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World War One discussions.
Radio Direction Finding in World War I
Posted by:
jliller
()
Date: May 05, 2016 07:25PM
I came across the following quote Linwood S. Howeth's "History of Communications-Electronics in the United States Navy" which is a 1963 government publication and also available online at [earlyradiohistory.us]
"While the equipment was being installed on the battleships and cruisers, design of sets with smaller coils for destroyers was proceeding. In May 1917, Austin, of the Navy Radio Research Laboratory, advised that the addition of a single vertical wire to the direction finder antenna system would eliminate one of the two nulls, thereby giving positive direction of the transmitting target. This was incorporated in the SE 995 destroyer direction finder. This equipment utilized a 20-inch coil of two windings and the vertical antenna connected to an SE 998 receiver and a SE 1000, two-stage audiofrequency amplifier. This was ready for installation by the summer of 1917 and was greatly superior to the earlier equipment. It was fitted in all destroyers available in continental navy yards and shipped to Brest for installation in those operating from that base.
"The young destroyer commanders developed plans utilizing this equipment for locating enemy submarines; effecting concentrations for hunter-killer operations; and for assembling and escorting of convoys in thick weather. They were so successful that by early 1918 the German Submarine Service was completely demoralized and ineffective."
If shipboard direction finding was so effective against U-boats in World War I why was it a surprise to the Germans in World War II, and why was it so difficult to develop shipboard HFDF in World War II? Were World War I transmissions using low frequency instead of high frequency? Or is Howeth mistaken in his claim?
"While the equipment was being installed on the battleships and cruisers, design of sets with smaller coils for destroyers was proceeding. In May 1917, Austin, of the Navy Radio Research Laboratory, advised that the addition of a single vertical wire to the direction finder antenna system would eliminate one of the two nulls, thereby giving positive direction of the transmitting target. This was incorporated in the SE 995 destroyer direction finder. This equipment utilized a 20-inch coil of two windings and the vertical antenna connected to an SE 998 receiver and a SE 1000, two-stage audiofrequency amplifier. This was ready for installation by the summer of 1917 and was greatly superior to the earlier equipment. It was fitted in all destroyers available in continental navy yards and shipped to Brest for installation in those operating from that base.
"The young destroyer commanders developed plans utilizing this equipment for locating enemy submarines; effecting concentrations for hunter-killer operations; and for assembling and escorting of convoys in thick weather. They were so successful that by early 1918 the German Submarine Service was completely demoralized and ineffective."
If shipboard direction finding was so effective against U-boats in World War I why was it a surprise to the Germans in World War II, and why was it so difficult to develop shipboard HFDF in World War II? Were World War I transmissions using low frequency instead of high frequency? Or is Howeth mistaken in his claim?
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
Radio Direction Finding in World War I
|
jliller | 05/05/2016 07:25PM |
|
Re: Radio Direction Finding in World War I
|
chrisheal | 05/25/2016 10:34AM |