In the mid 1950's, The Decca Navigator Company of London, England, was run by Harvey Schwartz a real dynamo at marketing. The company was a subsidiary of the massive Decca complex controlled by Sir Edward Lewis. Schwartz's big success had been the utilization of the system in the D-Day landings. It was his dream to expand Navigator throughout the civilized world and in particular, to the United States.

Roy Mitchell, an ex-RAF squadron leader and an associate of Robert Watson-Watt, the British scientist credited with the development of radar had been selected to lead Decca into the North American market. He had already convinced the Bendix company to consider a North American licence. In the winter of 1956, Roy moved from London, England to Toronto, Ontario and established a Canadian office for Decca Navigator.

In 1957, the Canadian Coast Guard started to evaluate Decca Navigator for eventual certification as radio navigation aid for Canada. Chains were built in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Quebec for this purpose. Business was booming. Around Christmas 1958 when everything was going great, Roy Mitchell announced that Decca was about to withdraw from the North American market and the Bendix Corporation had taken over the licence. That meant the Decca Navigator division had to be moved to Ottawa because it would be managed under the wing of Computing Devices Canada (CDC), a Bendix subsidiary. Roy Mitchell was off to New York City to take over the Decca Radar Corporation there. By January 1959, the move to Ottawa had been completed but the transition was rocky one having encountered problems between senior management and staff. The basic issues focused around management's fundamental lack of understanding about marine sciences.

Within a short time, business was booming and CDC landed contracts with the Department of Transport, the Hydrographic Office and the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys. The company started conducting Decca Navigator tests with the Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Navy. The Canadian Navy adopted Decca and used it until Global Positioning System became the primary navigation system.  By 1961, the Canadian Coast Guard had completed the certification of the Canadian chains and they entered service. In the autumn of 1965, the Decca division was prospering, but the main business operations were somewhat less than profitable. Bendix, who owned 60 percent of the company decided to go public. It was a good deal for the stock brokers, but did absolutely nothing for the bottom line. Massive changes were needed but no one was fired. People were just moved around. Expenditures stayed the same and the income grew even smaller. There were also sorts of wonderful ideas and systems floating around in people's minds but without those defence contracts CDC's survival was in jeopardy. The most lucrative marketplace, the U.S. military was to be denied because of the "not invented here syndrome".

CDC eventually became part of the General Dynamics group. Today, the company is a  supplier of military electronics to both the Canadian Department of National Defence and to the United States. The last Decca chain in Canada having closed down in 1986, ended  Decca Navigator operations for CDC and signalled the end of an era.

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COMPUTING DEVICES OF CANADA
Reprinted from Decca Navigator News November 1964

Computing Devices of Canada Limited commenced operations in 1948. Their first big job being to develop a tactical war games simulator for the Royal Canadian Navy. In 1956, through their affiliation with the Bendix Corporation, they obtained the exclusive Canadian Licence for the Decca Navigator System and operated all the Canadian Decca Navigator Chains.

In 1960, after the Chains had been sold to the Canadian Department of Transport, the operation of the Chains also reverted to the Government. There were 163 receiver leases at that time.

With the introduction of the Decca Navigator Mark XII and the prospects of a substantial number of orders for this equipment in Canada, Computing Devices decided to produce the equipment on their assembly lines using as much Canadian material as possible. In January 1964, manufacturing commenced and 150 sets were planned for the first eighteen months of production. The first Canadian built Mark XII came off the production line on 28th February 1964 and was installed aboard the vessel 'Foundation Venture'. At that time, sets were coming off the line at the rate of three per week.

The plant at Bell's Corners,  now a suburban community within the city of Ottawa, occupied 200,000 square feet and a further 28,000 square feet was scheduled to be added in 1964. The staff numbered 1,200 of whom 400 were engineers, scientists or technicians and the growth chart indicated a total of over 2,000 would be needed within the next four years.

The Marine Organization of CDC operated depots at Montreal, Halifax, Sydney, Yarmouth, Lunenburg, and Burin in Newfoundland. Service for Decca Navigator equipment was also provided through agents located in St. John's, Newfoundland; St. John, New Brunswick; Grand Manan, New Brunswick; Prince Edward Island; Lameque, New Brunswick, Seven Islands and Quebec City..

As of September 1964, there were 350 receivers on lease, a combination of both Mark V's and Mark XII's.

CDC's production facility for their entire product line. It was located in Bell's Corners, Ontario which is now part of the City of Ottawa.

Here, a row of Mark XII discrininator chassis are nearing final assembly.

A technician is calibrating a receiver chassis and performing final checks.

All photos in this table from Decca Navigator News , November 1964.

With the recent acquisition of ComDev Marine  from the Computing Devices division of Control Data Canada Limited, Decca has brought together a coast-to-coast organization for the sale and servicing of all Decca marine products.

Decca Radar Canada Limited and The Decca Navigator Company (Canada) Limited were set up in 1953. An extensive sales and service organization to meet the demand, particularly for radar was established with headquarters in Toronto, to be followed by a time of steady expansion

In 1957 the manufacture, rental and servicing of shipboard Decca Navigator receivers passed to Computing Devices of Canada under a prior North American licensing arrangement. With the transfer of some Decca personnel from Decca Canada and the UK as a basis, Computing Devices Company (CDC) formed a marine electronics sales and service organization in the Atlantic Provinces and at the same time were also appointed representatives for Decca Radar equipment for this area of Canada. Concurrent with these developments Decca Navigator Chains of Transmitting Stations were erected in Eastern Canada, and as a result of proving trials, four Decca Chains were purchased by the Federal Ministry of Transportation provide better facilities for increased shipping expected with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway and to assist the development of the Eastern Seaboard fisheries. The Canadian fishermen in particular rapidly equipped their vessels and CDC commenced manufacturing receivers.

At the same time a heavy investment was made by CDC in providing service stations even in remote parts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Computing Devices added to their marine product range and operated under the divisional title of ComDev Marine. Currently some 500 local fishing vessels are equipped with Mk 12 or Mk 21 receivers.

Decca Radar (Canada) Ltd since its establishment has achieved great success in meeting the demand in Canada. In addition to a wide range of shipborne radars - no less than 28 new Decca equipment types were introduced in the  1970s- the Company has been active in developing and supplying advanced equipment for Vessel Traffic Management facilities and for engine room control and monitoring systems.

Decca Marine, incorporating Decca Radar and ComDev Marine, is based in Toronto with regional offices at Dartmouth, Montreal. and Vancouver and will now cover Canada on an integrated national basis with some 50 sales and services outlets for Decca Navigator, Decca Radar, ISIS, Loran C, Decca Autopilots, Microtecnica Gyros, Elac Echo Sounders and a range of marine communications equipment.

Decca Marine is now the largest marine electronics organization throughout Canada.. Government Agencies, shipping and fishing interests are assured of an even better service as a result of this consolidation.

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INITIAL CHAIN CONFIGURATION AND HISTORY

On the 10th and 11th December 1975, ComDev Marine the Canadian licensee for the Decca Navigator Company Limited, was invited to give a presentation to the Ministry of Transport (Marine Telecommunications & Electronics Branch) on the Decca Navigator System in Canada and system developments internationally. The presentation had a three fold purpose:-

i) To review the history of the Decca Navigator System in Canada and focus on the current (1975) situation on the East Coast.

ii) To review and discuss previous, on-going and future system developments internationally.

iii) As a result of (i) and (ii) to provide the Ministry of Transport with detailed proprietary technical data on the Decca Navigator System to assist the Ministry in its study and evaluation of a suitable public service marine navigation system for Canadian waters in the 1980-1990 time frame. An excerpt from this document illustrates the chain history.

"The first Decca Chain in Canada was installed in 1956 to fulfill high accuracy survey requirements of the Department of National Defence (Royal Canadian Navy) and the United States Navy over an extensive area off the south coast of Newfoundland. The Decca hyperbolic system was selected in preference to the Lorac System which had been used worldwide for survey control since 1952 by the U.S. Hydrographic Office.

Chain 6B (the RCN chain) was sited along the south coast of Newfoundland between Cape Ray and the Burin Penninsula and some use of the chain was made by TransAtlantic merchant shipping on an experimental basis during 1957.

In 1956, the Decca Navigator Company and Computing Devices Company proposed to the Department of Transport the installation of a Chain in Nova Scotia on a trial basis to determine user demands. The latter agreed to this two year trial, at no cost to the Department and Chain 7C was installed in 1957, (190 Series equipment) An authorized number of vessels - mainly fishing vessels, were fitted with Mk V receivers as soon as the chain was in operation in August 1957 and lattice charts were available. TransAtlantic shipping bound to and from east coast ports were of course already fitted with Decca receivers for navigation in European waters and could also take advantage of the Nova Scotia Chain. It is emphasized that this was all activated as a private venture in Canada at considerable financial risk and with no guarantee of permanency. Any possibility of permanency depended upon user acceptance.

Further financial risk was incurred by the Decca Navigator Company and Computing Devices Company in November 1957 when a second Decca Chain - 9C, was installed on a trial basis in the Montreal - Quebec City area. This was one of the first Mk 10 Multipulse chains (820 series equipment) and as such was specifically for airborne use in the terminal approaches to Montreal. Shortly thereafter the East Newfoundland chain 2C was also established on a trial basis for marine use using 820 series equipment.

In 1959, user interest and acceptance from both the Canadian fishing industry and deep sea shipping was highly favourable and on completion of this successful trial period,  the Department of Transport agreed to purchase Chains 2C, 7C and chain 9C for marine use [1].

It is of significance that at the I.C.A.O. Meeting on Airborne Navigation Systems for North America held in 1958 in Montreal, selected  VOR, DME and TACAN systems in preference to Decca for enroute and terminal navigation by aircraft. This decision effectively excluded the Montreal - Quebec City Chain 9C from commercial airborne use. Also, as this Chain's eastern high accuracy coverage only extended to Father Point Quebec and as ships were under positive control by pilots from this Point up river to Montreal and beyond, it was logical to re-site this chain to cover a major portion of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to provide accurate positioning at sea. This was completed in 1961 and became the Anticosti chain.

Between 1961 and 1964, the Dept. of Transport accepted responsibility for the continued operation of the RCN Chain 6B and when the naval requirement for the chain ended, new chain equipment was purchased by the Department, new sites were established and Chain 6B was re-positioned to cover the approaches to Cabot Strait.

Circa 1956-1957: This was the initial configuration for the Decca chains in Canada. The Quebec chain (9C) became operational in 1957 but in 1958, a  Montreal ICAO meeting closed it down because VOR, DME and TACAN systems were selected in preference to Decca for enroute and terminal navigation by aircraft.  The equipment was reloacted and it became the Anticosti Chain 9C.  The stations of the West Newfoundland chain were built for the Royal Canadian Navy and became operational at the sites shown above. When the naval requirement for the chain ended,  the chain was closed  and the equipment was relocated to cover the approaches to the Cabot Strait. Also shown are the Master and Purple DECTRA stations which were incorporated into the East Newfoundland chain.  DECTRA was discontinued in the late 1960's when inertial navigation systems became the standard airline long range navaid. The Quebec chain had the master around Quebec City with the northern slave near Chicoutimi , the western slave near Trois-Rivières and the southmost slave in the vicinity of St. Georges. For the Western Newfoundland chain, the master was sited at Recontre West with the eastern slave sharing  the green slave of the East Newfoundland chain. Port-Aux-Basques remained as slave fpr the 6B chain. (Map courtesy Decca Navigator News via Walter Blanchard) .

On August 19, 1957 the first general useage Decca chains were officially opened by The Hon. George Hees, Minister of Transport at Halifax. (see above map). Evaluation trials began shortly therafter by the Department in order to determine the value to shipping. (Photo courtesy Decca Navigator News via Walter Blanchard)

1964: This map shows the random fixing errors at sea level. Click to enlarge. (From the collection of John Molloy-Vickers)

The final configuration of the chains in Canada. (Graphic courtesy Decca Navigator News Sept 1976. Modified by Jerry Proc)

ANTICOSTI CHAIN

Shortly after the Nova Scotia chain was opened, the Anticosti Chain became operational. This chain was officially opened by Mr. John Baldwin, Deputy Minister of Transport for Canada. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Air Industries and Transport Association of Canada. It was announced that the Canadian military would carry out trials of their own using Fairchild C-119 aircraft fitted with DIAN. The Royal Canadian Navy started assessing it for air-sea rescue work.
 

NOVA SCOTIA CHAIN

The Nova Scotia chain was the first Canadian chain to open. On August 19, 1957, a ceremony was held in the Nova Scotian Hotel in Halifax where Bendix-Decca Navigator receivers were exhibited. Practical demonstrations were given aboard the Prestonian class frigate HMCS OUTREMONT.  The equipment was kindly loaned by the Royal Canadian Navy, the Coast Guard ship CYGNUS  and the RCMP vessel, THE MacBRIEN. All the vessels had been fitted with receivers and track plotters.

In the course of his speech Mr. George Hees, Canada's Minister of Transport  who had been present at the demonstration in the harbour, said he was "tremendously impressed"  by the possibilities of the Decca system and hoped sufficient ship owners and airline operators would opt to make it a standard radionavigation aid in Canada. Premier Bob Stanfield of Nova Scotia said that the people in his province would certainly endorse the system  if it contributes to safety.

One of the first ships to use the new coverage on a scheduled run was Canadian Pacific's EMPRESS OF ENGLAND. The report of her master , Captain C.L. Hauteville Bell, was " The system worked marvelously. We compared the Decca readings with visual fixes taken from land points and they were all perfectly accurate". Other famous ships of the day using Decca were the QUEEN MARY and QUEEN ELIZABETH,  the UNITED STATES and the EMPRESS OF BRITAIN.

After the system was installed, the Canadian Ministry of Transport started a one year evaluation period to decide whether Decca was to become the standard navigational aid for Canada. It did become a standard and persevered until the 1980's.

This chart shows the actual track of the demonstration run of the C.G.S. CYGNUS as recorded by her Track Plotter. Note the points of departure and return are quite distinct. (From Decca Navigator News via Walter Blanchard)

John Molloy-Vickers adds this final note to the Canadian story. "After the Manhattan oil tanker had completed a feasibility  trip through the Northwest passage in 1969, interest in oil exploration in the north started to heat up. CDC and Decca began working on a proposal to build a main chain for the Mackenzie River delta area. I made a couple of visits to Ottawa from the UK to visit CDC and the DOT to help with the planning but it all came to nothing. The costs would have been prohibitive apart from mast foundation problems".

If a sea route through Canada's northwest passage was ever opened up, Decca's Planning Department proposed the chains in this image. Nothing in this proposal was ever built. Click on image to enlarge. (From Decca Navigator News, August 1970)

LAMBDA CHAIN FOR LAKE ONTARIO

 In 1971, in support of the  International Field Year For the Great Lakes (IFYGL), a contract was awarded to Computing Devices of Canada, Ottawa for the rental and operation of a Decca Lambda Survey system to facilitate positioning of survey and research vessels and aircraft engaged in IFYGL (1972) operations on Lake Ontario. Field plotting sheet projections and Decca Lambda lattices were prepared on Central Region's Gerber 22 plotting table and supplied to Canadian Hydrographic Service Headquarters where the final field sheets were compiled.

The chain consisted of one master and two slaves along with 13 Canadian ships and one helicopter suitably fitted to receive the hyperbolic transmissions. On the U.S. side four vessels and three aircraft were so fitted  by Navigation Systems Inc, Decca's American subsidiary. The Lambda chain would provide accuracies of better than 200 feet (61 metres). Below is a table showing the locations , functions and coordinates of the Lake Ontario chain circa 1971. Additional information on the IFYGL survey can be found in the April 1972 edition of the CHA publication.

Lattice chart for the Lake Ontario Lambda chain The station locations are approximate. .

Top left:  Exterior of Master station. Top right: Monitor station. Bottom left: T350T track plotter installed in a vessel.  Bottom right: Interior view of the master station showing the Lambda transmitters.

All photos in this table from Decca Navigator News, October 1972

Decca type C81 survey receiver. (From Decca Navigator News , October 1972)

From Decca Navigator News, June 1979.

John Molloy-Vickers provides a short piece on the Decca logo. "The logo with Decca superimposed on a maple leaf  belonged to Decca Radar Canada which was the Decca's Canadian arm  that looked after Decca Radar interests in Canada, the Decca Navigator chains and Decca Austin Insulators which Decca bought and moved from the USA to Brampton, Ontario. When Racal took over, Decca Radar moved to Mississauga. Later, Litton Marine Systems took over Decca interests in Canada. Pat Warr bought what was left of the original Decca company and it became The Austin Insulator Company at the same location in Mississauga".

NOTES:

[1] Treasury Board Minutes 552307 dated 25th August 1959.

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Credits and Contributors:

1) Walter Blanchard <wb(at)g3jkv.co.uk >
2) John Molloy-Vickers <johnmv(at)sympatico.ca>
3) Decca Navigator News, August 1970.
4) Decca Navigator News, October 1972.
5) Decca Navigator News, June 1979.
6)  William Hepburn   DX Info Centre <dxinfo(at)cogeco.ca>

May 5/19