Details about SOS:
The SOS full form is Save Our Soul, Many individuals believe it to be an acronym for “save our ship” or “save our souls.” In actuality, however, the phrases “save our souls” and “rescue our ship” are backronyms, and the letters used in them have no true meaning. In actuality, the signal isn’t even meant to be three distinct letters. There are no spaces or full stops in the continuous Morse code string of three dots, three dashes, and three dots of Save Our Soul.
However, because in International Morse Code three dots represent the letter “S” and three dashes represent the letter “O,” the signal came to be known as an “SOS” for convenience’s sake. Because of this relationship, the letters are now widely used as a visual distress signal distinct from Morse code, and people in need of assistance may occasionally write them out on the ground so that they can be seen from above.
What is the logic behind the abbreviation “SOS”?
Around the turn of the 20th century, wireless radiotelegraph equipment made its way onto ships to aid seamen in peril to communicate their needs for assistance. They required a special signal that would be unmistakable, transmit swiftly and clearly, and not be mistaken for other communications. Initially, various nations and organizations had their own “internal” distress signals. The International Code of Signals’ nautical flag signal for distress, “NC,” was utilized by the U.S. Navy.
The SOS full form is Save Our Soul, Having so many different distress signals was perilous and confusing. Even if using International Morse Code, it meant that a ship in distress in foreign waters faced a language barrier to get past potential rescuers. Due to these and other problems, a number of nations decided to meet and debate the notion of establishing some global guidelines for radiotelegraph communications.