CHAPTER

1

INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATIONS

Since the earliest form of wireless communication, the drum, was developed by the African natives, the ways and means of communicating between various points on the earth's surface have undergone changes never believed possible. Many of these we as proud Americans claim as resulting from our own ingenuity, and rightly so.

There are many means by which one activity or command of our present day Navy can communicate with another. Just think for a moment of what they are: land-line telephone, radio, teletypewriter, flags, flashing light, radio telephone, semaphore, megaphone, and pyrotechnics. The capital investment of the equipment involved both in government and commercial facilities is immeasurable. On the other hand, the procedure which we in the government service and commercial companies must follow are well defined.

Presented in the following pages of this book is carefully selected information which is provided for you in order to cover the following objectives:

1. Provide specific and up-to-date technical information. 2. Provide data which will help to prepare you for advancement in rating in accordance with the "quals" requirements. (See appendix II.)

3. Provide general information to prepare you better to understand and use technical manuals required in this special field-visual signaling.

HISTORY

Along with the early use of the drums, we find in our search of history many other interesting and significant items of

interest. News of the fall of Troy was flashed home to the ancient Greeks by the use of a series of beacon fires built at strategic points on the Aegean Island. In 1775, lanterns were placed in Boston's old North Church to speed Paul Revere on his way.

Another method of early communication used smooth metal to reflect the rays of the sun. This led in time to the invention of the signal searchlight with specially treated surfaces and an artificial light source.

As we proceed into our early American history, we find that the Indians used smoke signals to alert neighboring tribes of our advances west. These signals were an important part of Indian warfare.

In all of the above systems it is to be noted that each message had to be brief. Today, as then, Navy communication emphasizes brevity.

EARLY NAVAL SIGNALING

In the days when America was a chain of seaboard colonies belonging to England, silence ruled the sea lanes. Privateers roamed the Atlantic preying on commercial vessels. Honest merchants carrying the world's trade were suspicious of every sail on the horizon. They found it safer to move from port to port without being seen and used signals only in time of distress or when forced to identify themselves.

When the colonies' fight for independence began, however, the need for a good signal system arose. The privateers banded together to form the Continental Navy, but their operations were hampered because the few signals they knew were inadequate. Since makeshift signals often caused misunderstandings, naval commanders had to rely on the spoken word. If accurate information was needed, they came within hailing distance and communicated by megaphone.

It was probably through a megaphone that John Paul Jones shouted, "I have not yet begun to fight!" and that Captain Edward Preble bellowed, "This is the United States frigate Constitution . . . and I'll be damned if I'll send a boat aboard any ship!"

Today the megaphone is used only for such routine operations as docking and fueling at sea. Modern Navy heroes rely on radio messages such as the famous "Sighted sub, sank same."

The mishaps suffered by the Continental Navy because of poor signals made it clear that our fleet needed better communications. In 1778, the Continental Marine Committee gave the Navy its first simple maneuver and recognition signals. And by 1797 Captain Thomas Truxtun had worked out a signal system that the Navy officially adopted.

No one office in the Navy was directly responsible for signals until 1824, when the Secretary of the Navy assigned that duty to the Navy Board of Commissioners. But communication doctrine remained unchanged for more than 25 years after that. By then the Navy was using the new wire-telegraph systems, which made it possible to contact ships in every major American port.

The War Between the States created fresh problems in communication. Many Navy officers joined the Confederate Forces, and that clearly meant a compromise of signals. The Bureau of Navigation, which took charge of Naval communications in 1862, quickly protected the Union Navy by adopting the Myer's Code of the Army signal

system. In 1869, the Navy took the next big step forward in communications by setting up the Navy Signal Office in the Bureau of Navigation.

ELECTRICAL SIGNALING

The Navy made its first experiments with electric signal lights in 1875, and electricity immediately became an essential part of the Navy's communication system. At first signals could be flashed only 6 miles, but within three years the range had been increased to almost 17 miles.

Rapid technical advances soon threw the Navy's program for developing communications off balance. Since the Bureau of Navigation was not equipped to deal with the technical aspects of the program, its Signal Office was abolished. The work of developing communications was then taken over by the Bureau of Equipment.

By the turn of the century the Navy had become aware of the vast possibilities of transmitting messages without using telegraph wires. Marconi's wizardry in sending radio waves across the Atlantic had opened the door to an unexplored world. The Navy promptly invited the famous Italian to conduct further wireless experiments in America under its supervision.

It was not long before "Marconi devices" were installed aboard several major naval vessels. Wireless stations to experiment with various types of equipment were built at Annapolis and at Washington, D. C. Tests were made between these two stations, between Annapolis and a ship in Chesapeake Bay, and between two ships at sea.

The success of these tests prompted the Navy to equip all major vessels with wireless equipment and to set up additional shore stations. By 1903 six experimental stations were in operation, and a special school for communication training had been organized at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

On December 13, 1912, the Naval Radio Service was created, which today is known as the Naval Communication Service.

COMMUNICATION ORGANIZATION AFLOAT

Now that you have chosen to become a Signalman striker, a basic step in your new job is to learn something about the organization in which you will work. In this book emphasis will be placed on the signaling aspects of your rating. And your rating makes you a member of the operations department.

When you first appear on the signal bridge, you may be somewhat surprised at what you find. Everyone may seem to be living a real easy life. Some of the "gang" may be reading; others may be practicing signaling among themselves. Several may appear to be sunning themselves. No organization at all-and what an easy life may be your first opinion. Don't let this impression last, however. The sun bathers are more than likely look-outs and, if you'll stay around a minute or two, you'll see them jump into action as soon as your ship is called or a flaghoist goes up on one of the ships in the harbor. The others more than likely are studying new, or reviewing current, communication publications or practicing to improve their style of receiving or transmitting. Yes, the challenge is there and the self-satisfaction you will get in becoming a master of this art of signaling is considerable. You, too, will be required to stand watches, to study and practice continually, to work hard. But through your hard work the time will soon come when your shipmates will look upon you as an expert.

In order to get a full picture of the communication organization aboard your ship, we must first look into the total shipboard organization. As a striker your first duties may be that of a watch messenger, and a knowledge of the overall shipboard and departmental organization will be most helpful. In the figure below is shown a typical breakdown of a shipboard organization into departments.

This breakdown of the organization into departments is really a breakdown according to specialties. In the Navy Department in Washington, specialties are broken down into bureaus pretty much the same way. (Bureau of Ordnance, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, etc.)