Robert Watson-Watt

Sir Robert Alexander Watson-Watt , engineer British born the April 13rd 1892 and dead the December 5th 1973, is regarded incorrectly by several as the inventor of the Radar (the development of the radar began quite front). However, its patent on the subject, in 1935, carried out the the United Kingdom to install the first network of radar for defense. Its research and its direction lit before and during the Second world war made radar an essential instrument of the Alliés for the final victory.

Youth

Born with Brechin in the county from Angus in Scotland, it was the downward one of James Watt, engineer inventive of the Steam engine. After studies with the " public school" of Brechin, it was accepted with the Université of Dundee (forming part then of the university of St Andrews). It graduated with BSc in engineering in 1912 and was seen offering a station of assitant of research by professor William Peddie. This last encouraged it to study the radio or TSF as it then was named.

Beginning of the career

In 1915, Watson-Watt wanted an employment with the War Office but nothing was really available in research in Télécommunication S. It thus united the Meteorological Office (the service weather of the United Kingdom) which was interested by the use of the radio detection of the storms. Indeed, the flashes in ionizing the air, produce a radio signal and Watson-Watt thought of using detection this signal to inform the pilots of the danger.

Development of a concept

As of the first experiments, it could very detect the signal even with long distance. There remained however two problems: the direction from which this signal came and how to post it. The first problem was solved by using a directional antenna which one could turn manually to maximize the signal, thus pointing towards the storm. The second was solved by the use of the Cathode tube to Phosphore of a Oscilloscope recently developed. Such a system, brought into service in 1923, represented an important step towards the development of a radar system. It however missed the emission part of an impulse and a way of measuring time return ticket of the signal to obtain the distance to the target.

He worked at the beginning with the Aldershot Wireless Station of the Air Ministry Meteorological Office (Service weather of the military aviation). Then in 1924, when the War Department (Ministry for the war) stated that it would reinstate their offices of Aldershot, it moved its home in Ditton Park close to Slough (in the west of London). The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) had already its research laboratories at this place and in 1927, they were amalgamated with Radio operator Research Station, under the direction of Watson-Watt. After a reorganization in 1933, he became superintendent of the Radio Department of NPL with Teddington.

Air defense of the United Kingdom

In 1933, the Ministry for the Air (Air Ministry) came to set up a committee for the modernization of the air defense of the United Kingdom. During the First World War, German had used Zeppelin S like bombers with long range and their interception by planes had proven to be a disaster, only DCA had functioned. Even if the Zeppelins measured hundreds of meters length and moved to only 100 km/h, the interceptors could see them only three times out of 20 exits and were never able to attack them.

The bombers developed since the war could now fly above the range of the guns of DCA, which constinuait a great threat. Worse, the enemy aerodromes were only at 20 minutes of flight what would enable them to make their raid and to be set out again before the interceptors can intervene. The only solution was to have a squadron of hunters permanently in flight what was physically impossible then. It was thus necessary to be able another.

Nazi Germany

With the rearmament of the Germany under the Nazi S, the danger seemed increasingly close. The latter protested besides that they had developed a Death ray the , functioning with the radio waves, which could destroy even cities. H.E. Wimperis, the president of the committee, returned visit to Watson-Watt in Teddington in 1934 to know if one could build a British version of this " ray of the mort". Watson-Watt showed a calculation already made by its assistant Arnold Wilkins, showing the impossibility of the concept what made it possible to slacken the immediate fear of the Nazis. However, it mentioned that its team would work on “the difficult but more real problem of the use of the considered radio waves for the detection and the positioning of targets”.

Detection and position of the planes

The February 12th 1935, Watson-Watt off sent a memo of the system suggested to the Air Ministry entitled Detection and hiring aircraft by radio methods . Even if it were not also exciting which the concept of the death ray, the concept had an important potential and him for a demonstration immediately was asked. As of the February 26th, it had set up two antennas at approximately 10 km of a wave-short antenna of BBC at Daventry. In the greatest secrecy, Watson-Watt, its assistant Arnold Wilkins and only one member of committee A.P. Rowe, attend the demonstration which made it possible to locate a bomber on several occasions with the emitted signal. More important fact, the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, was held informed progress of the development of the radar.

Two weeks later, Wilkins left the Radio Research Station with an small group, of which Edward George Bowen, to continue research with Orfordness. The April 2nd 1935, Watson-Watt obtained a patent for the radar system (British patent GB593017). As of June, its team could detect a plane with 27 kilometers, which was rather far to cease any development on systems candidates for sound echolocation. At the end of the same year, the range was already of 100 km and in December, the plans for five stations covering the approach of London were already ready.

One of these stations would be located near on the coast close to Orfordness and Bawdsey Research Station was set up there to be used as principal research center on the radar. Quickly, of the tests with large scales of the system, later known under the name of code Chain Home, were undertaken to detect and intercept a bomber by detection radar. The test was a failure, not because of detection radar but because it problem to communicate information in time. The hunters were launched too late and transfer their target only after the bomber had exceeded the zone of bombardment. Watson-Watt immediately attacked this problem by organizing a system of detection by successive steps. The reports/ratios lead to the War room where observers indicate on a broad chart the position of the enemy and coordinators relay information at the squadrons of hunters by direct communications herztiennes.

In 1937, the first stations were operational and the system put to the test. The results were conclusive and twenty other stations were ordered. At the beginning of the Second world war, 19 were built and ready to assume a decisive role in the Bataille of England. There were fifty stations at the end of the war. The Germans knew the construction of the Chain Home but did not know really its utility. They tested their theories on the subject by sending GRAF Zeppelin II but concluded that the network was a communication system with long range for the navy.

Already in 1936, the British realized that the Luftwaffe would turn to the bombardment night if the raids of day appeared unfruitful. Watson-Watt charged another with its assistants of the Radio Research Station , Edward George Bowen, of the development of a radar which can be transported on board a hunter. Indeed, the night visual contact of a bomber was only of 300 m and the network Chain Home of detection did not have enough precision to so bring the hunters close to their target.

Bowen estimated that a radar on board an aircraft was not to exceed 90 kg and 230 liters in volume, without requiring more 500 W of power. To reduce the trail of the antenna by reducing its diameter, the wavelength of the beam was not to exceed 1 meter what was difficult for the technology of the time. Nevertheless, this type of system was sophisticated in 1940 and was essential to finish the " Blitz " of 1941. Bowen also mounted such radars on the planes of maritime patrol in the fight to the Sous-marins.

The war and afterwards

In July 1938, Watson-Watt left Bawdsey Manor and taken the position of director of the Communications Development (DCD-RAE) . In 1939, Sir George Lee taken again this station and Watson-Watt was promoted scientific avisor of telecommunications ( Scientific Adviser one Telecommunications ) to the ministry for the Air ( Air Ministry ) and went to the the United States in 1941 to begin the development radar in this country.

Its contribution to the effort of war is so large that it was made Chevalier in 1942. In 1952, £50,000 was decreed to him by the British government for its contribution to the development of the radar. It passed a good part of its life of post-war period, initially with the Canada then in the United States where it published Three Steps to Victory in 1958.

End of its life

Robert Watson-Watt turned over to Scotland during the years 1960 and died in Inverness.

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