De Neumann began developing thoughts on the potential for a port-control system while he was captain of HMRC "Vigilant". These ideas followed on from considering such incidents as the accidental ramming of the submarine by HMS "Divina" in 1950, the Norwegian vessel "Baalbek"s collision with the Nore Army Fort in 1953, and the disastrous North Sea flood that resulted in the flooding of Canvey Island, Foulness and the East Coast in 1953. In these and other situations, rescue and intelligence gathering were severely hampered by a lack of centralised command and control, which led to a lack of situational awareness.