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Project Sanguine
Project Sanguine was a US Navy project proposed in 1968 for communication with submerged submarines using extremely low frequency (ELF) radio waves. The initially proposed system, hardened to survive a nuclear attack, would have required a giant antenna covering two-fifths of the state of Wisconsin. The proposed approach was never implemented because of protests and potential environmental impact. A smaller, less hardened system called Project ELF consisting of two linked ELF transmitters located at Clam Lake, Wisconsin (46°05′05.6″N 90°55′03.7″W / 46.084889°N 90.917694°W) and Republic, Michigan (46°20′10.1″N 87°53′04.6″W / 46.336139°N 87.884611°W) was built beginning in 1982 and operated from 1989 until 2004. The system transmitted at a frequency of 76 Hz. At ELF frequencies, the bandwidth of the transmission was very small, so the system could only send short-coded text messages at a very low data rate. These signals were used to summon specific vessels to the surface to receive longer operational orders by ordinary radio or satellite communication.
The initially proposed system would have had a giant antenna consisting of 6,000 miles (9,700 km) of buried cables in a rectangular grid covering 22,500 square miles (58,000 km2), two-fifths of the state of Wisconsin, powered by 100 underground power plants in concrete bunkers. The cables were grounded at their ends, and loops of AC electric current flowed deep in the ground between the ends of the cable, generating ELF waves; this is called a ground dipole. The original design was projected to cost billions and consume 800 megawatts of power. The goal was a system that could transmit tactical orders one-way to US nuclear submarines anywhere in the world, and survive a direct nuclear attack.
The project was controversial from the start and was attacked by politicians alongside antiwar and environmental groups concerned about the effects of high ground currents and electromagnetic fields on the environment. The nuclear survivability of the system was made doubtful by Soviet development of MIRV ballistic missiles. After an attempt to resite the project in the Llano Uplift of Texas was also stopped by public opposition, the Navy abandoned Sanguine and proposed a series of increasingly modest variants: Project Seafarer (1975), Austere ELF (1978), and finally Project ELF (1981), which was constructed. This lower power system required 15 minutes to transmit each code group, so it was not used to transmit tactical orders directly but instead served the function of a "bell ringer", ordering a specific vessel to rise near the surface and receive further orders by ordinary radio or satellite communication. The system became nominally operational in 1989, 20 years after it first went online as "test facility," and was used until 2004, when the US Navy declared it obsolete and it was shut down and dismantled.
The scaled-down system the Navy constructed in 1969, called Project ELF, began official testing in 1982 and became officially operational in 1989. It consisted of two transmitter facilities, one at Clam Lake, Wisconsin and one at Republic, Michigan. with a total of 84 miles (135 km) of above-ground transmission line antenna. The two transmitters normally operated synchronized as one antenna for greater range but could also operate independently. The scaled-down system was not designed to survive a nuclear attack.
The Clam Lake facility, which served as the test site and was originally called the Wisconsin Test Facility (WTF), consisted of two 14-mile (23 km) transmission line antennas (called ground dipoles) in the shape of a cross, with the transmitter station at their intersection. The Republic facility consisted of three transmission lines, two 14-mile (23 km) and one 28-mile (45 km), in the shape of the letter "F" (the shape is not significant and was dictated by land availability). The lines, made of 1.5-centimeter (0.59 in) aluminum cable supported on insulators on 40-foot (12 m) wooden utility poles, resembled ordinary power transmission lines. The ends of the transmission lines were grounded by 1 to 3 miles (1.6 to 4.8 km) of buried copper cable and ground rods, later replaced by arrays of electrodes in deep 300-foot (91 m) boreholes The transmitters sent alternating currents of 300 amperes through the lines, which passed through the buried electrodes deep into the Earth.
The transmitters operated at a frequency of 76 Hz in the extremely low frequency band, with an alternate capability at 45 Hz and used a combined power of 2.6 megawatts. They could communicate with submarines over about half the world's surface. The system transmitted continuously, 24 hours a day, sending an "idle" message when it was not being used so that submarines could verify they were within communication range.
Because of the extremely small bandwidth of the ELF band, the transmitters had a very slow data rate. They couldn't transmit voice (audio) but only short coded text messages of a few letters. Reportedly, it took 15 minutes to transmit a single three-letter code group.
The system was controversial and was the target of legal attacks, suits, and protests throughout its operating life. On five occasions, protesters cut down transmission line poles, interrupting operation briefly.
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Project Sanguine
Project Sanguine was a US Navy project proposed in 1968 for communication with submerged submarines using extremely low frequency (ELF) radio waves. The initially proposed system, hardened to survive a nuclear attack, would have required a giant antenna covering two-fifths of the state of Wisconsin. The proposed approach was never implemented because of protests and potential environmental impact. A smaller, less hardened system called Project ELF consisting of two linked ELF transmitters located at Clam Lake, Wisconsin (46°05′05.6″N 90°55′03.7″W / 46.084889°N 90.917694°W) and Republic, Michigan (46°20′10.1″N 87°53′04.6″W / 46.336139°N 87.884611°W) was built beginning in 1982 and operated from 1989 until 2004. The system transmitted at a frequency of 76 Hz. At ELF frequencies, the bandwidth of the transmission was very small, so the system could only send short-coded text messages at a very low data rate. These signals were used to summon specific vessels to the surface to receive longer operational orders by ordinary radio or satellite communication.
The initially proposed system would have had a giant antenna consisting of 6,000 miles (9,700 km) of buried cables in a rectangular grid covering 22,500 square miles (58,000 km2), two-fifths of the state of Wisconsin, powered by 100 underground power plants in concrete bunkers. The cables were grounded at their ends, and loops of AC electric current flowed deep in the ground between the ends of the cable, generating ELF waves; this is called a ground dipole. The original design was projected to cost billions and consume 800 megawatts of power. The goal was a system that could transmit tactical orders one-way to US nuclear submarines anywhere in the world, and survive a direct nuclear attack.
The project was controversial from the start and was attacked by politicians alongside antiwar and environmental groups concerned about the effects of high ground currents and electromagnetic fields on the environment. The nuclear survivability of the system was made doubtful by Soviet development of MIRV ballistic missiles. After an attempt to resite the project in the Llano Uplift of Texas was also stopped by public opposition, the Navy abandoned Sanguine and proposed a series of increasingly modest variants: Project Seafarer (1975), Austere ELF (1978), and finally Project ELF (1981), which was constructed. This lower power system required 15 minutes to transmit each code group, so it was not used to transmit tactical orders directly but instead served the function of a "bell ringer", ordering a specific vessel to rise near the surface and receive further orders by ordinary radio or satellite communication. The system became nominally operational in 1989, 20 years after it first went online as "test facility," and was used until 2004, when the US Navy declared it obsolete and it was shut down and dismantled.
The scaled-down system the Navy constructed in 1969, called Project ELF, began official testing in 1982 and became officially operational in 1989. It consisted of two transmitter facilities, one at Clam Lake, Wisconsin and one at Republic, Michigan. with a total of 84 miles (135 km) of above-ground transmission line antenna. The two transmitters normally operated synchronized as one antenna for greater range but could also operate independently. The scaled-down system was not designed to survive a nuclear attack.
The Clam Lake facility, which served as the test site and was originally called the Wisconsin Test Facility (WTF), consisted of two 14-mile (23 km) transmission line antennas (called ground dipoles) in the shape of a cross, with the transmitter station at their intersection. The Republic facility consisted of three transmission lines, two 14-mile (23 km) and one 28-mile (45 km), in the shape of the letter "F" (the shape is not significant and was dictated by land availability). The lines, made of 1.5-centimeter (0.59 in) aluminum cable supported on insulators on 40-foot (12 m) wooden utility poles, resembled ordinary power transmission lines. The ends of the transmission lines were grounded by 1 to 3 miles (1.6 to 4.8 km) of buried copper cable and ground rods, later replaced by arrays of electrodes in deep 300-foot (91 m) boreholes The transmitters sent alternating currents of 300 amperes through the lines, which passed through the buried electrodes deep into the Earth.
The transmitters operated at a frequency of 76 Hz in the extremely low frequency band, with an alternate capability at 45 Hz and used a combined power of 2.6 megawatts. They could communicate with submarines over about half the world's surface. The system transmitted continuously, 24 hours a day, sending an "idle" message when it was not being used so that submarines could verify they were within communication range.
Because of the extremely small bandwidth of the ELF band, the transmitters had a very slow data rate. They couldn't transmit voice (audio) but only short coded text messages of a few letters. Reportedly, it took 15 minutes to transmit a single three-letter code group.
The system was controversial and was the target of legal attacks, suits, and protests throughout its operating life. On five occasions, protesters cut down transmission line poles, interrupting operation briefly.
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