Rain! Rain! Rain—Rain!
A continual downpour had caused the streams and tributaries of the Ohio River to reach an uncontrollable stage and a flood was inevitable. Towns and cities in Pennsylvania and the Ohio River Valley were inundated, electric power was out, and the regular channels of communication were cut off.
At this point the Naval Communication Reserve swung into action. Mobilizing its well-organized networks, it proceeded to set up emergency power supplies and establish communication with outside sources. Contacts were made and maintained. Assistance was given to the Red Cross and other agencies in getting materials, supplies, and medicines to the stricken areas. Nearly 250,000 words of traffic were handled by the 35 most active NCR stations. Traffic was handled for the Red Cross, Coast Guard, Army, National Guard, State Naval Militia, American Legion, State Police, and various state and city officials. The majority of this traffic was handled by 108 officers and men of sections one, three, and four of the Ninth Naval District. However, many men in other sections manned their stations to assist in the relay of traffic.
For example, Cleveland, Ohio, was not in the stricken area, but served as a relay point for many stations in Pennsylvania and the Ohio River Valley. Radio “skip effect” frequently made local communication impossible and traffic was routed out of the stricken area to Cleveland and then back. This “skip effect” was very pronounced at a time when it was desired to move troops into certain areas of Pennsylvania. Traffic was sent to Cleveland NCR stations, some of whom were maintaining continuous watch, and thence back to Pennsylvania where appropriate action was taken.
To illustrate how many various links of communication may have to be resorted to in emergencies in order to insure that traffic will arrive at its destination, one incident is recalled where a message originated with the Coast Guard on duty at Wheeling, West Virginia, was transmitted to an army engineer station where it was sent to a naval reserve ship on the Ohio River whose equipment was manned by navy communication reserve men, who sent it by ultra-high frequency (battery powered) to the NCR radio station in Cincinnati. It was then transmitted with emergency power over a trunk radio circuit to a Cleveland NCR station where it was passed along on a different frequency to the American Air Lines where a NCR operator was standing an intercept watch. It was then forwarded from there to the Cleveland Coast Guard, who in turn sent it to their headquarters. Many frequencies were used and the route was devious, but in spite of all this it was expeditiously handled, for it is traditional that the NCR will somehow or other find a way to get the traffic through to its ultimate destination!
The functions of the various branches of the Naval Reserve are little known to the regular naval establishment and the Naval Communication Reserve is no exception. Let us see how it is organized and of what it is composed.
The mission of the NCR is to procure, organize, and train the officers and men necessary for the expansion and operation of the Naval Communication Service in time of national emergency. Its personnel are procured from schools, various commercial enterprises closely allied to the communication field, such as radio manufacturing, power, telephone and telegraph companies. Ship, airplane, and amateur radio operators offer the best field of procurement.
The NCR has a well-organized network distributed over the United States in the following manner. Each naval district is divided fundamentally into 10 sections composed of 10 units. Each unit is composed basically of 31 officers and men. Instruction in the various units is conducted at armory drills while other instruction is carried on over the various radio nets which are known as Afirm, Baker, Cast, and Dog.
The Afirm (A) drill is conducted from NAA at Washington under the supervision of the liaison officer. Its purpose is to train the various communication reserve district control and alternate district control stations throughout the naval districts of the United States.
The Baker (B) drill is conducted by the master control station in each naval district, which drills the various master and alternate section control stations.
The Cast (C) drill is conducted by the master section control station which drills the unit and alternate unit control stations in its section.
The Dog (D) drill is conducted by the unit control station and is for the training of the enlisted personnel in the unit, the majority of whom are licensed operators. It is on these Dog drills that circuit discipline and the fundamentals of essential naval radio procedure are disseminated.
Let us look in at a typical station preparing for a Baker drill. The first thing that meets our eye is the operating table equipped with typewriter, several radio receivers, and key and clock. A glance around and we find a panel transmitter with controls and switches permitting rapid change from one frequency to another should the occasion arise. On the other side of the operating table is a well- lighted plotting board on which is a set of parallel rules and compasses. One of the men in the station is fastening down a chart of the Atlantic coast line, another is testing and tuning the transmitter, while a third is putting a long sheet in the typewriter. Listen! The collective call for the Ninth Naval District Baker Stations is coming in over the loud-speaker and the drill begins with roll call of 20 stations. At the completion of a snappy roll call, 4 tactical units are set up, each station representing a ship and each tactical unit a division of ships. The general situation is given and the various tactical units are moved into action on various courses and speeds. The operator on the log is also handling the key, answering as required. The third man analyzes the problem, does the computing, and passes the information to the man on the plotting board. Planes and cross winds have been brought into the problem and we are asked the course and speed of the plane in order to intercept our tactical unit at a given time. This information is taken from the chart put in the form of a dispatch and sent to control as requested. These drills are full of action. Cast and Dog drills are handled in a similar manner and cover many phases of naval procedure. It may be a drill composed of various and sundry procedure examples; designed to keep the operator alert against mistakes and discrepancies, for “accuracy then speed” is most important, or it may be a drill involving tracking problems which frequently include navigation, computation, and plotting.
Search problems are sometimes given where all naval districts are frequently brought into action. The objective may be to locate a hidden, unidentified station which is known to be operating on a definite frequency at a certain time. The problem is started and the various district control and alternate control stations swing their direction finders and take bearings, reporting to radio central. When reports indicate that the unknown station is in a certain naval district, then the district control station involved takes over, and by the same process reports are segregated to section and unit stations and finally to the exact location.
Armory drills include instruction in signal flags, blinker, semaphore, manual of arms, and the Bluejackets’ Manual. Although enlisted personnel in the NCR are not called upon for visual signaling, as a matter of general information and interest this field is given its proportionate share of attention. Many men in the NCR are interested in crypto-analysis and spend considerable time in correspondence courses and other study in furthering their knowledge of this subject.
Frequently field days are held where various units mobilize to test out portable emergency equipment in order to be ready in case of a local emergency where there may be a power failure. Let us see what is involved in the way of equipment for such a field day. A typical field set is a 500-watt, 115-volt, 60-cycle generator driven by a light gasoline engine. The usual type of masts are sectional bamboo, which is light and strong, quickly erected, and readily supported. Antennas and feeders have previously been cut to size in order that they will radiate at optimum value on the frequency at which they are to be operated.
This is necessary in order that every bit of emergency power may be utilized. Receivers are usually battery operated in order to conserve fuel as the emergency power supply generally furnishes energy for the transmitter only.
All drills are on a highly competitive basis and the participants are scored for errors accordingly. These drills are conducted and participated in, whether at the armory or on the air, on a no pay basis and all equipment of Dog drill stations is furnished and maintained by the individual, solely at his expense. It is conservatively estimated that over $500,000 of such equipment is in use in the Ninth Naval District alone.
The NCR personnel, therefore, look forward to active duty afloat on summer training cruises aboard the various training ships to put into actual practice what has been simulated during the winter.
Men of the NCR pride themselves on being resourceful, ready, willing, and able to carry on in emergencies as proved by their activities in recent years during major disasters on the west coast, east coast, and Ohio River flood area.
Not a few of the men in this branch of the service are eminent engineers, inventors, and men identified nationally in commercial activities. Such men through their acquaintance with naval affairs are able to afford a liaison between naval and commercial fields that leads to a broader mutual understanding of the various problems involved.