Support my channel please Comment Like Share the video and consider subscribing you can support this channel more on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/HistoryPhotosGallery History of the Transatlantic Cable Station "RM" in World War II by Addison C. Sheckler While it is difficult to be precise, it would appear that the United States Army's interest in a transatlantic cable began in early 1942. This is evidenced by the earliest date on some of the Western Union Company's blueprints. It is obvious from Western Union documents that a concerted and continuous effort began at this time. M/Sgt Sheckler School Photo, 1943 The Army Signal Corps collected the necessary personnel during 1943 and at least in some of the cases they were held on "Rations and Quarters" with little or nothing to do. The author had been ill during the summer and the Army sent him home for a ninety day "Recuperative Leave". The group was assembled in New York in January and was assigned to study at the Western Union Company's Research Laboratory at corporate headquarters at 60 Hudson St. The group consisted of eight enlisted men and two Second Lieutenants. The course work was taught by Mr. W.F. Wilder and Mr. Dickey, both of Western Union's engineering department. The instruction started with Lord Kelvin's definitive treatise on telegraphy. All aspects of ocean cable telegraphy were taught, from the simple devices like the siphon recorder to the most modern equipment used on high speed multiplex cables. The work included operation and maintenance of the various machines which we would use. We were also taught the protocol necessary to set up and operate a modern cable station. This all ended, complete with a graduation and diplomas at the end of April 1944. We still were not needed so we marked time, but remained at Western Union. They managed for us to spend time at the operating sites actually seeing the systems work. We visited the terminal at Broad St (CD); we visited the cable terminus at Rockaway Beach (Hammel HM). We visited Commercial Cable's New York offices and their terminal at Far Rockaway. We even spent time at RCA's telegraphic terminal in New York. About June 4 we were told that we were leaving immediately and on June 6, 1944 we were on board the Queen Mary bound for Europe, but we still did not know anything about our organization. The names of the people follow: #ww2 #worldwar2 #historyphotos