Just to add to this topic a decade later!
I think we will be learning Morse code as part of signals during my deck officer cadetship. The radio officer role being made defunct a couple of decades ago has shifted these sorts of things into the realm of the deck officers as I understand it.
Regarding emergency signals, we've already been taught how to identify the signal put out by one type of emergency beacon that then shows up on radar in a particular way. It is very clever stuff that helps save lives.
Also, celestial navigation is a key part of our training, revolving around the sextant, to cover us for example if our ship loses all power, is dead in the water, and we then need to do dead reckoning to work out our position. Carnival UK (Cunard, P&O Cruises etc) still require proficiency in celestial navigation and therefore sextant use, and I'd imagine they're not the only shipping company either and quite right too!
All this is despite some ships transferring fully and within regulations to ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) and not requiring paper charts anymore, although they are recommended to carry some relevant to common ports of call etc etc just in case. The two separate but identical ECDIS units that these ships have to have in order to go "paperless" have different sensor inputs etc and offer redundancy a lot like a modern airliner in that respect.
I've digressed quite a bit here from the original topic question, but to some it up, some old technology is still essential, doesn't need reinventing or replacing nor can it be in the case of the sextant, and could be a lifesaver so I'm glad my fellow cadets and I will be taught it even though reliance on electronics is increasing.
