Submarine Sound Signalling
Submarine Sound Signalling was an experimental means of communication at sea trialled around 1911.
An Admiralty letter dated 11 October 1911 names some 30-50 ships to be fitted with apparatus from the American company, Gardner's or Lieutenant Hervey's design.[1]
Coincidence
The building bearing the name "American Submarine Sound Signaling" sat prominently in Boston between North Station and the U.S.S. Constitution, where the editor had long wondered what it was referring to before discovering it was in his sphere of interest. The building still exists as Lovejoy Wharf, but a major renovation that turned it into condominiums and corporate offices for Converse sneakers removed the name from its parapet c. 2014-15.
Late 1913
There is mention of this equipment in a Weekly Order, naming 14 ships whose names are to be struck from an Admiralty Letter of 16 July 1913.[2]
A later order lists those ships containing the equipment, imploring them to contact the manufacturer so the machines can receive maintenance.
| Ships carrying Submarine Sound Signalling Equipment in 1913[3] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | Collingwood | Conqueror | Eclipse | Hibernia |
| King Edward VII | Monarch | Prince of Wales | Thunderer | Agamemnon |
| Colossus | Dominion | Harrier | Hindustan | Lion |
| Neptune | Princess Royal | Vanguard | Bellerophon | Commonwealth |
| Dreadnought | Hercules | Indefatigable | Lord Nelson | Orion |
| Temeraire | Zealandia | |||
1914
In March, the Admiralty issued an order that the "Hervey Type" was henceforth to be called the "Hervey-Gardner Type".[4]
1917
By 20 April, 1917, the following ships were equipped with Submarine Sound Signalling equipment:[5]
This may reflect an actual reduction in installations from 1913, which could be attributable to profuse cautions against its use by ships at sea. The equipment was to be considered part of the wireless equipment.
See Also
Footnotes
Bibliography
- H.M.S. Vernon. Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1911, with Appendix (Wireless Telegraphy). Copy 15 at The National Archives. ADM 189/31.
- Poland, E. N. (1993). The Torpedomen: HMS Vernon's Story 1872-1986. London: Emsworth. ISBN 0-85937-396-7.
