172
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
[No. 7
Notice to Mariners No. 2 of 1953
(This notice repeats parts of Admiralty Notice to Mariners
No. 3 of 1953.)
3. OFFICIAL RADIO MESSAGES TO BRITISH
MERCHANT SHIPS--' THE GBMS ORGANIZATION '
Former Notice 3/52 cancelled.
NOTE.--The substance of this Notice will not be
reproduced in Admiralty Lists of Radio Signals or in Notices
to Ship Wireless Stations. Amendments will be published
weekly in Section VI of Weekly Complete Editions, Admiralty
Notices to Mariners (Corrections to Admiralty Lists of
Radio Signals and Notices to Mariners 3, 3A and 3B).
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT MASTERS ENSURE THAT
THIS NOTICE IS AVAILABLE TO AND UNDERSTOOD
BY THEIR RADIO OFFICERS. AN EXTRA COPY IS
SUPPLIED FOR THE USE OF THE RADIO OFFICER.
GENERAL
This Notice describes the organizations whereby official
messages are passed to British merchant ships. Such messages
will normally relate to the safety and welfare of the ships
concerned, and may be addressed to one or more individual
ships, or to all ships as in paragraph 10.
2. The organization described below is known as the
' GBMS Organization ' and will not be brought into force
until so ordered by the Admiralty.
3. In peacetime when Admiralty desires to pass official
messages to British Merchant Ships, such messages will be
transmitted under the call sign GACQ and broadcast over
the long distance organization and/or by 500 kcs coast stations
if necessary.
4. When the organization described in this Notice to
Mariners is ordered to be brought into force:
(a) Ships are to continue to read the traffic from the
area station in whose area they are sailing.
Messages will be broadcast at the same routine
times and on the same frequencies as in the
normal Long Distance Area Scheme and no alterations
will be brought into force without prior
notification by GBMS message.
(b) T.R.s ARE TO BE DISCONTINUED.
(c) MESSAGES ARE NOT TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED
unless ships are specially directed to do so in the
text of the message.
(d) DAILY SERIAL NUMBERS WILL BE DISCONTINUED.
(e) SHIPS ARE TO CONFORM TO ANY RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF RADIO WHICH MAY
BE ISSUED BY THE ADMIRALTY.
5. Schedules A and B, also issued in Notices to Ship
Wireless Stations, are reproduced in this Notice to Mariners
for convenience. The corresponding diagram of Areas is
also reproduced.
It must be clearly understood, however, that corrections
to these Schedules may be in arrears and that, when GBMS
Organization is brought into force, Area Transmitting and
Receiving Stations will continue on those frequencies in use
at the time.
6. Every GBMS message will normally be broadcast at
each Schedule A period for 24 hours after receipt at the
Area Station, i.e., for 6 transmissions. This number of
broadcasts will, in the early stages of an emergency, be
exceeded in the case of Area 1 (Portishead). Messages will
be broadcast once through at each transmission period and
ships should make every effort to receive the complete message
at the first transmission.
Operational Authorities may use their discretion regarding
the number of broadcasts required for a particular ship, when
the level of traffic is such that fewer transmissions are considered
justified, but only if satisfied that, knowing the
position of the ship, there can be no doubt of the receipt of
the message.
Navigational warnings will continue to be broadcast in the
last half-hour of each period.
Short Distance
7. In addition to the Schedule A transmissions, messages
will normally be transmitted from one or more of the
appropriately situated coast stations shown in paragraph 13.
They will normally be broadcast on receipt and, as ordered,
at subsequent routine periods (see paragraph 12 for British
500 kcs Coast Stations Routines). They are NOT TO BE
ANSWERED OR ACKNOWLEDGED unless ships are specially
directed to do so in the text.
8. After an initial call on 500 kcs the messages will be
transmitted on the appropriate working frequency, shown in
paragraph 13. The naval authority responsible for arranging
the transmission of GBMS messages in each area is also
shown.
GENERAL MESSAGES
9. GBMS messages addressed to ALL British merchant
ships will be lettered consecutively commencing with ' A ',
in order that Masters can check that all such messages have
been received.
10. Once the lettered series has been started it is most
important that all the messages are received, and Masters
should take the necessary steps to obtain at the first
opportunity any that are missing.
Copies of lettered messages will be distributed to merchant
ships in harbour by the Naval authorities.
11. Collective call-signs to which general messages will
be addressed are as follows:—
(a) GBMS—All British merchant ships.
(b) GBMS 1 to 9—All British merchant ships in the
area concerned (areas are those shown in the
diagram attached).
e.g. GBMS 3—All British merchant ships in Area 3.
(c) GACQ—All British merchant ships in peace time.
SHIP-SHORE
12. Ships are to conform to any restrictions on the use
of radio which may be issued by the Admiralty. Provided
the use of wireless is permissible, a message may be transmitted
either on H.F. to one of the stations shown in
Schedule B, or on M.F. to one of the Coast Stations shown
in paragraph 13, as appropriate. Certain changes to Schedule
B answering frequencies will be promulgated by GBMS
message at a later stage.
14. SHORT DISTANCE COAST STATIONS
| Area. | Naval Authority | Coast Station. | Call Sign. | Working Frequency (kcs). |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 5 | New Zealand Naval Board | Auckland | ZLD | 445 |
| | | Wellington | ZLW | 415 |
| | | Awarua | ZLB | 405 |
| | | Apia | ZMA | 375 |
| | | Rarotonga | ZKR | 483 |
| 5A | C.-in-C., America and West Indies | Falklands | VPC | 125, 405 |
| 6 | Naval Service Headquarters Ottawa | Esteban | VAE | 474 |
| | | Bull Harbour | VAG | 470 |
| | | Victoria | VAK | 441 |
| | | Prince Rupert | VAJ | 436 |
| 7 | Australian Commonwealth Naval Board | Darwin | VID | 415 |
| | | Broome | VIO | 440 |
| | | Perth | VIP | 405 |
| | | Melbourne | VIM | 430 |
| | | Brisbane | VIB | 435 |
| | | Townsville | VIT | 430 |
| | | Rabaul | VJZ | 430 |
| | | Sydney | VIS | 405 |
| | | *Kavieng | VJY | 410 |
| 8 | Commodore, Hong Kong Flag Officer, Malaya | Cape d'Aguilar, Hong Kong {Singapore {Penang | VPS VPW VPX | — 425 — |
Notes.—

• Restricted hours of service.