Communications Intercept: The Early Years (Part 1 of 5)

Early Years of Navy Intercept on the East Coast

The U.S. Navy took over the privately owned transmitting station at Sayville, Long Island, New York, on 9 July 1915. The excuse given was “majority of stock owned by a belligerent.”

That belligerent was Germany, at war with England since August of 1914. Although the United States was neutral, public opinion was rapidly veering away from imperial Germany after a German submarine sunk the British liner LUSITANIA on 7 May 1915 with a loss of 1,195 souls including 128 U.S. citizens.

Our Navy had already taken over an East Coast transmitting station at Tuckerton, New Jersey, on 9 September 1914 but the one at Sayville was better equipped.