Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Notable Point · 2:06:41-2:09:51

Destroyer radar, PPI displays, and night formation keeping

The 10th Destroyer Flotilla carried different radar fits, yet night-action reports suggest crews may have adapted older sets for PPI displays.

10th Destroyer FlotillaDestroyersHMCS HaidaHMCS HuronHMS AshantiHMS EskimoHMS JavelinHMS TartarNaval RadarNaval TacticsORP BlyskawicaORP PiorunPlan Position IndicatorRoyal NavyTribal Class Destroyers (1936)Type 271 RadarType 276 RadarType 291 RadarWorld War II
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Notes

Type 276 radar's powered rotation supported a plan-position indicator, a circular display showing contacts' relative positions in real time. Ashanti, Eskimo, and Tartar carried this set, credited here with detecting small destroyers at about 12 miles. Haida and Huron carried older Type 271Q sets, as did Błyskawica, Piorun, and Javelin; their quoted destroyer detection range was about nine miles. The combined warning Type 291 was seldom used because enemy receivers could detect its transmissions. Reports of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla's night actions suggest that PPI displays were more widespread than the listed radar fits imply. Crews might have motorized manually rotatable sets and adapted them to the displays. Conflicting reports and the reluctance to document where a motor came from leave this a plausible explanation, without direct proof of the alterations.