The Philip B. Petersen Collection Broadcast November 26, 1988

     There is never a dull moment in amateur radio.  You can turn your radio set on and turn the dial to listen to interesting discussion and talk with others to learn something new almost every day.
      As an example, a couple of years ago, I listened in to a radio conversation aboard a replica of a Viking ship that was already a few hundred miles off the coast of New Jersey bound for Bergen, Norway with a crew of 13 on board who were mostly Midwesterners.  I called them and for the next several months, I got very acquainted with them and handled daily routine messages from their ship to their homes in the Midwest in Minnesota.
     Things were uneventful for a few days except we transmitted the weather information and greetings to them from their home folks each day.  Each day I learned more and more about them.  They were only gone about a week and one day I was on listening for them and they were a little late getting on.  I asked what the problem was and they said, "We had a terrible storm last night and we're beginning to wonder now if we should continue with our trip."  At that time, they were off the coast of Newfoundland several hundred miles.  The boat was leaking very badly.  They didn't know where the leak was during the night but they had discovered it that morning and found a quarter inch crack in the planking next to the keel.  They were trying to caulk it to keep the water out but they had been bailing all night with practically all hands.  Not only that, but the storm was so severe that the dragon head that they had on this boat (the replica of the Viking ship always had a dragon on it) was almost all ripped off and they had to take off what was left of it and put it on the deck.
     At this time, they were a little dubious about continuing with the rest of the trip.  The weather was starting to get a little better and their confidence was building up.  For the next several days, they continued on their voyage but were very carefully thinking about turning back.  The weather reports to them meant more than ever.  However, the weather was getting better as they proceeded and they were telling me of many of the things that were happening aboard the ship.  You've seen pictures of Viking ships, with the oars out.  Well, they didn't use the oars but they used their sails.  They had a modern radio set on board and this amateur radio set as well.  They had two able seamen who knew their way around on ships but all the rest of the crew were mostly Midwest farmers or employed in that industry.
     They continued on their trip and soon they were having a little more fun on that trip to Norway.  They were in the mid-Atlantic about this time and they had a few days when their ship was becalmed.  The crew decided one day to go for a swim since they were practically sitting still.  So they tethered themselves to the side of the ship with a short line and went swimming in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.  Imagine going for a swim in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean!  Another day, they were playing music at night and the porpoises were coming up near the ship to hear the music.
     Well, in a week or two, they reached their destination in Bergen, Norway and they were greeted by hundreds of people and ships welcoming them into the harbor.  They were welcomed by the people in Norway with open arms and had many celebrations.  Now they have returned to America and the ship has been returned too.  A generous Norwegian shipping company took the ship on board its deck and delivered it to America.  It can now be seen in a museum in Moorhead City, Minnesota.

November 26, 1988

** Broadcasts recordings preserved and presented here by Mr. Robert Buss and Mr. Bernie Ricciardi, Phil's friends and fellow Marconi Chapter 138 QCWA members **

Page updated January 12, 2004  page created June 11, 2001