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A searchlight is an apparatus with reflector
Reflector

A reflector can mean one of several things:Science* A reflector, a weapon attachment that reflects off the target to produce a reticule....
s for projecting a powerful beam of light
Light

Light, or visible light, is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength that is Visible spectrum to the human eye , or up to 380?750 nm. In the broader field of physics, light is sometimes used to refer to electromagnetic radiation of all wavelengths, whether visible or not....
 of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually devised so that it can be swiveled about.

Military use of searchlights started late 19th century, when battleships and other major vessels were equipped for finding small attacking torpedoboats
Torpedo boat

A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast navy ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Torpedo#Self-propelled torpedoeses....
.






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Ed D21m
Searchlight Wwii Anti Aircraft
A searchlight is an apparatus with reflector
Reflector

A reflector can mean one of several things:Science* A reflector, a weapon attachment that reflects off the target to produce a reticule....
s for projecting a powerful beam of light
Light

Light, or visible light, is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength that is Visible spectrum to the human eye , or up to 380?750 nm. In the broader field of physics, light is sometimes used to refer to electromagnetic radiation of all wavelengths, whether visible or not....
 of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually devised so that it can be swiveled about.

Military use of searchlights started late 19th century, when battleships and other major vessels were equipped for finding small attacking torpedoboats
Torpedo boat

A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast navy ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Torpedo#Self-propelled torpedoeses....
. They saw use in the Russo-Japanese War 1904 - 05. Searchlights were also installed on many coastal artillery batteries for aiding night combat.

In World War I

Searchlights were first used in World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 to create "artificial moonlight" to enhance opportunities for night attacks, a practice which continued in World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. Artificial moonlight was invented by historian and tank warfare
Tank

A tank is a Continuous track, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and Military tactics Offensive and defence capabilities....
 theorist, Gen. J.F.C. Fuller
J.F.C. Fuller

Major-General John Frederick Charles Fuller Order of the Bath, Order of the British Empire, Distinguished Service Order, commonly J.F.C. Fuller, , was a British Army officer, military history and military strategy, notable as an early theorist of modern armoured warfare, including categorising Principles of Warfare....
.

In World War II

Searchlights were used extensively in defense against nighttime aerial bomber
Bomber

A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, primarily by dropping bombs on them....
 raids around the time of World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. In particular, pairs of searchlights spaced a known distance apart were used to determine (via triangulation
Triangulation

In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline, rather than measuring distances to the point directly....
) the altitude
Altitude

Altitude has multiple uses depending on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object....
 of enemy bombers, so that the fuses on anti-aircraft flak shells could be set appropriately for maximum effect. In addition, the lights may have blinded bombardiers using optical bombsight
Bombsight

A bombsight is a device used by bomber aircraft to assist in the task of accurately dropping bombs on a ground target. Although it could be as simple as a set of crosshairs, the term generally refers to more complicated devices that allow correction for various factors that affect the ballistics Trajectory of a projectile of the dropped ord...
s.

Searchlights were occasionally used tactically in ground battles. One famous occasion was the Soviets' use of seachlights during the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin

The Battle of Berlin was the final Strategic offensive of the European Theatre of World War II of World War II and was designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union.The last offensive of the European war was the Prague Offensive on 6?11 May 1945, when the Red Army, with the help of Poland, Romanian, and...
 in April 1945. 143 searchlights were directed at the German defense force across the Neisse River with the aim of temporarily blinding them during a Soviet offensive. However, the morning fog diffused the light and silhouetted the attacking Soviet forces, making them clearly visible to the Germans. The Soviets suffered heavy losses as a result and were forced to delay their invasion of the city.

World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
-era searchlights include models manufactured by General Electric
General Electric

The General Electric Company, or GE is a multinational corporation United States technology and Service s conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York....
 and by the Sperry Company
Sperry Corporation

Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the twentieth century....
, (of gyroscope fame). These were mostly of 60" (152.4 cm) diameter with rhodium plated parabolic mirror, reflecting a carbon arc discharge. Peak output was 800,000,000 candlepower
Candlepower

Candlepower is an obsolete scientific unit of luminous intensity based on the light emitted from a candle made to a specified formula.The candlepower as a scientific measure was replaced in 1948 by the international unit known as the candela....
. It was powered by a 15 KW generator and had an effective beam visibility of 28 to 35 miles (45 to 56 km) in clear low humidity conditions.

Modern use

Today, searchlights are used in advertising
Advertising

Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to Purchasing or to consume more of a particular brand of Product or Service ....
, for instance by automobile
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
 dealers; the beam of light is visible over a large area, and (at least in theory) interested persons can find the dealer or store by following the beam to its source. This was once common for movie
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
 premiere
Premiere

A premiere is generally "a first performance." This can refer to dramas, films, television programs, and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much Mass media attention....
s; the waving searchlight beams still can be seen as a design element in the logo of the 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation , also known as 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, or simply Fox, is one of the six Worldwide major film studios....
 movie studio
Movie studio

A movie studio is, in the established sense of the term, a film distributor. Literally, however, the term denotes a controlled environment for the making of a film....
, and Fox television network
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
.

See also

  • Military applications of searchlight
    • Canal Defence Light
      Canal Defence Light

      Canal Defence Light was a British "secret weapon" of the Second World War.It was based upon the use of a powerful carbon-arc searchlight to dazzle and confuse enemy troops....
    • Turbinlite
      Turbinlite

      The William Helmore/The General Electric Company plc Turbinlite was a 2,700 million candela searchlight fitted in the nose of a number of experimental radar equipped Douglas Havoc night fighters by the United Kingdom during the early part of World War II and around the time of The Blitz....
  • FM 4-29 seacoast searchlights
  • FM 4-111
  • FM 4-115
  • G-numbers


External links

at the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute

Founded in honor of Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest and premier centers of science education and development in the United States....
 archive of historical records of his consideration for a Franklin award in 1920 due to his invention of an electric searchlight