to use at any time. But be sure to stick the reflective side on your body to prevent it from being discovered by the enemy.

Warning: Don't use the mirror to signal too fast, because the pilot may mistake the signal for the enemy firing. The light should not be directed at the cockpit of the aircraft for too long, not more than a few seconds, because it may dazzle the pilot.

Haze and fog may make it difficult for pilots to see the signals from flashing objects. Therefore, if possible, send signals to the highest terrain around them. If you can't see the plane, signal the direction where the plane is making noise.

Note: In most environments, you can normally see the reflected signal of the mirror 70 miles (113km) away. If you are in a desert area, you can see it from 100 miles (160 kilometers).

Flashlight or flash. At night, you can send SOS signals to the plane with flashlights or flashlights. When using the flash, be careful not to let the pilot mistake it for an incoming bullet. The flash flashes 60 times a minute. Some flashlights have infrared covers and lenses.

VS- 17 signal board. You can use VS- 17 signal board to send signals during the day. Turn the orange side up, because orange is easier to see in the air than purple. Shaking the cloth board will make it easier for the pilot to find it.

Clothes. Putting clothes on the ground or at the top of a tree is also a signal way. Choose objects with obvious contrast with the surrounding colors and arrange them in a large geometric pattern, which is easier to attract attention.

Natural materials. If there is no other way, natural materials can also be used to form symbols or information that can be seen from the air. You can build mounds that can cast shadows, or you can use any kind of shrubs, leaves, rocks or snow.

In snow-covered areas, you can step on the snow hard. After stepping on some letters or symbols, put some contrasting materials, such as branches, in the letters or symbols.

On the sand, gravel, plants or seaweed are used to form patterns.

Where there are many shrubs, cut the shrubs in the desired pattern or scorch the ground.

In tundra areas, dig ditches or turn over turf.

No matter where you are, arrange symbols with contrasting materials so that the crew on the plane can see them.

Seawater stains. If a military plane is assigned to a nearby place with water, or performs a water mission, it will be equipped with a life-saving box filled with seawater dye. If you are in a difficult position to survive on water, you can use seawater dyes to identify your position during the day. The dyeing area will be very obvious within three hours, unless it is in rough waters, so dyes can only be used in friendly areas. Wrap the dye and open it when necessary. Use only when you hear or see an airplane. Dyes can also be used in snow, and it is also very effective to dye the letters of the distress code.