"Ship's Laundry, New York"

 

Seagoing radio operators who continued their careers ashore with Norddeich Radio usually had about six weeks briefing time in parallel with an experienced operator to learn the internal service.  At the end, many new operators went from the briefing time through a Baptism of Fire.  Often on night duty, with his transmitter sitting on a ship frequency, the new operator didn't suspect that a few places behind him a colleague sat and sent him a fictitious telegram.  I was at this time fighting with a ship with the call sign 5HIS.  This was an operator (name not mentioned, naturally) who, with his semi-automatic key, sent code so badly that every operator had sweat on his brow.  On this memorable night a young colleague had a telegram with the address "shipslaundry newyork."  Of course this address was merely invented, and such a telegram to New York was impossible to deliver.  However, the treachery in this telegram was in the text, approximately 150 words of partial plain language and code,  masterfully falsified.  If a coded word was repeated, then it read completely differently than from the first transmission.  In short, the young colleague rose repeatedly in fury, threw the headphones on the typewriter, and wanted the ship to go to Hell.  Only with much trouble could we induce him to take the telegram to the end, and more time before he could finally give QSL. (acknowledgment of receipt)    This was not the end, because the ship still asked QSJ? (how high is the charge, including landline?)  That was sent to the ship.  Next came the answer which filled our cup to overflowing; "PSE QTA MSG TOO EXPENSIVE."  (delete the telegram, it's too expensive)