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A '''navyphone''' is a rugged type of telephone made specifically for shipboard use.
A '''Navyphone''' is a rugged type of telephone made specifically for shipboard applications using short-range circuits.  For some time, the Royal Navy called these "loud-speaking telephones", but the word "navyphone" was coming into usage as early as 1902.{{ARTS1902|p. 60}}  They considered them as being slightly different to long-range [[Telephone|telephones]].


==Form Factor==
==Form Factor==


Navyphones varied considerably in their physical details, not all of them resembling a conventional telephone.  Most were to be mounted on a bulkhead or other convenient vertical surface.
[[File:RestoredNavyphone1899_front.jpg|thumb|300px|'''Unknown "Navy'Phone" (front)'''<br>circa 1900]]
[[File:RestoredNavyphone1899_back.jpg|thumb|300px|'''Unknown "Navy'Phone" (back)''']]
[[File:RestoredNavyphone1899_inside.jpg|thumb|300px|'''Unknown "Navy'Phone" (inside)''']]
 
Navyphones varied considerably in their physical details, not all of them resembling a conventional telephone.  Some resembled intercoms, and some were rather comical in appearance with trumpets or large horns in front or to be clopped over one's ears as though sharing a secret with a sunflower.  Most were to be mounted on a bulkhead or other convenient vertical surface.
 
A brass navyphone recovered from a wreck of a Royal Navy armoured cruiser by a Dutch diver in the modern era may loosely be taken as an example.  Like other British navyphones, it was supplied by the Graham company, and was probably identified by [[Admiralty Pattern Number]] (an "1814" on this one may be such, but I can find no reference to such a model).
 
This article seems to have been portable, with a hinged carry handle on its top, a cable gland at the bottom, and a single push lever labelled "Press to Speak".  You can see by the design of the push-to-talk lever that it rotates a capsule of carbon granules within the housing, as in the [[Pattern 1855 Navyphone]].  The front round aperture is the microphone through which the local user would speak; it may have been protected by a light mesh which corroded away before restoration work began.  The brass horn emerging from the back is where the remote speaker's voice would emanate, its geometry helping as much as possible to amplify the volume.
 
==British Patterns==
Most were in watertight metal cases with receivers at the back with diaphragms facing the back of the instrument, projecting into trumpets which carried the sound out to the side.  The transmitter was placed in front and could be revolved by hand although no clear description is offered of the plane of rotation, but we may guess that the example shown above was typical.
 
They were most often battery-powered, initially, powered in pairs off six pattern 1453 cells in a pattern 1704 battery box until the [[Lord Nelson Class Battleship (1906)|''Lord Nelson'']], [[Bellerophon Class Battleship (1907)|''Bellerophon'']] and later classes in which they were powered by a motor generator.<ref>''Torpedo Drill Book, 1914'', p. 263.</ref>
 
Issues with rain, wind and spray were solved in 1907 by a "damp-proof" model (of unstated type; it was one of those compatible with motor generators, so perhaps 2140A) which was rigorously tested by pouring buckets over it and immersing them in water for 24 hours.{{ARTS1907|pp. 74-5}}
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
|-
| bgcolor=CEDFF2 align="center" colspan="4"|'''Graham-type Loud Speaking Phones<br>and Navyphones in British Service'''
|-
!style="color: white; height: 30px; background: crimson;"| Pattern
!style="color: white; height: 30px; background: crimson;"| Application
!style="color: white; height: 30px; background: crimson;"| Deployed
!style="color: white; height: 30px; background: crimson;"| Notes
|-
|[[Pattern 1639 Loud Speaking Telephone|1639]]
|upper deck areas
|before 1902{{INF}}
|battery-powered<br>push-to-call<br>open shutter to answer<br>external bell
|-
|[[Pattern 1643 Loud Speaking Telephone|1643]]
|engine room
|before 1902{{INF}}
|battery-powered<br>push-to-call<br>open shutter to answer<br>external bell
|-
|[[Pattern 1855 Navyphone|1855]]
|upper deck areas
|1902
|battery-powered, push-to-talk, external bell
|-
|[[Pattern 1856 Navyphone|1856]]
|engine room
|1902
|battery-powered, external bell
|-
|[[Pattern 1856A Navyphone|1856A]]
|engine room
|1907
|powered by battery or generator
|-
|[[Pattern 2108 Navyphone|2108]]
|control positions
|~1904
|paired with 2109<br>push-to-talk<br>no bell
|-
|[[Pattern 2108A Navyphone|2108A]]
|control positions
|
|fitted in some cabins in ''Dreadnought'' and later ships
|-
|[[Pattern 2108B Navyphone|2108B]]
|control positions
|
|
|-
|[[Pattern 2109 Navyphone|2109]]
|gun positions
|~1905
|paired with 2108<br>push-to-talk<br>bell
|-
|[[Pattern 2109A Navyphone|2109A]]
|gun positions
|
|fitted in some cabins in ''Dreadnought'' and later ships
|-
|[[Pattern 2109B Navyphone|2109B]]
|gun positions
|
|
|-
|[[Pattern 2140 Navyphone|2140]]
|universal type
|
|
|-
|[[Pattern 2140A Navyphone|2140A]]
|upper deck areas
|
|suitable for generator
|-
|[[Pattern 860 Navyphone|860]]
|fire control
|''Bellerophon'' class
|similar to 2109A, but with a bell on top
|-
|[[Pattern 861 Navyphone|861]]
|fire control
|''Bellerophon'' class
|no bell<br>similar to 2108A w/portable receivers
|-
|[[Pattern 862 Navyphone|862]]
|fire control
|''Bellerophon'' class
|no bell, similar to 1856A<br>works with 2108A
|-
|[[Pattern 863 Navyphone|863]]
|general use
|''Bellerophon'' class
|bell on top, similar to 2140A<br>new shutter and push
|-
|[[Pattern 541 Navyphone|541]]
|cabins
|~1914
|modern-type handset
|-
|[[Pattern 2461 Navyphone|2461]]
|general use
|''Lion'' and ''Orion'' classes
|buzzer call-up
|-
|[[Pattern 2461A Navyphone|2461A]]
|engine rooms
|''Lion'' and ''Orion'' classes
|with bell contact<br>replaces 2140A, 2108A, 2108B, 2109A, 863, 1856A
|-
|[[Pattern 2462 Navyphone|2462]]
|cabins
|''Lion'' and ''Orion'' classes
|buzzer call-up
|-
|[[Pattern 2463 Navyphone|2463]]
|TS
|''Lion'' and ''Orion'' classes
|buzzer call-up
|-
|[[Pattern 2464 Navyphone|2464]]
|Guns
|''Lion'' and ''Orion'' classes
|buzzer call-up
|-
|[[Pattern 2465 Navyphone|2465]]
|TS
|''Lion'' and ''Orion'' classes
|transmitter only, buzzer call-up
|-
|[[Pattern 2466 Navyphone|2466]]
|destroyer & exposed positions
|''Lion'' and ''Orion'' classes
|buzzer call-up
|-
|[[Pattern 3330 Navyphone|3330]]
|TS
|''Queen Elizabeth'' class
|buzzer call-up
|-
|[[Pattern 3331 Navyphone|3331]]
|gun positions, etc
|''Queen Elizabeth'' class
|buzzer call-up
|-
|[[Pattern 3332 Navyphone|3332]]
|TS
|''Queen Elizabeth'' class
|buzzer call-up
|-
|[[Pattern 3333 Navyphone|3333]]
|gun positions, etc
|''Queen Elizabeth'' class
|buzzer call-up
|-
|[[Pattern 3334 Navyphone|3334]]
|TS
|''Queen Elizabeth'' class
|transmitter only, buzzer call-up
|}


==See Also==
==See Also==
{{refbegin}}
* [[Telaupad]]  
* [[Telaupad]]  
* [[Voicepipe]]  
* [[Voicepipe]]  
* [[Telephone]]
{{refend}}


==Footnotes==
==Footnotes==
<small>
{{reflist}}
<references/>
</small>


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
<small>
{{refbegin}}
</small>
*{{TorpDB1905}}
*{{TorpDB1908}}
*{{TorpDB1912}}
*{{TorpDB1914}}
*{{ARTS1902}}
{{refend}}


[[Category:Communications Equipment]]
[[Category:Communications Equipment]]
[[Category:Shipboard Equipment]]
[[Category:Shipboard Equipment]]

Latest revision as of 15:07, 24 September 2018

A Navyphone is a rugged type of telephone made specifically for shipboard applications using short-range circuits. For some time, the Royal Navy called these "loud-speaking telephones", but the word "navyphone" was coming into usage as early as 1902.[1] They considered them as being slightly different to long-range telephones.

Form Factor

Unknown "Navy'Phone" (front)
circa 1900
Unknown "Navy'Phone" (back)
Unknown "Navy'Phone" (inside)

Navyphones varied considerably in their physical details, not all of them resembling a conventional telephone. Some resembled intercoms, and some were rather comical in appearance with trumpets or large horns in front or to be clopped over one's ears as though sharing a secret with a sunflower. Most were to be mounted on a bulkhead or other convenient vertical surface.

A brass navyphone recovered from a wreck of a Royal Navy armoured cruiser by a Dutch diver in the modern era may loosely be taken as an example. Like other British navyphones, it was supplied by the Graham company, and was probably identified by Admiralty Pattern Number (an "1814" on this one may be such, but I can find no reference to such a model).

This article seems to have been portable, with a hinged carry handle on its top, a cable gland at the bottom, and a single push lever labelled "Press to Speak". You can see by the design of the push-to-talk lever that it rotates a capsule of carbon granules within the housing, as in the Pattern 1855 Navyphone. The front round aperture is the microphone through which the local user would speak; it may have been protected by a light mesh which corroded away before restoration work began. The brass horn emerging from the back is where the remote speaker's voice would emanate, its geometry helping as much as possible to amplify the volume.

British Patterns

Most were in watertight metal cases with receivers at the back with diaphragms facing the back of the instrument, projecting into trumpets which carried the sound out to the side. The transmitter was placed in front and could be revolved by hand although no clear description is offered of the plane of rotation, but we may guess that the example shown above was typical.

They were most often battery-powered, initially, powered in pairs off six pattern 1453 cells in a pattern 1704 battery box until the Lord Nelson, Bellerophon and later classes in which they were powered by a motor generator.[2]

Issues with rain, wind and spray were solved in 1907 by a "damp-proof" model (of unstated type; it was one of those compatible with motor generators, so perhaps 2140A) which was rigorously tested by pouring buckets over it and immersing them in water for 24 hours.[3]

Graham-type Loud Speaking Phones
and Navyphones in British Service
Pattern Application Deployed Notes
1639 upper deck areas before 1902[Inference] battery-powered
push-to-call
open shutter to answer
external bell
1643 engine room before 1902[Inference] battery-powered
push-to-call
open shutter to answer
external bell
1855 upper deck areas 1902 battery-powered, push-to-talk, external bell
1856 engine room 1902 battery-powered, external bell
1856A engine room 1907 powered by battery or generator
2108 control positions ~1904 paired with 2109
push-to-talk
no bell
2108A control positions fitted in some cabins in Dreadnought and later ships
2108B control positions
2109 gun positions ~1905 paired with 2108
push-to-talk
bell
2109A gun positions fitted in some cabins in Dreadnought and later ships
2109B gun positions
2140 universal type
2140A upper deck areas suitable for generator
860 fire control Bellerophon class similar to 2109A, but with a bell on top
861 fire control Bellerophon class no bell
similar to 2108A w/portable receivers
862 fire control Bellerophon class no bell, similar to 1856A
works with 2108A
863 general use Bellerophon class bell on top, similar to 2140A
new shutter and push
541 cabins ~1914 modern-type handset
2461 general use Lion and Orion classes buzzer call-up
2461A engine rooms Lion and Orion classes with bell contact
replaces 2140A, 2108A, 2108B, 2109A, 863, 1856A
2462 cabins Lion and Orion classes buzzer call-up
2463 TS Lion and Orion classes buzzer call-up
2464 Guns Lion and Orion classes buzzer call-up
2465 TS Lion and Orion classes transmitter only, buzzer call-up
2466 destroyer & exposed positions Lion and Orion classes buzzer call-up
3330 TS Queen Elizabeth class buzzer call-up
3331 gun positions, etc Queen Elizabeth class buzzer call-up
3332 TS Queen Elizabeth class buzzer call-up
3333 gun positions, etc Queen Elizabeth class buzzer call-up
3334 TS Queen Elizabeth class transmitter only, buzzer call-up

See Also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1902. p. 60.
  2. ↑ Torpedo Drill Book, 1914, p. 263.
  3. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1907. pp. 74-5.

Bibliography

  • H.M.S.O., London Torpedo Drill Book, 1905 (Corrected to December, 1904). Copy in Tony Lovell's library.
  • H.M.S.O., London Torpedo Drill Book, 1908 (Corrected to December, 1907). Copy in Tony Lovell's library.
  • H.M.S.O., London Torpedo Drill Book, 1912 (Corrected to April, 1912). Copy in Tony Lovell's library.
  • H.M.S.O., London (1914). Torpedo Drill Book, 1914 (Corrected to May 15) Copy in Tony Lovell's library.
  • H.M.S. Vernon. Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1902. Copy 268 at The National Archives. ADM 189/22.

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