Fleet Sonar School
Encyclopedia
The Fleet Sonar School was a United States Navy
facility in Key West
, Florida
for the training of Service personnel in Sonar
techniques and equipment, and Anti-submarine warfare
.
The facility opened in 1940, after personnel were transferred from the existing Atlantic Fleet Sound School in New London, Connecticut
, which had opened in 1939. The school was invaluable for training sonar operators for the country's struggle against German U-boat
s a few years later. The base closed in the early 1970s.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
facility in Key West
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
for the training of Service personnel in Sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
techniques and equipment, and Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
.
The facility opened in 1940, after personnel were transferred from the existing Atlantic Fleet Sound School in New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, which had opened in 1939. The school was invaluable for training sonar operators for the country's struggle against German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s a few years later. The base closed in the early 1970s.