Talk:Mayday

Mayday Relay procedure?
The example of an aviation mayday relay has just "Mayday" in the call. I have seen elsewhere in maritime guidance that a mayday relay should actually start with "Mayday Relay, Mayday Relay, Mayday Relay". Unsure which is correct. Anyone have an authoritative doc on it?

avs (talk) 05:31, 25 November 2015 (UTC)


 * The international distress calls are standardised across land, sea, and air, and so the procedure for relaying a 'Mayday' in the air is the same as for maritime use, e.g., 'Mayday Relay, Mayday Relay, Mayday Relay ...' — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.8.126.91 (talk) 14:22, 5 September 2022 (UTC)

Irrelevant "See also"
I removed these three items from "See also":


 * USS Gerald R. Ford
 * USS Langley
 * USS Nimitz

Because there is no indication in those articles why they would be relevant to this article; none of them even mention maydays. They were added without explanation. A list of vessels that have ever declared maydays would be an entirely different article altogether. 82.95.254.249 (talk) 13:47, 28 May 2017 (UTC)

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External links modified (January 2018)
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Circular source removed
At the end of the second paragraph is the first reference in the article. The information on the source is itself sourced from WP; the site is not a communications but religious site using the term Mayday to illustrate a sermon, so it's hardly authoritative anyway.

The best authority is the ITU; although the information is on the ITU website, access to it is limited to registered members so I've added a US coastguard instruction as the source. If anybody knows of a more authoritative and international source, go ahead! Twistlethrop (talk) 12:00, 19 September 2018 (UTC)


 * I believe all or nearly all of the ITU standards are now freely available. Which standard do you think should be cited here? I'm happy to help you find an open link.PetesGuide, K6WEB (talk) 14:43, 19 September 2018 (UTC)

Mayday Hospital connection?
The term was first adopted at Croydon Airport in February 1923, and was chosen because it would be memorable and meaningful to both English-speaking and French-speaking personnel. To the French, because it was the phonetic equivalent of m'aidez ... but how about to the English? Well, the local hospital for the sick and distressed poor, the Croydon Union Infirmary, was in Mayday Road, and was formally renamed Mayday Hospital four months later in June 1923. Coincidence? I can't find any sources that make the connection, so it would be WP:OR to add it to the article, but I flag it up here in case anyone else can find such sources. GrindtXX (talk) 20:41, 2 April 2021 (UTC)


 * The origin of the term is related here:  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.8.126.91 (talk) 14:13, 5 September 2022 (UTC)

History - Mayday Hospital
Does the choice of the word Mayday perhaps also have a link to Croydon hospital, which was opened in 1923 and named Mayday Hospital at the time? Same word, same year, just down the road from Croydon airport, and a place you might need in an emergency... 82.33.132.172 (talk) 23:48, 6 November 2022 (UTC)