Shipwrecks On The Air

Shipwrecks On The Air (SWOTA) © is a dedicatory DX adventure concept in the same ilk as Lighthouses and Castles On the Air, devoted to the intriguing, yet at times tragic, subsistence of vessels lost or ruined at sea.

Designed by the Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC), the SWOTA program outlines a fascinating new DX paradigm for the Freeband, Citizens Band and SWL communities; while also satisfying a number of other purposes not necessarily associated with radio communications.

The official aims and objectives of SWOTA are:

  • To advocate the protection of underwater cultural heritage, including the unauthorised salvage of Historical wrecks (known as ‘wrecking’);
  • To commemorate the loss of life caused by shipwreck and pay respects to those affected by the tragedy
  • To preserve the heritage and history of vessels lost or ruined at sea; and
  • To promote safety at sea by celebrating the contribution various organisations, bodies and individuals, as well as man-made structures, have made to providing safe experiences on the world’s shipways 

Other intentions include:

  • To foster camaraderie amongst radio communications enthusiasts in general; and
  • To encourage maritime mobile (MM) operations and other portable forms of DXing. 

The SWOTA Reference System

As is the case with Delta Radio’s Castles and Fortresses On The Air (COTA) program, shipwrecks around the world have been assigned a special reference number which enables a radio operator to readily identify a shipwreck for contact purposes.  This reference number is also used by radio operators to identify the shipwreck in DX adventure pursuits, as well as for SWOTA awards available in the DA-RC Achievement Program.

In Freeband and Citizens Band communications respectively, SWOTA activities are recognisable by the prefix ‘SW’ which denotes shipwreck, followed by the designated reference number, attached to the normal club callsign.  In the case of a SWOTA activation of the Arakoon steamer paddle on South Bernard Island, for instance, the callsign would be 43DA/SW-077……where ‘SW’ denotes that the station is engaged in SWOTA and 077 is the reference number attributed to the Arakoon wreck.

Also adaptable to Ham activities, the SWOTA concept is recognisable by the Ham operator stating the SW prefix and reference number during CQ calls and showing the SWOTA logo on his QSL card.

A list of SW reference numbers is available upon request to any member wanting to undertake SWOTA or incorporate SWOTA into a primary activation. 

Definition of a Shipwreck

For the purpose of SWOTA activity, the DX Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) defines a shipwreck as…

“a complete or partial destruction of a vessel as a result of collision, fire, grounding, storm, explosion, or other mishap…”

Unlike the typical definition, the DA-RC wording refers to the tangible remains of the ship but not to the actual event that caused the wreck such as the striking of something that caused the ship to sink, the stranding of the ship on rocks, land or shoal, or the destruction of the ship at sea by violent weather.

DA-RC classifies shipwrecks as being either Contemporary or Historical.

Contemporary shipwrecks are of interest primarily because of the potential harm to the environment.  Other contemporary wrecks are scuttled in order to spur reef growth.  Many historic wrecks are of interest to recreational divers who enjoy diving shipwrecks because they are often interesting to explore, provide large habitats for many types of marine life and have an interesting history.

Historical shipwrecks are attractive to maritime archaeologists because they preserve historical information; for example, studying the wreck of Mary Rose revealed information about seafaring, warfare and life in the 1500s.  Military wrecks that were caused by a skirmish at sea are studied to find details about the historic event and reveal much about the battle that occurred.

How Can I undertake a SWOTA activity?

DA-RC members may undertake a Shipwreck On The Air (SWOTA) activity either as a maritime mobile (MM) station or as a portable station working in the field.  Members may also undertake SWOTA activity as a secondary activation while engaged in a primary one.

One of the exciting virtues of SWOTA activity is that it aligns nicely with both the Islands On The Air (IOTA) and Lighthouse On The Air (LOTA) concepts due to links with the ocean and marine environment.  Many ships involved in shipwrecks, in fact, have come to grief on the shallow sand flats or outlying reef of islands-despite the presence of lighthouses, light beacons or lightships to facilitate safe passage.

Because of this, many IOTA and LOTA activities will unwillingly also qualify as legitimate SWOTA activities-regardless of whether or not the SW reference number is identified in the callsign of the DXpedition station or on the QSL of the same activity.

To claim an SW reference number, SWOTA Hunters must only provide proof that the DX station has satisfied the rules and regulations of SWOTA activity (ie. that the station was set up within 1000m or worked with visual sight of the wreck).

In many instances, DX stations will be happy to oblige SWOTA enthusiasts by providing the necessary proofs to satisfy this criterion.  It goes without saying, however, that showing a SW reference number and official DA-RC SWOTA logo on a QSL card will add considerable value to the existing activity and therefore result in a superior log for the DXpedition station.  For this reason, DA-RC members are encouraged to supplement IOTA and LOTA activities with SWOTA activity wherever the opportunity permits.

The Visual Sight and 1000m Rules

Due to the unlikelihood of being able to set up a station on board a shipwreck structure due to and preservation issues, council regulations, obvious safety issues caused by decay of the hull and/or the wreck being offshore, the same visual sight and/or 1000m rules used in LOTA and COTA activities can be applied by the DXpedition team or operator.

The Longitude and Latitude Rule

Conversely, when a submerged wreck is deeper than a 1000m and therefore not in visual sight, then the 1000m or visual sight rules will be replaced by the Longitude and Latitude Rule which involves an anchored maritime mobile station working from a distance of no more than 1000m from the wreck’s known coordinates.

Any questions regarding SWOTA activity not answered by these program guidelines should be directed to the Program Coordinator via the link to DA-RC Headquarters.