Testing Speed of Sound.
Meanwhile, in 1911, Navy experi
ments with the cruiser Washington
off the Nantucket Shoals Lightship
had determined the rate at which
sound waves travel through sea water.
This was done by releasing radio sig
nals and submarine bell signals at the
same instant from the lightship and
noting the time of arrival of each on
the Washington’s receiving devices.
The cruiser made a series of tests at
an exactly known distance from the
lightship, until the rate of transmis
sion of the sound waves was deter
mined, and then steamed to sea and
made other tests at various distances.
From this series of experiments the
rate of sound travel through sea water
was determined as being 4,800 feet
per second, a fact which formed a
basis for a vast amount of subse
quent experimentation.
