Traffic reporting for ships Loss of anchor and chain

The radio announces southwesterly winds in the German Bight: How broadcasting stations updated seafarers with the Shipping Forecasts and Nautical Warnings.

I grew up in the middle of Schleswig-Holstein. Although I have never considered myself to be a typical coastal dweller, the German North Sea coast was not far away, and shipping always played a role in my life. During the weather forecast, the radio also broadcast reports about sea areas off the coasts of northern Germany: German Bight, the western Baltic Sea and – following German reunification – the southern Baltic Sea. The report described current weather conditions and forecasts, sometimes there were even warnings of storms or storm tides.

This information was as much a part of the regular programmes on Norddeutscher Rundfunk as news bulletins and traffic reports. I also recall more specialised bulletins broadcast in the early hours of the morning: the Shipping Forecast and Nautical Warnings. The Shipping Forecast was very different to the normal weather report. It had an extremely concise presentation style and used specific terminology and numbers:
   
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Assigned to specific sea areas, the report contained details about wind directions and strengths, visibility and sea state.

After the Shipping Forecast came the Nautical Warnings. These, too, followed a precise presentation style. First the sea area was named, then the reason for the warning. This was followed by exact details about longitude and latitude, a description of the signalling system in place there and instructions on what to do:
   
The tight, succinct form allowed ship crews to optimally prepare for potentially hazardous situations at sea and to respond to these in an appropriate manner. In less serious cases, complications and trouble could be avoided; in worst-case scenarios, the information could even be life-saving.

I was particularly intrigued by announcements such as “container overboard” or “loss of anchor and chain”. They were not uncommon. I conjured up images of hurricanes, driving rain and stormy seas.

Radio waves are still used to broadcast shipping news and nautical warnings even today. Germany’s National Meteorological Service operates a weather broadcasting service in Pinneberg, near Hamburg, which issues shipping forecasts and warnings according to a set format around the clock. However, you can’t listen to these bulletins. They are transmitted by radio teletype (text transmission) – or with a data transmission method for nautical charts similar to a fax.