[ARC5] Degaussing Field and B-18's

[Clarke, Tom AIR4.0P NATOPS]

> I recall reading that the degaussing for ships in WWII was a pretty
quick
> and dirty affair.  They ran up to a dock and slapped a wire on the
hull
> and that was that.   Would doubt if the subs would use anything
different.,

Well, I have here a rather poor quality pic of the DeGaussing
Switchboard
on the sub Lionfish at Battleship Cove. The plaque says it sends DC
voltage through vertival and horizontal coils throughout the ship.

Hence my question- how do you adjust the thing?

---------------tom sez------------------------

I am not sure how it is done on a sub, but when I was on a Minesweeper
(MSC-195) we would go through the degaussing range at Norfolk or
Charleston to measure the ships magnetic signature.  Adjustments were
then made to the controller for the degaussing coils in the ship and we
would run thru again until the signature was acceptable.

The controller was a box full of saturable reactors and mag amps that
varied the current in the coils around the ship.  There was a device
referred to as a "Total Field Magnetometer" up on the mast of the ship
that measured the field around the ship and adjusted the coil currents
as necessary.

Somewhat similar to the MAD head on a patrol aircraft. Since the idea is
to measure the magnetic field of the earth for disturbances caused by
the presence of a large chunk of ferrous metal, the system needed
calibration to remove aircraft disturbances.  Any P-3 or P-2 folks on
here will remember, fondly (or not!), MAD Comps, where we would pitch
the aircraft up and down and do rolls without yawing.  Only the
heartiest in the back would remain free from airsickness! Fun for the
front office, though!

73 Tom/W4OKW