Famous Glasgow Firm Provides Silent Service with ‘Eyes’
IN ONE of this years’ more unusual centenaries, on 31 August 1917 Govan-based engineers and optical technicians, Barr & Stroud Ltd, delivered an example of their FY1 No.1 Periscope to the Armstrong- Whitworth shipyard at Wallsend.
There, under construction, was HMS M3. The experimental M3, like her sisters, were as much monitor as they were submarine, the illfated class originally fitted with 12in guns for bombardment work and to engage enemy shipping.
Since then, Barr & Stroud (now a subsidiary of Thales Optronics and considered to be the oldest part of Thales Group) continued to provide the Royal Navy with leading high-quality periscopes, becoming its sole supplier. Then, as is the case now, periscopes provide submarine commanders with ‘eyes’ beneath the waves, a source of vital intelligence, visuals, navigation, and targeting aids.
Barr & Stroud developed the first focus-adjustable periscope in 1920, and by the 1950s had improved range estimation and navigation with the first radar-fitted example. Electronic warfare masts, infra-red, and laser rangefinders followed, with the first remote control periscope coming in 1991. Other landm…
