The Admiralty Experimental Station was a research department of the
British Admiralty
The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...
set up in 1915. Initially its research centred round submarine detection methods. In 1921 its remit was expanded and it was renamed the
Admiralty Research Laboratory.
History
During the First World War, the
Anti-Submarine Division of the
Admiralty Naval Staff had established experimental stations. In 1915 The first Admiralty Experimental Station was set up by the Admiralty at
Aberdour,
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
, Scotland under the supervision of the Physicist Dr.
Albert Beaumont Wood
Albert Beaumont Wood DSc (1890 – 19 July 1964), better known as A B Wood, was a British physicist, known for his pioneering work in the field of underwater acoustics and sonar. Wood is known for his work on developing sonar (known at that tim ...
. In 1917 it moved its location to
Parkeston Quay, England. The experimental station worked with the Lancashire Anti-Submarine Committee and the Clyde Anti-Submarine Committee. In 1919 it moved its headquarters back to Scotland at
Shandon, Argyll
Shandon is an affluent settlement of houses forming a village on the open sea loch of the Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Shandon overlooks the Rosneath Peninsula to the west and is bordered by Glen Fruin ( gd, Gleann Freòin) to the eas ...
. In 1921 its remit was expanded and it was renamed the
Admiralty Research Laboratory when it moved to
Teddington
Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long m ...
, England.
Locations of Experimental Stations
* 1915 Experimental Station Abedour (also known as the Admiralty Experimental Station
Hawkcraig).
* 1917 Experimental Station Parkeston Quay,
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-on- ...
.
* 1919 Experimental Station Shandon.
Out Stations
* Experimental Out Station
Dartmouth.
* Experimental Out Station
Wemyss Bay
Wemyss Bay (; ) is a town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is in the traditional county of Renfrewshire. It is adjacent to Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire. The town and villages have alway ...
References
Sources
# Admiralty: Admiralty Experimental Station and Admiralty Research Laboratory: Correspondence and Papers". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives UK. 1915–1977. ADM 212.
# Archives, The National. "Admiralty Experimental Station Hawkcraig". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives UK. ADM 218.
# Wood, Albert Beaumont (1912–1964). "Admiralty: Scientific Research and Experiment Department and Royal Naval Scientific Service: Papers of Dr Albert B Wood, Physicist". www.discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1926. National Archives UK.
{{Admiralty Department
Admiralty departments