In Cape Town at the pier lay the German fishing vessel "Sagitta Maris",
and I agreed to visit my radio colleague on his ship.
Opening the door to the radio room I heard the equipment in action,
and looked in with caution.
There sat the radio operator in action; in the typewriter was the "Hamburger
Abendblatt"
(Hamburg Evening Paper) form and from the receiver came the Norddeich-Schiffspresse
(Norddeich Radio Ship's Press) at 125-130 cps. (25-26 wpm)
Shocked, I backed out and slowly closed the door, so as not to disturb
him.
He called out, "Come in quietly, the Press is almost finished."
I was amazed as he continued on the typewriter, and said,
" You are certainly from the "Marie Horn." Did you have a good trip,
and how was the weather?"
I looked dimly at the "Press," and saw no empty spaces and no errors!
He saw my stunned expression and grinned, and said:
"That comes from year-long practice, and you will come to it."
That was unbelievable; I could at that time hardly grasp it, and I think back in wonder. OM (Old Man, an honorific) Hermann later explained: He had learned radio in the Kriegsmarine, and during the war, I believe, he served on an auxiliary cruiser. His motto speaks exactly the style of the Navy: "Transmit as little as possible; all are listening."