Submarine Hull Is "Mike" - AmericanRadioHistory.Com

520 RADIO -CRAFT
March, 1932
Communication between sub -
ships above has been attempted
the system described by the
way communication is derived
The under -sea loud -speaker "shuck" to the hull of a submarine.
Submarine Hull Is
IIF.NEVER man descends under the
ocean's surface, he wants assurance on
two points: first, that he will ascend again safely; anal,
second, that in the event mishap befalls him, he will be
able to converse with those above who are seeking to rescue him
from the engulfing waters.
These two considerations are of paramount importance and any
means to minimize the dangers involved will further the public's
confidence in submarine work. The importance of submarines in
times of peace or war is not to be denied.
With the first consideration we are not technically concerned,
although were it possible for guarantees to be made that no submarine
ever would be trapped un the Ii ittnm of the scat, life -saving
:uu1 communications apparatus would not be required.
With the hatter, however, anyone familiar with subtarines and
their frailties must he concerned; and it is interesting to not
that the t'. S. Navy has given its submarine squadrons and their
rescue vessel, and mother ship a cambination underwater radio
and telephone that offers more peace of mind to submarine crews
than any communications device
yet perfected.
Simply and briefly, the device
consists of a portable trans-
mitter - receiver
that operates
fr storage batteries on the
deck of any rescue vessel (shown
in Fig. .\), several hundred feet
of cable and a flat -sided round
underwater reproducer that attaches
itself magnetically to the
metal Intl of a sunken submarine,
as illustrated in Fig. B.
Thus, direct contact is at once
made and not made. While cap
screws on the reproducer touch
the submarine physically, the
diaphragms -the heart of the reproducer
-do not touch the sub-
fi
li
CASING
DIAPHRAGM -
By GEORG E JAMES
marine and the sound waves pass through the
ELECTRO-
MAGNET
COIL \
ARMATURE
The component ports of the undo
thin film of water separating them front the
particular hull plate to which the device is attached.
Before offering It technical description of the surface and undersea
apparatus, let me give you a few of the high -lights of their
functions and methods of operation. Later on, a detailed explanation
will elaborate further the photographs and drawing accompanying
this article.
Locating the "Sub."
Suppose a submarine, having submerged during n morning run,
does not appear within an hour after its scheduled time for emerging
from the green sea. Its squadron sets up a search, utilizing
underwater radio sound apparatus; lookouts scan the sea for
revealing oil blotches; grapnels drag the bottom in the vicinity
where the submarine was last known to be.
Now, suppose they have found her through any of these methods.
A rescue vessel steams overhead and drops anchors. Over the
side, swaying as the surface ship rolls in the swells, the underwater
reproducer is lowered away. The
200 -pound metal piece disappears
FIE uO
POLE
COIL
SPACERS
TERMINAL
TI-16E
ELECTRO-
MAGNET
COIL
Fig E
r -sea speaker are well illustrated.
beneath the waves. As the cable
lowers it, an operator sits at the
deck apparatus as in Fig. A, his
ears encased with telephones. his
mouth close by a broadcasting
transmitter, one finger holding
down the "press-to-talk" button.
The magnetic
qualities of the
reproducer attract it to any magnetic
substance in its vicinity,
and soon the operator hears a
metallic "ping' as it makes contact,
and immediately he engages
in two-way conversation with the
trapped crew. Now. the beauty
of the apparatus lies in the fact
that all power is supplied from