Americus times-recorder., 1919-08-22
new SYSTEM TO
TELLLOST ship
WHERE She is

New YOrk-NOt the least Of the
dangers attending the business of be-
ing q mariner has been that of losing
ones bearings while at sea. Time was
when the sailors life was more re-
plete with danger than in these days
of advanced maritime efficiency. But
though the ocean terrors were elm
mated one by one until there remained
little to be afraid of, there still was
the discOncerting possibility of a ship
losing itself; of fogs and compass ir-
regularities; of mishaps to instru-
ments and disabilities of steering
mechanisms. Thus every so often a
liner or freighter or a warship was re-
ported lost in the fog" or "out of
its course"
The United States naval communica
ton service has perfected a system of
triangulation that has eliminated the
possibility of further maritime reports
of this sort. 1t is not the discovery
of any one man. Indeed, it truly can
not be classified as discovery. 1t is
simply a perfection of a basic rule of
position finding that has formed the
fundamental of range determination
In the army and a straightforward
geometric theorum concerning inter-
secting lines.
System Explained.
The perfected system has been in
use in the American navy for a year.
At Al Whitehall street the system was
explained briefly by attaches Of the
New York district central controlling
radio station.
1t is to be assumed that a ship Is
a hundred miles off the middle Allan.
tic coast. She has lost her bearings.
Her navigators are unable to tell her
latitude and longitude. At once the
bewildered ships radio flashes the
American coast a demand to be told
the data she needs most:
"Where am T?'
The request coming within the sec
tor for which the New York district
central controlling radio station is re-
sponsible, the appeal is received by
five radio compass stations located at
Montauk Point, L. l.; Fire Island,
Roekaway Beach, Sandy Hook and
Mantooking, N. J.
Each of these stations is connected
with "A Whitehall street by telegraph
and telephone These radio compass
stations cannot communicate with the
lost ship, as they are receivers only
and not transmitters. However, each
of the radio compass stations notifies
the central station in Whiteall street
that q ship within the district is de-
manding to know its location. Imme-
diately the central station radios the
bewildered mariner to continue flash
ing his call letters for at least thirty
seconds And at the same time the
radio compass stations begin obtain
ing bearings on the ship
Then Its Simple.
The operators in the five stations
turn their compass wheels until each
has an accurate bearing. These five
readings are transmitted to the CEN
trail station where, on a huge chart,
the five readings are combined. Each
reading will indicate a certain num-
Der of miles between the ship and the
station that took the bearing. 1t Is a
relatively simple matter, then, to
project these lines upon the chart I'M
til the five lines intersect. And that
point of intersection is the location
of the calling ship. Acknowledgment
from the ship completes the operation.
Every American port is now being
safeguarded by just such systems of
radio compasses and central stations
Within a few months, at any point
along the coast, mariners will be able
to approach channels, reefs and sh0al
waters with an absolute assurance
that they will not proceed too near,
nor yet exercise such great caution
as to throw them out Of their course.
And thus also is the danger attending
fog banks eliminated.
Lieutenant Commander R. B. Coff-
man, U. S. N, is superintendent of the
central station at A Whitehall street
Lieut.. NJ. w. Arps, U. S. N, is in
direct charge of the New York dis
trict.