Audio surveillance, communication technologies and the submarine threat during the First World War

Abstract This paper is a summary of a talk, “ Hydrophones and piezoelectricity: Ernest Rutherford and anti-submarine innovations in the Royal Navy during World War I ”, presented at the HAPP Physics and the Great War one-day conference in 2015, which in turn was based on research for a journal article co-authored with Paul Coleman published in History and Technology journal in 2016 as “ Listening in the dark: audio surveillance, communication technologies, and the submarine threat during the First World War ” [1]. This paper explores the pivotal role of acoustic surveillance, communication technologies including wireless telegraphy and the development of the hydrophone and other naval technologies as a response to the German U-boat submarine threat during the First World War. The First World War was the first truly global industrial conflict with all belligerents having access to new and adapted technologies including aircraft, sophisticated artillery, wireless telegraphy and submarines. The conflict marked a significant shift in naval warfare with the widespread use of submarines or U-boats by the German military. “ Listening in the dark ” highlights the challenges faced by the Allied Forces in countering the U-boat threat, emphasising the need for innovative organisational changes and the development of cutting-edge technologies through combined civilian-military research, particularly in the realm of electro-acoustic listening and wireless communication. By the War’s conclusion naval warfare had ultimately transformed to prioritise enhanced listening capabilities over traditional visual methods.