S.O.S.

[Dunia]

What do the letters in S.O.S. stand for?

[Greedyfly]

SAVE OUR SOULS

[IndieSinger]

Although some people will tell you that this is just a convenient acronym made up to fit with the Morse code letters (which are � � � / - - - / � � � ). It's often said that this was the easiest message to send by Morse Code because there is little discrepancy as to what it could mean (you can't mistake three dots, followed by three dashes and then another three dots as something else - similarly, you can't type/send it by accident). This combination of dots and dashes equated to an S, an O and then another S so people made up a suitable acronym to fit.

[bernardo]

IndieSinger is correct - it doesn't stand for anything. The "Save Our Souls" theory is an urban myth which was invented long after SOS was first used. (A bit like the POSH myth).

[incitatus]

just as the code it replaced- cqd- didnt mean much. incidental trivia SOS was first used (in tandem with cqd) on the titanic. or so the story goes.

[sarah.t]

Bernado, what's the POSH myth - my mum always told me this meant Port Out Starboard Home (on ships) - was she wrong?

[sarah.t]

oops - sorry, just realised there's a post on this further down the page!

[Caladon]

POSH (port out, starboard home) is not a myth. My family used to sail down the Nile in the 1920's. As the Nile runs North to South, it was best to have your cabin on the port (left) side of the ship so that when the sun was setting (on the starboard, right) your cabin was not in the sun and therefore not heated to the temperature of a furnace for the time you were to go to bed! With the reverse for the returning journey.