Chapter II: The Testbed

The Ambrose Channel - A perfect Testbed

One thing so far not covered by recent publications is a view on the PX as a scientific test, that it was. To prove a thesis in a scientific way, one always needs the same basic setup: A thesis, the necessary test equipment and a control unit for verification. The thesis is quite clear: Magnetic fields can alter visibility, either for the human eye or for radar or both. The test equipment is as easy to define: The USS ELDRIDGE, outfitted with the appropriate field generators. Now the last point on our list has to be defined: The appropriate testbed and something to determine the effectiveness of the test equipment, preferably one or more radar units to monitor the experiment.
Recalling the aim of the Philadelphia Experiment, which was radar invisibility, the question rises, how the result of this test could have been evaluated. The most easiest way would have been a live test involving a common radar station. And, yes, there was a radar station available. After some digging in old US Navy and US Coast Guard files I found a place, which fits like a glove to all the other parts of the story - the Ambrose Channel.

During WW II, the New York Harbor was monitored by two Advance Harbor Entrance Control Posts (HECP), one located at Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, the other on the opposite side of the bay at Fort Tilden, Rockaway. Both Advance HECPs were part of a complex harbor survey system, which included radar, hydrophones and magnetic detection loops. For harbor surveillance, both Advance HECPs were equipped with SCR-582 harbor surveillance radars. According to the available technical descriptions, the SCR-582 was capable to detect surface targets (ships) at night and poor visibility up to a range of 90 000 yards. Both stations easily could monitor the Ambrose Channel. HECP#2 (Fort Tilden) became operational on August 6, 1943.

While searching for some details about these Coastal radar station, I virtually ran into an old WW II vet, 78 years old Dan Vesper. Soon, he wrote me his personal story of how he served as a radar maintenance specialist at a radar site on Sandy Hook, NJ. This spot matched exactly what I was looking for: A radar site to monitor the results of the Philadelphia Experiment. The place was right, and so was the time. This radar station was part of HECP#1 located at Fort Hancock. And here is, what Dan Vesper had to tell:

"I had just turned twenty when I was drafted. After my six week basic training, I was called to our Battalion Headquarters and was asked if I would like to attend a "radio detection" school. after being told that I would be promoted to Tech Sergeant upon graduation, I readily agreed. School started around the first week in January 1943. After 18 weeks of grueling class work, I was one of nine others that made it all the way through, out of the original 52 men. Before receiving our next assignments, we were given physicals. Because of a heart murmur, I was not going to be sent overseas. I later found out that most of the 9 men were sent to Narragansett (sp) Rhode Island which was apparently a departure point for European assignments.

Around the first of June, I was sent to Fort Hancock, N.J.. As you mentioned, the 245th C.A. Unit was stationed there. I'm sure you already know, the Fort was located on the northern point of land of Sandy Hook. This was a peninsula about 10 miles long. When I reported for duty, I was loaded on a truck and transported back to the mainland to a bluff overlooking Highlands, N. J. The bluff was probably about 300-400 feet above sea level. the Headquarters Battery was located in a hollow below the crest of the bluff. At this time, I was still just a PFC (Private-first-class).....No promotion. The 245th was assigned the job of manning the SCR-582 Radar locate at the crest of the bluff. The Radar set was under the command of the 7th Coast Artillery. They furnished the Maintenance man and the Radar Officer. All operations were furnished by the 245th.

Since Maintenance Man was already on site, I was a fifth wheel. They didn't need two maintenance men. I spent my time pulling KP, Guard Duty, policing the grounds, reading, visiting the Radar Unit, etc. Around the middle of August, 1943, I was called to the office and was told that I would now assume the duties of Maintenance Man on the Radar set. Apparently, the Radar Office and the Maintenance Man had gotten into a knock-down dragout and the officer busted the Sergeant on the spot and told never to show his face at the site again. I did receive a promotion to Corporal at that time. I assume that I performed my duties OK as I was promoted to Buck Sergeant just prior to the Unit being shipped to Kodiak Alaska around the 1st of January 1944.

And now to try to answer some of your questions. I'm afraid that I wont be of much help in this regard. I was not aware of any other Radar units in the surrounding area. I'm quite sure that there were a number of them because the Radar School graduated a group every two weeks, and they had to go somewhere.

I was not aware of any specific tests conducted in our search area. We were assigned the task of reporting all surface vessels entering and leaving the Harbor of New York City. It was really a sight to see a full convoy of ships leaving the harbor. We generally only reported the first and last ships in a convoy. A "light ship" (Ambrose Light) was located about 10 miles out. This was used as a navigational aid as well as being the location of boarding and unboarding the ship pilots."

These statements made by Dan Vesper can be verified by some other sources:

Some details about the SCR-582 harbor surveillance radar:
http://www.geocities.com/fort_tilden/scrradar.html
The SCR-582 was a harbor surveillance radar set developed by the MIT Radiation Laboratory during World War 2. This radar was designed to detect the presence of ships and to determine the approximate range and azimuth to the ship.
SCR-582 Specifications:

Range: 90,000 yds (45 nautical miles)
Frequency: 2.8 GHz
Peak Power: 50,000 watts
Antenna: 48 inch parabolic dish

Some details about the HECPs:
http://www.geocities.com/fort_tilden/hecp.html
The New York Harbor Entrance Control Post (HECP) was located at Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island, NY. The Advance HECP #1 was located at Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, NJ, while the Advance HECP #2 was located at Fort Tilden in Rockaway, NY
The Advance HECP #2 at Fort Tilden was used to identify ships approaching the Ambrose Channel from the waters off Long Island, and to keep fishing vessels and pleasure craft out of the restricted areas off the shores of Fort Tilden. The Advance HECP #1 at Fort Hancock performed similar duties on the West side of the Ambrose Channel. This structure was built into the remains of Battery McCook (8, 12" Mortars, 1898-1923). Advance HECP went into operation on 6 August 1943 at Fort Tilden, Rockaway Point, Long Island, New York, an Army fort constructed at the time of World War I and greatly expanded during this war. Preliminary surveys for the installation of this HECP unit considered a structure on the top of the Half Moon Hotel, Coney Island, or the Army Radar Tower, Fort Tilden, which had an elevation of 173 feet. Both these sites, however were rejected in favor of its final location, as more central for joint Army-Navy action.
This Unit was set up under orders of 11 December 1941, providing for magnetic loop installations for New York Harbor. This station was located at Atlantic Beach Coast Guard Station on Far Rockaway Inlet, Atlantic Beach, Long Island. At this time the station was known as Naval Unit -#2. Two magnetic loops were laid, known as Loops 3 and 4. The shore equipment consisted of three fluxmeters, two in use and one spare, and telephone communication to HECP at Fort Wadsworth. A fluxmeter and visual watch was maintained by one chief and eight seamen starting 14 March 1942.

All crossings on loops were reported by telephone to HECP and the visual watch attempted to identify the ships making the signatures. Because of technical difficulties experienced, due to nearby railroad (discussed below,) it was decided to move the station from Atlantic Beach to Fort Tilden. Concomitantly it was decided to improve the procedure of reporting the movement of vessels in New York Harbor by the establishment of two advance HECPS. Shortly after 17 September 1943, Naval Unit #2 became Naval Unit 3-B and was set up as an organization separate from the Advance HECP #2, but working closely with it. In place of the two unsatisfactory loops (Numbers 3 and 4) originally laid from Atlantic Beach, three loops were laid with Fort Tilden as the shore terminus. When completes the loop system had as its approximated eastern edge, a line from the HECP Tower to the Ambrose Lightship. The tail cables were brought into a bombproof shelter where four fluxmeters were located. Subsequently it was decided to relay three new loops in place of the original two. The new loops gave excellent results.

And a source telling details about Dan Vespers unit:

http://www.geocities.com/fort_tilden/units.html
As of a report dated November 1, 1942, the 245th Coast Artillery Regiment was based at Fort Hancock (Sandy Hook, NJ) and composed of four battalions.

In close vicinity to each other, the Army Signal Laboratory in Fort Monmouth, the radar posts at Fort Hancock/ Sandy Hook and Fort Tilden were the test sites for newly developed radar systems as well as radar countermeasures. The Ambrose Channel between Fort Tilden and Fort Hancock was the usual way for ships coming from NY harbor or Kearny to reach the open Atlantic. The USS ELDRIDGE might have been tested right here, so the Philadelphia Experiment could be monitored from two radar station (Fort Hancock/ Fort Tilden) and a running test might have been observed while the SS Andrew FURUSETH passed by.

The routing of the SS FURUSETH was the standard ship routing of convoys along the coastline of Long Island. The FURUSETH very likely met the USS ELDRIDGE in the middle of the Ambrose Channel, while the test already had started. Because everybody expected only a impact on radar visibility, there was no need to keep the ELDRIDGE out of sight of other ships. But as we were told by Carlos Allende, some spectacular side effects came along with these tests. It was already too late to keep the other ships like the SS Furuseth away from the test area, and so the invisibility effect was observed by some of the crew members of passing merchant ships.

Well, they had it all: The Ambrose Channel as standard seaway between the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydocks at Kearny (where the USS ELDRIDGE, BOOTH and CARROLL were built) and the Atlantic Ocean, at least two radar stations equipped with the SCR-582 harbor surveillance radar set to monitor the radar camouflage effect of the PX and additionally a system of magnetic detection loops connected to high-sophisticated Flux-meters as a additional detection capability. The radar at Fort Hancock was in operation before 1 June 1943, and the radar at Fort Tilden joint operations as of 6 August 1943. Conclusion: A most complete testbed was available in July 1943.

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