A CQD ( SOS) Medal in Silver, as awarded to the crews of the White Star steamship Republic

A full size C.Q.D. Medal in Silver, as awarded to members of the Merchant Marine complete with original maroon ribbon and mounted for wear 'swing style'. unnamed as issued. Silver dark toned. In NEF condition.

The silver C.Q.D. medal was awarded to the crews of the White Star steamship Republic, the S.S. Florida and S.S. Baltic in saving the lives of the passengers of the stricken Republic in the Atlantic on 21st January 1909, this being the first time that a Marconi Operator had sent a distress signal using the CQD radio signal. The universal emergency CQD signal ‘C.Q. - all stations; D. - Distress’, colloquially known as ‘Come Quick Danger’ predated the use of the more familiar S.O.S.

The liner Baltic responded to the call. The Republic was the more seriously damaged vessel, but all of her passengers and crew were transferred, first to the Florida and then to the Baltic before she sank. The saloon passengers of the Baltic and the Republic subscribed to a fund to provide medals to the crews of all three ships in saving more than 1700 lives.

Four silver-gilt examples of this medal were presented to the Captains of the three ships involved and to Jack Binns, the Marconi operator aboard the Republic who sent the CQD radio signal. Binns became a hero when the survivors reached New York and was given a welcome parade. This was the first time that radio was used to effect a rescue at sea. Silver medals, of which this is one, with ring suspenders were presented to the other ships' officers and their crews.

The White Star liner RMS Republic, known as the ‘Millionaires Ship’ on account of the wealth of its clientele, had set sail for Genoa and Alexandria from New York with a reported 461 passengers and a crew of roughly 300 under the command of Captain Sealby. In dense fog in the early hours 21 January, RMS Republic collided with the steamship Florida off the coast near Martha’s Vineyard, which was itself carrying some 800 Italian immigrants heading towards New York from Naples. After a heavy collision, it was clear the Republic was going to sink, Captain Sealby took charge of the abandonment of the ship, and the telegrapher Jack Binns sent out the internationally recognised distress signal via his new Marconi wireless set -
He maintained this signal for 14 hours while the passengers were evacuated onto the Florida. Help came before long as other ships came to take the passengers and crew onto their vessels, and the ailing Republic was taken in tow by tugs but soon after sank, with rumours of a huge shipment of gold aboard.

The ramifications of this incident were huge, in that there had been a swift response and remarkably low loss of life, only four seaman and two 1st class passengers died, with two further injured. Furthermore, wireless distress signals were made mandatory worldwide, with ‘C.Q.D.’ eventually being replaced by ‘S.O.S.’. Tragically, this caused a level of over-confidence in a ship’s ability to be saved through modern technology, and levels of life-boats began to be reduced - a terrible error that would indirectly seal the fate of the Republic’s sister ship the RMS Titanic, as the White Star Line owners wrongly assumed that any larger liner would take several hours to sink and new fangled radio would obtain help quickly within the well used shipping lanes and life boats would only be required to effect the transfer of passengers and crew. As a result the number of lifeboats on the Titanic was inadequate to support the number of people on board.

Coincidentally Jack Binns was offered the post of wireless officer on board the new Titanic but declined.

Will post to a UK address and the Channel Islands only (in respect of the latter put UK as country at check out).

D81.2

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Code: 59159