Radio Operator Theodore D. Haubner on the Deck of the SS Arapahoe, After Sending One of the First S.O.S. Distress Signals, 1909

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Artifact Overview

In 1909, telegraph operator Theodore Haubner sent the first American ship-to-shore wireless distress signal -- SOS. Haubner was aboard the SS Arapahoe off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, when it became disabled. This photograph, taken some time after the event, shows Haubner on the deck of the Arapahoe.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Date Made

1909

Subject Date

1909

Place of Creation

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

68.2.4

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Dorothy S. Haubner.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 6.25 in
Width: 3.625 in

Inscriptions

Handwritten in pencil on the back of the image: Ted Haubner by the / S.S. Arapahoe, 1909
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    Sending out an SOS

      On August 11, 1909, as his ship struggled off Cape Hatteras, telegraph operator Theodore Haubner had an urgent choice to make: How should he call for help? Learn how the first SOS signal was sent.