The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-08-17
NAVY DEPARTMENT PLANS VAST
WIRELESS SYSTEM IN WHICH
HONOLULU WILL Be A STATION

The Navy: Control of the opera
ions Of fleet at sea 1000 miles
Instant from Washington; direct COM
anication with shore stations on
he Atlantic to a distance of 1,7S0
miles; and the power to transmit Or
iers to vessels when 5000 miles
away is the contemplated plan of the
Navy Department through the perfec-
ton Of the most powerful wireless
station in this country, at Arlington,
Va.
The plans for this station have been
completed and work on it will begin
shortly. A tower 600 feet in
height will be erected and two others
45O feet high will be placed to form
a triangle with the main tower.
The plant will be equipped with 100
X. w. station. The stations at Key
West and Colon, now the most pow.
erful in this country, are each but
% X. w. This gives some idea of
the comparative superiority of the
main station at Arlington.
This is part of the plan contem-
plated to perfect the navy's wireless
system. Besides this station, how
ever, it is proposed to erect a station
at some point on the Pacific coast, to
have direct communication with Ho-
nolulu. With this strength obtained,
the Pacific coast station would be
able to communicate with every sta
ton on land on the Pacific coast from
the Canal Zone north to the recently
completed station in Alaska.
Fleet Always in Touch.
The significance of this work in the
increase of operating efficiency of a
fleet is important. When the depart
ment finally succeeds in developing
it's plans for the wireless system, both
the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans
will become a powerful network of in
terweaving lines of communication
from the central point to a semi.
circle with a 1000 mile radius. With.
in this radius, the control of the fleet
operations will be perfect and mes
sages will be transmitted with per
feet ease from vessels at sea to the
land stations and vice versa. At
greater distances, up to 5000 miles,
it will be possible to send communica-
lions to vessels at sea, though it is
not practicable, at this stage of the
development of wireless telegraphy,
to equip ships with wireless appara-
tus capable of sending over 1000
miles. However, even when acknowl-
edgment of orders from the central
point is not possible by wireless, IT
might often be of greatest Importance
to be able to send orders to ships on
the probability of their receiving the
orders, which could be acknowledged
by cable It would often be possible
for a vessel to send to Washington
! the acknowledgment of an order re
ceived by wireless when the vesse
could not be reached by cable from
Washington.
All of the vessels of the navy can
not be equipped with towers high
enough to receive messages at a dis
lance of 5000 miles, or anywhere
near that; but the vessels equipped
with special apparatus for this worl
can act as receiving stations for
fleet. In course of time, probably al
of the first class vessels of the nav!
will be equipped with such appara
tus. The towers now on the Birming
ham and Salem are of this type, and
when the station at Arlington is com
pleted the cruisers will be sent t
some distant point to test the sys
tenn.
The land stations which will be
placed in direct communication witt
Arlington, Va, are: Cape Elizabeth
Maine; Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Boston, Mass; Cape Cod, Mass.
Nantucket Shoal Light Ship, New
port R. l.; Fire Island, New York
Navy Yard New York; Navy Yard
Philadelphia; Cape Henlopen, Del.
Annapolis, Md. Washington, d. c..
Norfolk, Va; Diamond Shoal Ligh
Ship Beaufort, N. c.; Frying Par
Shoal Light Ship, Charleston, S. s..
Jupiter Inlet, Fla; Key West, Fla
Pensacola, Fla; New Orleans, La.
San Juan, p. r.; Guantanamo, Cuba
Colon, Isthmus of Panama, and Porte
Bello, Isthmus of Panama. Thi
shows the complete control Of the en-
tire eastern coast which the depart
ment will have from Washington.
The Coast System.
When this is established, the dc
Ipartment will Derfect the system Oh