3 immature techs: digital comps, transistors, and large-scale programs
November 27, 2015 8:07 PM Subscribe
No Damned Computer is Going to Tell Me What to Do! - The Story of the Naval Tactical Data System, By David L. Boslaugh, Capt USN, Retired
It was 1962. Some of the prospective commanding officers of the new guided missile frigates, now on the building ways, had found out that the Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS) was going to be built into their new ship, and it did not set well with them. Some of them came in to our project office to let us know first hand that no damned computer was going to tell them what to do. For sure, no damned computer was going to fire their nuclear tipped guided missiles. They would take their new ship to sea, but they would not turn on our damned system with its new fangled electronic brain.
We would try to explain to them that the new digital system, the first digitized weapon system in the US Navy, was designed to be an aid to their judgment in task force anti-air battle management, and would never, on its own, fire their weapons. We didn’t mention to them that if they refused to use the system, they would probably be instantly removed from their commands and maybe court martialed because the highest levels of Navy management wanted the new digital computer-driven system in the fleet as soon as possible, and for good reason.
Wasn't this an episode of Star Trek? "The Ultimate Computer," season 2, ep. 53. Skimmed the first few chapters of the link, but I don't see a reference to it. It was broadcast 1968 — Roddenberry was in the Air Force but was long out of the service by the time this happened. Anyone know if "The Ultimate Computer" was inspired by this?
posted by kikaider01 at 8:51 PM on November 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by kikaider01 at 8:51 PM on November 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Very interesting reading - also this is why I hate most RTS games.
posted by Dr Dracator at 12:07 AM on November 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Dr Dracator at 12:07 AM on November 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Great readin'
posted by GallonOfAlan at 12:55 AM on November 28, 2015
posted by GallonOfAlan at 12:55 AM on November 28, 2015
Anyone know if "The Ultimate Computer" was inspired by this?
Bear in mind that this is more or less an attempt at an oral history of early computing. What the book documents is the creation of a better UI for radar data. Essentially, ships were drowning in a sea of data, and trying to draw it out for commanders by hand. This system linked radar data to gun banks, and did so across multiple ships, to avoid double assignment of a target.
Of course, the 1000 plane soviet air mass invasion it was designed to mitigate never happened. Perhaps due to its existance.
posted by pwnguin at 2:25 AM on November 28, 2015
Bear in mind that this is more or less an attempt at an oral history of early computing. What the book documents is the creation of a better UI for radar data. Essentially, ships were drowning in a sea of data, and trying to draw it out for commanders by hand. This system linked radar data to gun banks, and did so across multiple ships, to avoid double assignment of a target.
Of course, the 1000 plane soviet air mass invasion it was designed to mitigate never happened. Perhaps due to its existance.
posted by pwnguin at 2:25 AM on November 28, 2015
As Kelly Johnson said - NEVER work with the Navy.
posted by Devonian at 5:06 AM on November 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Devonian at 5:06 AM on November 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
This was a good read, but I was stopped by this line:
... on 16 April 1945, the destroyer USS Laffey was attacked by 22 Kamikazes and sustained three direct Kamikaze hits, as well as bomb hits, but remained afloat to fight again at the Normandy Invasion.
Time travel?
posted by MtDewd at 5:18 AM on November 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
... on 16 April 1945, the destroyer USS Laffey was attacked by 22 Kamikazes and sustained three direct Kamikaze hits, as well as bomb hits, but remained afloat to fight again at the Normandy Invasion.
Time travel?
posted by MtDewd at 5:18 AM on November 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
I wouldn't be surprised if this project was also what inspired D.F. Jones to write Colossus.
posted by Bringer Tom at 5:32 AM on November 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Bringer Tom at 5:32 AM on November 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
I was up until 3AM reading this fascinating history.. thanks!
posted by MikeWarot at 6:09 AM on November 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by MikeWarot at 6:09 AM on November 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
"They would take their new ship to sea, but they would not turn on our damned system with its new fangled electronic brain."
As an employee of the Department of the Navy, I can confirm that this sort of thing never, ever, ever happens these days, oh no siree Bob.
posted by Zonker at 6:19 AM on November 28, 2015
As an employee of the Department of the Navy, I can confirm that this sort of thing never, ever, ever happens these days, oh no siree Bob.
posted by Zonker at 6:19 AM on November 28, 2015
Time travel?
No, that was the USS Eldridge.
posted by Devonian at 6:25 AM on November 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
No, that was the USS Eldridge.
posted by Devonian at 6:25 AM on November 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
Still working my way through this - so many delicious diversions - but I particularly like this snippet:
Bell Laboratories had invented the transistor in 1947, and by 1954 transistors were beginning to make their way into some specialized electronic devices, although not in large numbers. NSA engineers were well aware of transistors and their potential to take the place of vacuum tubes as the active elements in electronics equipment. They also appreciated the ability of transistors to dramatically reduce the volume of electronic devices, and they opted to request the Special Devices Branch to develop a transistorized version of Atlas II, with magnetic core memory, for evaluation as a cryptanalyst’s desk sized personal computer. NSA gave the project the code name “SOLO.”
It took three years to get to a not-quite-working stage, but it did see some limited use. So, the NSA (and Philco, who built it) created the first PC...
posted by Devonian at 7:45 AM on November 28, 2015
Bell Laboratories had invented the transistor in 1947, and by 1954 transistors were beginning to make their way into some specialized electronic devices, although not in large numbers. NSA engineers were well aware of transistors and their potential to take the place of vacuum tubes as the active elements in electronics equipment. They also appreciated the ability of transistors to dramatically reduce the volume of electronic devices, and they opted to request the Special Devices Branch to develop a transistorized version of Atlas II, with magnetic core memory, for evaluation as a cryptanalyst’s desk sized personal computer. NSA gave the project the code name “SOLO.”
It took three years to get to a not-quite-working stage, but it did see some limited use. So, the NSA (and Philco, who built it) created the first PC...
posted by Devonian at 7:45 AM on November 28, 2015
The Navy and early computing, together in one article? Cannot resist. I am madly clicking "Send to Kindle".
posted by lhauser at 10:13 AM on November 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by lhauser at 10:13 AM on November 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Anyone know if "The Ultimate Computer" was inspired by this?
Not as far as I know; the information on the episode (from the Memory Alpha wiki) says that the writer of the episode was a mathematician (it's his only writing credit in IMDB) and that it was inspired by the phenomenon of jobs being lost to computerization as early as the sixties. But it's not out of the realm of possibility that Roddenberry et al. had some contact with the US Navy; Roddenberry claimed that the Navy was looking at the circular layout of the Enterprise bridge with some interest.
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:21 AM on November 28, 2015
Not as far as I know; the information on the episode (from the Memory Alpha wiki) says that the writer of the episode was a mathematician (it's his only writing credit in IMDB) and that it was inspired by the phenomenon of jobs being lost to computerization as early as the sixties. But it's not out of the realm of possibility that Roddenberry et al. had some contact with the US Navy; Roddenberry claimed that the Navy was looking at the circular layout of the Enterprise bridge with some interest.
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:21 AM on November 28, 2015
The computer worked, and they named it the Semi-Automatic Digital Analyzer and Computer (SADZAC)
Ahahahaha, they introduced a random Z in the acronym so they could call their computer a sad sack.
posted by axiom at 3:20 PM on November 28, 2015
Ahahahaha, they introduced a random Z in the acronym so they could call their computer a sad sack.
posted by axiom at 3:20 PM on November 28, 2015
So apparently the consoles were originally designed to have a cigarette lighter. Also, the cigarette lighter was taken out because it used a different voltage and phase than the rest of the console, and not because anyone thought it was odd that a computerized fire control terminal should feature a cigarette lighter. The past really is a foreign country isn't it?
posted by Grimgrin at 9:22 PM on November 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by Grimgrin at 9:22 PM on November 28, 2015 [5 favorites]
The sub I was on from 2004-2006 still had the brackets for ashtrays riveted to just about every available vertical surface. They kept threatening to completely prohibit smoking, but for some reason it never happened.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 4:00 PM on November 29, 2015
posted by ArgentCorvid at 4:00 PM on November 29, 2015
So apparently the consoles were originally designed to have a cigarette lighter[...] The past really is a foreign country isn't it?
Obviously it was because personnel needed a way to charge their smartphones while on duty, and adding a USB port to the console would've been a security risk.
posted by neckro23 at 4:58 PM on November 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Obviously it was because personnel needed a way to charge their smartphones while on duty, and adding a USB port to the console would've been a security risk.
posted by neckro23 at 4:58 PM on November 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
The amplidyne controller which controlled speed and direction of antenna rotation was damaged beyond repair, and he had to make a jury rig controller out of flashlight batteries and a potentiometer.That's the kind of stuff I'm looking for in an article like this. Thanks.
posted by benito.strauss at 12:44 PM on December 7, 2015
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posted by Kabanos at 8:31 PM on November 27, 2015