MA Naval History: Undermining Britain’s Imperial PowerWireless and Its Impact on Geopolitics and Naval Operations (1919-1945)
ABSTRACT
The transition of sea power from the battleship dominated Royal Navy of the First World War to the carrier dominated United States Navy of the Second is well recorded in historiography. This research investigates a small but important part of that transition, elements of which have been previously researched, but where important connections have not been made and where in current British historiography the full picture has perhaps been hidden behind the achievements of one-man, Guglielmo Marconi.
The contribution of wireless to the transition of sea power had its roots in the immediate aftermath of the First World War. This research reveals that it involved a somewhat clandestine effort by the United States Navy to undermine British dominance in global communications, at that time based on submarine cables. It reveals how Britain’s Imperial obligations and a post-war need for greater control over their communications by Britain’s Colonies also contributed to the undermining of the Royal Navy position.
By a thorough review and new interpretations of existing historiography, plus some additional archive material, this work identifies connections between Geography, Economics, Technology and Political Will that were key in the United States Navy attaining a superior post-war position in wireless technology. It shows how these connections enabled them to benefit from Marconi’s discovery of Short-Wave Radio and how that discovery, by enhancing the role of signals intelligence, changed the face of naval operations forever.
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- Date: 29 Dec 2020
- Time: 04:00 PM UTC to 05:30 PM UTC
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- Co-sponsored by Peter Garland
- Starts 22 December 2020 01:31 PM UTC
- Ends 29 December 2020 07:31 PM UTC
- No Admission Charge
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Mr. Peter Garland
Undermining Britain’s Imperial PowerWireless and Its Impact on Geopolitics and Naval Operations (1919-1945)
The transition of sea power from the battleship dominated Royal Navy of the First World War to the carrier dominated United States Navy of the Second is well recorded in historiography. This research investigates a small but important part of that transition, elements of which have been previously researched, but where important connections have not been made and where in current British historiography the full picture has perhaps been hidden behind the achievements of one-man, Guglielmo Marconi.
Biography:
Peter worked on Satellite Communications in Canada for well over 35 Years. During that time, he was involved in nearly every program where the state of art was moved forward. In the mid-nineties he led studies that eventually resulted in the flight of an advanced Ka Band digital processing payload on the Anik F2 satellite. He also led the team that first developed and promoted the DVB-RCS standard for two-way satellite communications.
Peter’s career in Communications started as an apprentice in a Short-Wave Transmitting station in his native United Kingdom. This station was one of the original links in the Marconi Imperial Beam System. As a young man he was also privileged to be part of early Satellite Communications activities at Goonhilly Radio station in the West of England. His only time away from Communications was a spell of seven years spent at the University of Birmingham, UK designing payloads for X Ray Astronomy missions that flew on sounding rockets launched from Woomera, Australia and on one of the first Space Shuttle flights.
Peter was presented with the 2014 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) award for achievement in Aerospace Communications, only the second Canadian and the second UK born recipient, the other being Arthur C Clarke, to be presented with this international award.
Peter retired in January 2019 from the position of Vice President of Advanced Systems at MDA Corporation in Montreal Canada. He completed a Masters dissertation for an MA in Naval History at the University of Portsmouth in the UK in November 2019. His subject being the impact of Wireless on Naval Operations (1919-1945). This dissertation has been submitted by the University as their nomination for the British Commission of Maritime Studies award 2019.
Peter is currently pursuing a part time PhD in Media and Communications at Carleton University.
Address:Canada
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