List of British Asdic systems
Encyclopedia
Asdic
was invented by the British at the end of World War I
as a means to detect submarine
s by their reflection of sound waves. By the start of World War II
in 1939, most British destroyers and smaller vessels were fitted with it in a variety of different sets.
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
was invented by the British at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as a means to detect submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s by their reflection of sound waves. By the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939, most British destroyers and smaller vessels were fitted with it in a variety of different sets.
| Name | Date of Introduction | Dome | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 112 | 1920 | Fitted to some s and small escorts like P and PC-class P class sloop The P class, nominally described as "patrol boats", was in effect a class of coastal sloops. Twenty-four ships to this design were ordered in May 1915 and another thirty between February and June 1916 under the Emergency War Programme for the Royal Navy in the First World War, although ten of the... sloop Sloop A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter.... s |
|
| Type 119 | 1930 | s | |
| Type 121 | Tested 1931 in | First production retractable dome | Fitted in , , , and s, some cruisers and the sloop |
| Type 122 | Detachable | Designed for trawlers and other auxiliaries with a turbo alternator | |
| Type 123 | 1934 | Detachable | Replaced Type 122, designed for ships with a high-frequency motor alternator |
| Type 124 | 1934 | Retractable | , , , , , and -class destroyers, some sloops and older destroyers. First system with a range recorder |
| Type 127 | 1937 | As per Type 122 | Designed for sloops, but widely fitted in frigate Frigate A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"... s and older destroyers. Electronics as per Type 123 |
| Type 128 | Tested 1937 in | Retractable | , and s |
| Type 141 | ? | No dome, but some modified with British dome as Type 141A | American QCJ/QCL system in Lend-Lease Lend-Lease Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in... s, modified with British range and bearing recorders |
| Type 144 | Trials in in 1941 | Retractable | First set specifically intended for ahead-throwing weapons like Hedgehog Hedgehog (weapon) The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings... |
| Type 145 | 1942? | Detachable | Like Type 144, but intended for slower escorts |
| Type 147 | Sea trials aboard , May 1943 | ? | Designed to work with Squid Squid (weapon) Squid was a British World War II ship-mounted anti-submarine weapon. It consisted of a three-barrelled mortar which launched depth charges. It replaced the Hedgehog system, and was in turn replaced by the Limbo system.... |
| Q attachment | 1943 | NA | Depth-measuring set with 3° horizontal beam, modification to existing systems |