NAVY WIRELESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 114, 15 May 1924, Page 8

NAVY WIRELESS.

SECRECY. AND POWER.

Attractive sekvice branch

VOICE AND EARS OF THE FLEET.

Eegiircllng its achievements the Navy j Js traditionally silent, but in no branch 13 its silence more pronounced than in CCTineclion with its -wireless service. The visitor receives coir.icons details of si multitude of iulrieaoies aboard a modern j ship of war, but from <-ne sanctum —'he wireless room—lie is absolutely debarred, i Often he is prone to wonder why. He I little realises that the radio installation | on a battleship in these progressive days is vastly different from that on a liner, and that in a fighting unit its utilities are far greater, far more varied, and even vastly more important than 'hey are aboard a merchantman. Concerning these utilities the mere landsman must, in the interests of national safety, remain ignorant, but there is much, in this twentieth century development of naval progress, that can be told without trespassing on forbidden ground. The Hood's Complement. '"" Few who gaze at the fascinating antennae of the Hood realise what is there signified. It would be hard to convince them that in that department alone there are employed more than would constitute the whole crew of a two thousand ton cargo vessel, and that the power available for wireless purposes j alone would probably be sufficient to drive such a freighter at a fair turn of I Fpeed.. .In.time, of war every rating of j that • complement ■ would be fully occupied, just as in time of peace it is maintained fully trained, and efficient for such, a eventuality. The equipjnent too is of a truly composite character, arc, spark and valve all playing their part, and .proving specially adaptbble for particular functions. For the staff the training is far more exhaustive and thorough than for commercial operators, but about it there is that fascination which always brings a flood of recrait3 to the W.T. branch. In it lads enter the service at about sixteen, and after about eight months ashore, put in anything up to two years at sea before becoming qualified operators Later, promotion to the rank of chief petty officer is open to them, while a selected few are able to become warrant officer telegraphists, and eventually may rise to the kan.of lieutenant-commander, ability and keen .devotion to duty being the only determining feature* for such promotion. Radio on the Cruise. In a cruise such as this of the special Equadron, one particular aspect may be mentioned. It is naturally desirable that the fleet should keep in either direct or re-transmitted touch, with that great directing nerve centre of the Navy at Whitehall, and so no great difficulty is experienced in doing .so. Of the doings of the outside world, too, Jack afloat need never be ignorant, for from all quarters of the globe there is news travelling through the ether, and the daily paper published aboard the flagship keeps him abreast of all important ing. With the Navy, wireless telephony, events, international, political, and sportthat enthusiatic pursuit of the amateur, is a matter of minor importance, for the morse code is almost as speedy as, and; much more reliable than, the spoken voice, which for code work would be quite unsuitable. But the Navy is not without its listening-in sets. Aboard the Repulse is a receiving plant which is the private property of the ship's company, and from it are derived many hours of entertainment when the great cruiser is far from Home. On the present voyage the concerts broadcasted from London were received almost until Capetown was reached. The efforts of New Zealand and Australia, too, have been heard, and next week America will take a hand in entertaining some of our present visitors.

Modern Direction-finding. As will have , been observed by all familiar "with, "if, "the whole of the squadron now in port is equipped with direc-tion-finding apparatus. In the Navy this has emphatically demonstrated its utility for navigation purposes in fog or ( at night, for locating those calls of distress which the service is so ever prompt to hasten to, for ascertaining the where-, abouts of any unit of the fleet, and, above all, for determining the position of an enemy. To-day, thanks to direction finding, an enemy vessel would but have to commence utilising his wireless plant to disclose his position, and, as long or as often as' lie continued to speak, so could his course be followed and plotted. Thus does wireless reach beyond the limit of the aeroplane in providing that great naval essential information. Locating the S.O.S.

The present cruise has afforded one fetriking example of the efficiency of •what is technically known as D.F. When the fleet were approaching Sydney there came the imperative S.O.S. from the Japanese merchantman Honolulu Maru.

In a heavy gale, and weather that gave

very low visibility, off went the Daunt- " less to the rescue. An approximate position from-the vessel in distress was

received, but .the direction-finder rendered this unnecessary, and the succouring warship was able to.proceed to the exact spot where the Honolulu, with a heavy list from shifted cargo, was labouring through the seas. Without the stand-by might have been delayed for many hours, for it is : no easy work, in thick weather to locate; a ship from an approximate wirelessed position. The Navy too, knows what this latest device means to navigation in Home waters. Experience has shown that it has become positively accurate over very long ranges, and cases have occurred where warships going up the English Channel in thick fog have depended for hours in this crowded sea lane upon wireless bearings alone.

In these times of peace we know that wireless has given to bur first line of defence a closer touch with the shore and with its far scattered units, a greater facility in navigation, and an increased power to help those in peril on the sea. The manifold utilities of the wireless service in time of Avar, are some of the Nayy's closely-guarded

secrets, but we can feel assured that though we may not know them, they will, like every other branch, be found at maximum efficiency should the great call come once more.