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July 12, 1999 is believed to be the last date that a commercial Morse code message was sent in the United States. The date also marks the beginning of the traditional “NIght of Nights,” an annual event in which coastal stations reawaken to commemorate the legacy of maritime radio, broadcasting Morse messages as they were once sounded. Maritime Radio Historical Society founding member Richard Dillman recalls the tradition this way:

12 July 1999 was a sad day for many of us. We knew it was coming but when the end finally arrived it was a shock. I was there. It was the supposed last day of Morse code. The final sign off took place at a remote station on the Pacific coast. Women attending the event were dressed as if at a funeral. Grizzled, hard bitten old men, the kind you wouldn't mess with in a bar room, had tears in their eyes as the last messages was keyed out to the world at 0000 gmt. And then there was silence.

But the prediction of the death of Morse code was not to be fulfilled. On that day the Maritime Radio Historical Society was born. On that day we began plans to restore a Morse code radio station—the famous KPH. One year later we held the first "Night of Nights" when not only KPH but other coast stations appeared once again on the air. Every year since we have commemorated that date by returning these stations to the air and thereby, we hope, honoring the men and women who came before us.

The tradition continues every July 12. The 2015 edition of the event included stations KPH, KFS, KSM, WLO, and KLB, as well as US Coast Guard stations NMC, NMW and NMQ. Transmitters utilized included the RCA “H Set” Transmitter 298 and the 1942 Press Wireless PW15 transmitter.

For more information:
MRHS Newsletter No. 50
The SWLing Post