Podcast about 1980 XXX and SOS of ms PRINSENDAM/PJTA

[David J. Ring, Jr.]

Yesterday, I listened to a podcast I dreaded listening to because I feared it would distort history.

It was a podcast about MS PRINSENDAM [https://wondery.com/shows/against-the-odds/season/26/](https://wondery.com/shows/against-the-odds/season/26/) and right near 34:50 on the timer, it says that the ship's Master (landlubber: Captain) says that he ordered the ship's radio operator [sic] to change the XXX message he previously ordered him to send to an SOS.

And that's exactly what didn't happen.

Of all the books written about PRINSENDAM, the only one (despite my telephoning the authors prior to publication and offering to review the pages about the radio communications, is the books by Stanley Jaceks.

What happened was that Chief Radio Officer Jack van der Zee of Beek, Netherlands was given a message by the Master and ordered to send it as "Urgent" or "XXX". R/O v.d. Zee told the Captain that sending an SOS was the appropriate thing to do, but the Master was concerned about ships answering the SOS and demanding salvage rights to a multimillion dollar passenger ship. When he did so, USCG Communications Station, Kodiak, Alaska advised him that it was more appropriate to send it as an SOS and proceed it by the series of dashes of the radiotelegraph autoalarm.

As MS PRINSENDAM/PJTA was a ship registered in Netherlands Antilles and not in U.S. territorial waters, the USCG could not order the ship to do so. Chief Radio Officer van der Zee advised the Master of what the USCG had advised but he did not wish to send an SOS.

Soon R/O van der Zee could feel the heat on the soles of his feet and as he told me, "If I don't send an SOS with the autoalarm signal to alert the cargo ships in the area, the lives of the passengers and crew would be in jeopardy but if I did so, I could be brought up on charges and lose my license, and even be put in prison." He made the choice that even if he faced prison, he would change the XXX message to SOS and send the autoalarm.

He said, "I might be in prison, but the passengers and crew would be alive." I told him that if he was ever brought up on charges, I'd fly to the hearing, and testify in his defense. A hero accepts the consequences of his actions and does the right thing to save people's lives.

I tried for many years to write to the Queen of the Netherlands to see if what Jack did could be honored, but when she finally agreed, unfortunately Jack had died the month before. See this account which is mostly correct: https://onetuberadio.com/2015/10/04/profile-in-courage-jack-van-der-zee-1980/

73 David N1EA Radio Officer T/T WILLIAMSBURGH/WGOA during the SOS.

[S. Steltzer]

Ah yes, what's a little thing like the truth? Thanks for the info David.

73,

Steve, WF3T