The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-10-07
WAR DEVELOPS
RADIO TRIUMPH
Method Discovered of Communi.
eating With Submerged
Submarines.
YOUTHS ARE LUCKY FINDERS
Revelations Come When Researchers
Are at Work on Something Else
Single Turn Loop Brings
Amazing Results.


Washington. ID. C.-In a general way
1t is known that during the war Il
method was found to communicate
with submerged submarine from
shore or sea. How this is done and
how 1t came to be discovered that It
could be done not until now has been
made public. Like Il good many other
revelations ii came when the research
ers were at work on another problem
The scientists of the radio section
of the hureau.F standards stumbled
on Its secret and rha lucky ones To Sus-
pect ii were two young assistants not
long out of high school. Their expert
ments and the development of what Is
known as the loop aerial" for Suhma-
rtne radio communication by the bu-
reau resulted in device so simple
and perfect, and producing such Won
derful results, that the navy has
adopted it ana is eQuipping all its un-
dersea craft with this style of loop.
In the fall of 1917 series of expert
mentS was undertaken by the bureau
10 develop an apparatus for the dcteC-
ton of enemy SuhmerSihleS. ]. A. Will
loughhy and +. II. Lowell were en-
gagged in the work They had Il notion
that a closed or rubber encaSed coil
of wire offered the best chances for
success. They made one and threw
II one night into tank Of fresh water
on the grounds OF the bureau near
Chevy Chase, Md, suburb of Wash
a l.l -, a
"A signal from the big radio station at
Arlington. The next night they sub
merged the coil in the tidal basin of
the Potomac near the new navy build
ing. Again the signal came with no
difference In strength whether the loop
or coil was suspended in air or sunk in
the river.
Discovery Significant.
The significance of this discovery
struck both young men. Here was
way possibly to detect the presence Of
enemy submarines, but surely to talk
with our own, which was equally i'm
portant, had been thought impossible
This was in November
In December improvements in the
submerged coil brought the reception
OF signals from Lyons, France; Paris
and San Diego, Cal. BY March last
year excellent signals were received
on n single turn coil 100 feet long by
sixty feet high having wave length
of 100 meters by $4,000 meters.
In April Mr.. Willoughhy discussed
with Lieutenant Commander H. L. ST
Clair of the radio division of the navy.
the use of loops on submarines for
both transmission and reception under
water. Both he and Mr.. Lowell were
sent to New London 10 work under
Commander Mcdowell in charge of the
base to install the apparatus for try
out on submarine D-1. II is simple
contrivanCe the metal frame OF the
submarine itself being part Of II.
this being used as Il ground" Just aS
the earth Is used in hand telegrnphy.
The circuit Is thus made complete As
finally perfected the loop consists of
two insulated wires grounded at the
extreme ends Of the hull carried over
suitable supports To the coming tower
and thence through "radioIcad-ins'
down into the boat TO the receiving
and sending apparatus A single turn
loop was used on the D-1 With it's
top submerged three feet signals were
received from submarine chaser
three-Quartcrs Of n mile away
A new type of loop was tried on the
q. S. s. G-3, in which the lcad.in wires
were brought in from the upper side
of the loop instead Of the lower and
the entire loop was insulated from the
hull Better. hut not satisfactory. re.
suits were obtained. Up to this time
the frame of the boat had not been
used as ground"
The lower side of the loop was re-
moved and the ends of the wire fas-
tened 10 the bow and stern. The TOP
of the loop was submerged eight feet
signals from Naucn, Germany, were
clearly heard Very sharp indications
of direction were obtained when under
water or on top of it. And soon other
stations were heard including Cnrnar-
Won, England; Rome, Italy, and vnri-
GUS merchant vessels. Later expert
ments showed that communications
can be carried on VI sea under all con-
ditions more efficiently with the closed
loop aerial than with the ordinary
antenna now in general use