The signal was chosen for its Morse-code pattern
The Henry Ford
A museum curator's account explains that SOS was adopted in 1906 for ease of transmission and recognition, not as an abbreviation for a distress phrase.
Based on: The Henry Ford
Verdict
False
Verification confidenceHigh
Explanation
No. SOS did not originate as an abbreviation for 'Save Our Souls' or 'Save Our Ship'. It was adopted as an international distress signal because of its recognizable Morse-code pattern.
The Henry Ford museum's historical account identifies the 1906 Berlin radiotelegraphic convention and explains the choice: three dots, three dashes and three dots were easy to send and receive. The Saturday Evening Post independently confirms that the signal did not originally abbreviate a phrase.
The familiar English phrases are later ways of interpreting the letters. They should not be confused with the signal's origin: a distinctive sequence transmitted continuously, without the normal gaps between separate Morse-code letters.
Key takeaway
SOS began as a recognizable distress signal, not the initials of an English plea for help.
Evidence
Contradicts the claim
The familiar English expansions were not the original meaning
The Saturday Evening Post
The publication's language-history column explicitly rejects 'Save Our Souls' and 'Save Our Ship' as the signal's original expansion and describes its continuous transmission.
Based on: The Saturday Evening Post
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