1910s–1930s Naval Early Warning System Idea

[Geoffrey de Vere]

How feasible is this? Suppose something like it receives attention from, say, the Royal Navy. It gets slowly developed over the course of the early Interwar Period, and improves with new advancements in RADAR technology. Here's how it could look in the 1930s:

• The system would be comprised of a network of (A) land- and sea-based radio direction finding (RDF) systems, (B) sea-based Q-ships (basically merchant ships with concealed guns and armament), and cruisers and patrol boats that would have their own RDF systems and visual observation crew and implements.
• The RDF system would primarily rely on Bellini–Tosi direction finders, Adcock antennae (invented 1919) for accurately determining bearing/azimuth of vessels and warships (potentially including aircraft as well), and modern oscilloscopes for more quickly calculating said bearing.
• Input from human observers with binoculars, telescopes, and rangefinders would be combined with input from the RDF system to map out the locations, directions and speeds of all ships reported and/or observed.
• The entire network would be connected via heavily encrypted radiotelegraphy, with teleprinters quickly sending and receiving messages through a secure channel encrypted with Vigenere cyphers, Polybius squares, and one-time pads. The relevant codebooks would be printed in water-soluble ink so that they may not be of use to the enemy when captured.
• All information would be processed by a central command hub, together with subordinate command hubs for the Royal Navy.
• In case of capture or contingent situations, a two-factor verification system would be employed: An encrypted request for verification would be sent via another higher frequency, asking for that day's 'Contingency Code' for that particular fleet. The corresponding code should be found in the same codebooks as mentioned above. Failure to transmit the correct code would immediately alert the naval command that something is amiss.
• RADAR technology will be integrated more and more as newer models become viable and operational.
• RDF and observation posts/facilities will also be built on important islands and at critical naval chokepoints like Bermuda, the Orkneys, Malta, Ceylon, Singapore, &c.

Basically the Dowding System, but for ships. At first, it would more or less rely on a huge interconnected network/system of human observers on warships and picket ships; it could then expand afterwards in the 1940s into a full-blown bureaucratic command-and-control system with the mission of knowing what, which, and how many watercraft, enemy warships, and merchant ships are in, say, the North Sea and parts of the North Atlantic Ocean, and where they are headed (bearing), how fast they are (speed), and their precise location (perhaps inside a small probability circle with a radius of 200 km).

 

[Dilandu]

Basically the Dowding System, but for ships. At first, it would more or less rely on a huge interconnected network/system of human observers on warships and picket ships; it could then expand afterwards in the 1940s into a full-blown bureaucratic command-and-control system with the mission of knowing what, which, and how many watercraft, enemy warships, and merchant ships are in, say, the North Sea and parts of the North Atlantic Ocean, and where they are headed (bearing), how fast they are (speed), and their precise location (perhaps inside a small probability circle with a radius of 200 km).

Generally - why bother? Enemy warships did not require as fast reaction time as planes (on the other hand, they require much more careful identification). Also, such system would be forced to have recon assets pushed into enemy controlled areas, which eon't be safe, easy or even always doable.

 

[Geoffrey de Vere]

Generally - why bother? Enemy warships did not require as fast reaction time as planes (on the other hand, they require much more careful identification). Also, such system would be forced to have recon assets pushed into enemy controlled areas, which eon't be safe, easy or even always doable.

Just use expendable corvettes and cutters for riskier reconnaissance missions. I mean, what else are scout cruisers for? Or make smaller but faster screen ships based on the Spähkreuzer, Abdiel-class minelayers, or the Capitani Romani-class light cruisers that can run away at the first sign of trouble but also report successfully on enemy ships.

Having near-omniscient knowledge of where enemy warships are located at all times would help avoid situations like the deplorable quagmire that the Battle of Jutland was.

 

[Dilandu]

Just use expendable corvettes and cutters for riskier reconnaissance missions.

Their crews would not like the idea of being considered expendable.

Having near-omniscient knowledge of where enemy warships are located at all times would help avoid situations like the deplorable quagmire that the Battle of Jutland was.

One problem - enemy warships did not want you to know that.

 

[Geoffrey de Vere]

Their crews would not like the idea of being considered expendable.


One problem - enemy warships did not want you to know that.

1. Well, that's what great speed is for!
2. Nothing they can do if we can determine with 92% certainty that they'll be within 80 kilometres of Dogger Bank within 60 hours, and that they have exactly 4 dreadnoughts, 8 cruisers, and around 15–30 destroyers.

 

[Dilandu]

1. Well, that's what great speed is for!
2. Nothing they can do if we can determine with 92% certainty that they'll be within 80 kilometres of Dogger Bank within 60 hours, and that they have exactly 4 dreadnoughts, 8 cruisers, and around 15–30 destroyers.

1. Wont help against planes
2. Considering how poor aerial identification of ships was, it would likely be "well, we though it was a destroyer, we didn't know it was Tirpitz"

 

[Geoffrey de Vere]

1. Wont help against planes
2. Considering how poor aerial identification of ships was, it would likely be "well, we though it was a destroyer, we didn't know it was Tirpitz"

1. That's what the Dowding System and 1930s–40s naval aviation is for. What, you think my naval early warning system is going to operate alone?
2. Mate, it literally says here that ship-based identification would be a pillar of this early warning system.

 

[Dilandu]

1. That's what the Dowding System and 1930s–40s naval aviation is for. What, you think my naval early warning system is going to operate alone?

So now you want carriers to operate in close proximity to enemy too?

2. Mate, it literally says here that ship-based identification would be a pillar of this early warning system.

I.e. it won't work, because ship identification is not simple)

 

[Geoffrey de Vere]

So now you want carriers to operate in close proximity to enemy too?


I.e. it won't work, because ship identification is not simple)

1. Carriers? No! I said screens and small, fast ships. The naval aviation? Of course the carriers must operate with sufficient distance from possible enemies. There's also land-based carrier-capable aviation.
2. It can be expedited through other sources of naval intelligence (like, having a roster of known enemy warship silhouettes on hand) and corroboration by multiple ships.