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JRT/ftSECRET
NAVAL AIR STATION
Sitka, Alaska 10 January 1942
From: Commanding Officer 1. There is being forwarded herewith the report of HF/DF activities of this station for the month ending 31 December 1941, consisting of the following sections:
J. R. Tate
This report contains 13 pages. Page 1. |
| HF/DF Sitka December, 1941 |
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I OPERATIONS
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| HF/DF Sitka December, 1941 |
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I OPERATION
During the period 1-7 December continued operating the HF/DF as instructed by the Net Control Station. Bearings being obtained on ORANGE Merchange Vessels. On 7 December on hearing of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the HF/DF was immediately placed on a war time basis. Instructions from the Net Control Station have been received from time to time with the following assignment in effect at this time. Search frequency band 6000 to 7500 kilocycles, concentrating on 6600-6650 kilocycles between 0430 and 0830 daily. A continuous watch is kept on the assigned frequencies and a searching watch maintained on all other frequencies between 550 and 30000 kilocycles. All bearings are reported to the Net Control Station by priority dispatch including those obtained outside the assigned frequencies. Acting on instructions from Commander Alaskan Sector, this station will coordinate any bearings obtained on enemy vessels in this vicinity with the Army at Fairbanks, Alaska. A special circuit has been set up between NAS Sitka and the Alaskan Communications Station at Anchorage to relay this traffic to Fairbanks. Two schedules are held daily between NQL and WXE at 0800 and 1600. A three section watch is now being stood in the HF/DF and a two section watch maintained in the Local Control Station. (See Personnel Section). Numerous codes and ciphers have recently been received for use by the HF/DF unit. Following is a complete listing of all codes and ciphers held at this time:
Excercise Tracking Code No. 4 (USF64) registered no. 755.
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| HF/DF Sitka December, 1941 |
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II COMMUNICATION DATA
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II - COMMUNICATION DATA
Prior to 7 December, 1941 this unit was assigned work on the ORANGE Merchant Marine. However, during slack periods a small amount of research work was carried out on the ORANGE Navy. As this unit is in an isolated place, it is impossible to learn what research is being carried out by the various intercept stations and what has been discovered in the last year or so. No doubt what would seem new to us has probably been uncovered by the regular intercept stations. Therefore, only changes in calls and addresses and changes or additions noted since 7 December will be reported. Two Kana Character Secret Calls. Some ORANGE Naval Shore Radio Stations are using two KANA character Secret calls in addition to their regular two KANA character, numeral service calls. The following stations have been identified thus far: FU HO (HA FU 6) Tokio Naval Radio Station. SU HO (FU KI 7) Tokio DF. YA NI (HI I 5) Air Activity in Mandate Islands. Radio Deception. On one occasion it was observed that the Naval Radio Station at the KASUMIGAURU Naval Air Station was attempting to effectively employ radio deception. It was noted that KASUMIGAURU Air Station (NO O 4) called MO NI 7 (unlisted) with traffic for MO NI 7. With the same transmitter MO NI 7 answered NO O 4 and told him to go ahead. NO O 4 sent MO NI 7 a message and MO NI 7 acknowledged for it. This was done with the same transmitter. The operator then called E NU 1 (in the 4th fleet) from MI SO 9 (unlisted) and asked KAN?. Altogether it is known that the same transmitter was used with three calls and that a fourth station was called but not heard. The Naval Radio Station at Sasebo, Kyushu, (KI MU 9), used the call TI KO 3 when working other stations on the same circuit that KI MU 9 was used. Whether this was done for deceptive purposes or whether this is an alternate call for Sasebo, it is not known.
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| HF/DF Sitka December, 1941 |
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III - DIRECTION FINDER
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III DIRECTION FINDER.
During the period 1-7 December only 15 ORANGE Merchant Vessels were known to be at sea. The TATSUTA MARU was scheduled to leave for San Francisco and Panama around the 1st of December and apparently was on the way when the attack on Pearl Harbor was made. The last bearing obtained on the TATSUTA MARU was 264 degrees at 1400 on the 7th. Seven other ORANGE Merchant Vessels were know to be operating in the vicinity of the Mandate Islands. During the period 8-31 December 127 bearings on ORANGE Naval Vessels were obtained. Among these were bearings on ships between the Hawaiian Islands and the mainland about the time Japanese Submarines were sinking U.S. Merchant ships off the California coast. As all bearings have been reported to the Net Control Station and due to the desire to cut down on paperwork, a list of bearings taken will not be included in this report or any report during the remainder of the war, unless so desired.
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IV - PERSONNEL
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IV PERSONNEL
*WALKER and WESSENBERG have completed training courses for advancement in rating. They are in all respects eligible for advancement to RM1C and are so recommended. During the period 1 October-6 December, daily classes in ORANGE Naval Communications were held. Operating proceedure, communication channels, code practice and many other subjects were covered. All HF/DF personnel have shown a marked increase in code speed and an increased knowledge of operating proceedure. Due to the necessity of maintaining a continuous watch in both the HF/DF shack and the Local Control Station since the beginning of the war, it is now impracticable to hold daily classes. A three section watch is now being stood in the HF/DF by FRANTZ, WALKER, and WESSENBERG, while THOMSON and MACIEJEWSKI are standing a two section watch in the Local Control Station. It is requested that at least one more operator be transferred this station as soon as possible in order that we may maintain a three section watch in the Local Control Station. The allowance list for this station calls for four more operators but an efficient watch can be maintained with the addition of one more operator.
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Quarterly marks for the quarter ending 31 December, 1941:
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| Sitka D/F December, 1941 |
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V - MATERIAL.
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V MATERIAL
The following equipment is on hand at this station: (a) Direction Finding Equipment.
1 Model DY High Frequency D/F, serial #2. (b) Receiving Equipment.
1 Model RAS-1 High Frequency Receiver, serial #23. (c) Transmitting Equipment.
1 Model TBK Transmitter, serial #22. (d) Miscellaneous.
1 Royal Telegraphic Typewriter. The DK Intermediate Frequency D/F is still in a decomissioned status pending completion of the new building to house this equipment. The building will also house the Local Control Station for the HF/DF which is now quartered in the main radio room. The HF/DF house is equipped with the following facilities: (a) Wired with 110 & 220 volts AC. (b) Telephone for inter-station communication. (c) Transmitter and receiver control lines. (d) 110 volt battery charger. (e) 220 volts heater.
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Record Group 181 (RG 181); NARA, Pacific Alaska Region (Seattle); Central Subject Files, 1934-1945 (Entry 50); District Communications Office; Thirteenth Naval District; Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments; Box 7, Folder A8-4, Radio Intelligence Reports - NAS Sitka, Radio Intelligence Report for the Month Ending 31 December 1941.
The above format gives the box number for the report, current as of August, 2004. It is, however, not the citation format favored by the NARA archivists and box numbers can change over time, so a researcher wishing to contact NARA over these documents in the future may be better served by the following citation:
National Archives Format:
Radio Intelligence Report for the Month Ending 31 December 1941; Folder title "A8-4"; Central Subject Files, 1934-1945 (Entry 50); District Communications Office; Thirteenth Naval District; Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments, Record Group 181 (RG 181); NARA, Pacific Alaska Region (Seattle).