Special Event LUSITANIA-GB100MFA
A special event Amateur Radio licence has been issued to the Radio Officers Association to remember the sinking of the Lusitania/MFA on 7th May 1915.
The activity will take place from the lightship PLANET which is berthed in Canning dock Liverpool during the month of May 2015.
Two stations will be on air simultaneously both for CW with some SSB these two stations will be on amateur radio bands from 3.5mhz to 28mhz dependant on propagation conditions. R.O.A. will be assisted by members of the M.R.M.S.W. (who were previously at Fort Perch Rock but now based on the Planet lightship)
A website about this event has been established at http://www.lusitania-gb100mfa.uk
It is also believed there will be an commemorative station on air from Ireland with the call sign EI100MFA, also activated by R.O.A. members.
Lusitania was built at the famous John Brown shipyard on the Clyde. On 1st May 1915 she departed from New York Pier 54 for her 202nd Atlantic crossing bound for Liverpool via the south of Ireland.
At 14.10 hours on Friday 7th May 1915 she was torpedoed by a German U-Boat while about 10 miles southwest of Kinsale Head, Ireland, and sank within 18 minutes.
Of the original 1,961 passengers and crew who left from New York, only 764 people survived the sinking. The final death toll was 1,197.
Amongst those who died were the two Radio Officers, Ronald Leith and Donald McCormack, who were responsible for sending the SOS message which was received at Queentown and resulted in the saving of the 764 lives.
NOTICE BY Geoffrey POWELL about Passenger ship’s Radio Officers:
I have read the details of the loss of the Lusitania.. on the Sparks site, may I point out it is not correct that both radio operators died , Infact as enclosed they both appeared at the investigation of the loss to establish as to whether they did there best and did not die..infact Junior telegraphist David Mc Cormick helped to get passengers in a lifeboat and was injured, subsequently dying of Cancer at 48 directly attributed to the previous injury.
More details on website WRECK COMMISSIONERS INQUIRY: http://www.titanicinquiry.org/Lusitania/02leith.php
