The ionosphere: Undermining Britain's imperial power: Wireless and its impact on geopolitics and naval operations (1919–1927)

Abstract

The transition of sea power from the battleship-dominated Royal Navy of the First World War to the carrier-dominated United States Navy of the Second is a much discussed topic in current historiography. This article investigates a small but important part of that transition, elements of which have been previously researched but where important connections have not been made and where, in current British historiography, the full picture has perhaps been hidden behind the achievements of one man – Guglielmo Marconi. The contribution of wireless to the transition of sea power had its roots in the immediate aftermath of the First World War. This research reveals that it involved a somewhat clandestine effort by the United States Navy to undermine British dominance in global communications, at that time based on submarine cables. It reveals how Britain's imperial obligations and a post-war need for greater control over their communications by Britain's colonies also contributed to undermining the Royal Navy position. By a thorough review and new interpretations of existing historiography, plus some additional archive material, this work identifies connections between geography, economics, technology and political will that were key in the United States Navy attaining a superior post-war position in wireless technology. It shows how these connections enabled the United States Navy to benefit from Marconi's discovery of the practical use of short-wave radio.