What specific military necessity primarily drove the applied development of SONAR during World War I?
The search for a way to detect enemy submarines underwater
The transition from theoretical understanding of high-frequency sound to practical hardware development was heavily catalyzed by military requirements, specifically during World War I. Before this period, high-frequency sound detection attempts existed but lacked the necessary power and reliable control. The urgent need to locate and track submerged enemy vessels, such as U-boats, provided the primary focus that led directly to the creation of SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging). This high-stakes environment spurred significant investment into creating powerful, reliable apparatuses capable of reflecting sound off submerged objects over long distances, setting the stage for subsequent technological evolution.
