The Washington herald., 1920-12-30
US. PERFECTS
RADIO TOSPOT
COAST ATTACK
'Position-F Finding" Will
Soon Be Part of Navy
Equipment.
LISTEN IN" ON
ENEMY WIRELESS
Scheme by Which British
Won Jutland Battle
Put Into Use.
By FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

All the Cu4&kS ZIG Onittu states
navy in time Of war would have to
defend viii shortly be. equipped with
a co-ordlnated system of radio ''po-
sition-findlng" stations. 1t was the
possession of such stations. numer-
Gus and strategically placed on the
shores Of the British Isles. that en-
abled Admiral Jeliico's. Grand Fleet
to steam out to meet the German
Armada at Jutland a full day before
It left its anchorage.
For days and weeks before the
battle Jellicoe heard Scheer's squad
ron chattering by wireless with its
different units and bases. Code sig
nails could not always be inter-
preted, but. as the hour of decisive
battle approached, Jellicoe's posi-
tion finding radio stations ashore
were able correctly to deduce that
the Germans were making ready for
their great sortie. The British
lifted anchor and rode out to engage
them. It was wireless. not espion-
age, that gave Jellicoe the inrorma-
tion at the psychological moment.
The American navy Is making
comprehensive preparations for Just
such an emergency in case we ever
have to meet II.
Learned scheme from British.
Immediately upon our entrance
into the war. in. 1917. the British
Admiralty placed US in possession
OF its ingenious scheme for spot
ting" enemy ships. The battle of
Jutland had been fought one year
before. By the time the United
States became a beliigerent. the sys-
tenn which served Jellicoe so admir-
ably was considerably more per-
fected. Before many months have
passed. the United States navy will
be operating position finding"
ssasfons, aft along the
Atlantic and Pacific; in the Gulf
Of Mexico, along the Panama canal,
In Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands,
Guam and the Philippines. In Hayti,
Porto Rico. the Virgin Islands, Tu-
tuila, Samoa and at Guantanamo
(Cuba), there also are stations,
either projected or in operation.
Already the power of those sta
tions is so Intensive that locations
of ships, or aircraft at sea. can be
spotted" within a degree.
Aiding Distressed Ships.
At present their functions are to
give aid to distressed merchant
craft. vitality valuable service is
being rendered to steamers which
have lost their bearings in fog or
storm. By communicating with two
different radio-compass stations
ashore. "eross-current" advices are
obtainable which enable a captain
to tell exactly where he Is and
what direction to steer to safety.
are often averted.
In wartime the function of the
system will be to locate enemy
craft such as raiders or submarines,
by Listening in" on their commu-
nications when they attempt to
talk" to their bases or to one an
other. 1t was easier for the British
navy in the North Sea to keep tab
on the Germans in the North Sea
than 1t would be for the American
navy to detect by radio the activi-
ties of hostile squadrons in the At
lantic or Pacific. The British Isles
are dotted with radio stations and
the area they have to cover Is in
mense reaches athwart our far
flung coasts.
Helps to Maintain Contact.
Radio-compass stations are Of in
value, too, in enabling
with aircraft on patrol duty
along the coasts. Big dirigible air
ships, such as the United States
Navy now Is building. frequently
lose their bearings. Nowadays they
have only to ring up radio sta
tions ashore and find out precisely
what latitudes they are
Onr naval Authorities believe the
of wireless in war have
not begun to be exhausted by any
or successes thus far
achieved. On the contrary, they
that with increased de-
yelopment there Is likely to be cor
progress in devices to
the positive advantage
Of the system.
One of the ruses which can easily
be resorted to Is the employment Of
signals by secondary
craft, while the real force, such as
a main battle squadron, maintains
,ilence by not using its radio appa-
ratus at all. It may be that wire
less inventors by the time of the
hext war will have reduced the use
fulness of radio in hostile waters to
the minimum.
Keep Abreast Of Progress.
our radio experts keep fully
abreast of world developments In
their field. Since April. 1917. there
has been a full and free exchange
Of information among the United
states and the British and French
Recently when the Navy Depart
ment issued to American mariners
4 complete chart of our position
inding" stations throughout the
world, Il was simultaneously placed
II the disposal Of all foreign naval
sttaches in Washington.
The British began utilizing the
system, during the earliest weeks of
he war. The Germans conceded
later that the British had knowI-
edge. through their "directionai
OF the impending raid on
scarborough and Hartlepool by
warships In December. 1914.
In addition to fheir radio stations
IN Great Britain and ireland. the
British maintain such Installations
,n the coasts Of Canada and In the
Gulf Of st. t.sLawrence.
.